Steven L. Wilner’s practice focuses on real estate, financial, and corporate matters, ranging from global real estate acquisitions, dispositions, development, finance, and restructuring to international mergers and acquisitions and restructurings, including private equity investments and joint ventures in the real estate, hospitality, and infrastructure areas.

Steven joined the firm in 1988 and became a partner in 1997. He spent 2001-2005 as a partner in the firm’s former Tokyo office. 

Notable Experience

  • Regular counsel to Brookfield Asset Management, including:

    • its $2.5 billion acquisition of Associated Estates, a publicly traded multifamily REIT;
    • its $1 billion acquisition of a 49% interest in seven multifamily and mixed-used properties in New York, California, and Hawaii, and its formation of a joint venture with Carmel Partners;
    • its PIPE investment of $400 million in American Realty Capital Hospitality Trust, another REIT;
    • its acquisition of Thayer Lodging’s hospitality asset management and investment advisory business; and
    • its acquisition of the Leela Hotel chain in India.
  • The syndicate of banks in the financing of Brookfield Asset Management’s $11.4 billion acquisition of Forest City.

  • Regular outside counsel to seven of the top 10 sovereign wealth funds in their acquisition, disposition, and financing transactions.

  • Mapletree Investments in its $2.39 billion acquisition of a portfolio of 164 U.S. industrial assets from Exeter Property Group.

  • Transamerica in its sale of the 48-story Transamerica Pyramid building complex in San Francisco for $650 million to a joint venture between real estate developer Michael Shvo and private equity firm Deutsche Finance America, the largest commercial real estate transaction in the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Barclays Capital in its acquisition of Lehman Brothers’ North American investment banking and capital markets business as well as its Manhattan headquarters and certain other real estate assets.

  • Colony Capital in the negotiation of a joint venture with Aimbridge Hospitality to acquire the Jameson Inns chain of 103 limited service hotels.

  • Keysight Technologies in real estate matters associated with its $1.6 billion acquisition of Ixia.

  • Samsonite in real estate matters associated with its $1.8 billion acquisition of Tumi.

  • Genting Group in its acquisitions of Crystal Cruises and 40 acres of waterfront development sites in downtown Miami, Florida, and in the financing and development of a $1 billion resort casino with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in southeast Massachusetts.

  • Resort World New York in its successful bid to the New York State Division of Lottery for the development of a casino with 4,525 video lottery terminals at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

  • YOTEL and IFA Hotels & Resorts in the development, opening, and financing of the YOTEL New York City, the first YOTEL location in the United States, and in joint ventures with the John Buck Companies and Synapse Capital to develop additional YOTEL properties throughout the United States.

  • A sovereign wealth fund in connection with the structuring and establishment of a platform to develop residential developments throughout India with local development partners.

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