SILICON VALLEY, Calif. – Nov. 29, 2023 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP expanded its Real Estate Practice in California with the addition of Shareholder Vivek K. Chavan, who returns to the firm after four years at DLA Piper.
Chavan works on complex acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, and other real estate related transactions, regularly advising clients on land-related issues and negotiating development agreements, ground leasing, construction and architectural/engineering agreements, declarations, conditions of approval, subdivisions, and easements. He represents clients across a broad range of industries – with a focus on industrial, timber, and biotechnology companies – to meet their real estate transactional and investment needs. Chavan is based in the firm’s Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices.
“We are thrilled to have Vivek back at the firm. With his proven track record of getting complex deals over the finish line and his deep knowledge of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Real Estate Finance, Vivek provides an efficiency and value that’s competitive with local markets, which is where a lot of real estate deals get done,” West Coast Real Estate Practice Co-Chairs Bruce Fischer, co-managing shareholder of the firm’s Orange County office, and Gregory A. Fishman, co-managing shareholder of the Los Angeles office, said in a joint statement.
Chavan has represented numerous clients with the formation of their real estate funds and with their investment or sponsorship in real estate joint ventures. He co-led the master project and development agreement for the master-planned Storyliving community in Rancho Mirage, California, a 618-acre, mixed-use development set to include approximately 1,700 homes, 400 hotel rooms, commercial buildings, and a 24-acre swimmable lagoon. Among other matters, Chavan has also worked on the $1 billion refinancing deal for the State Street Financial Center in Boston; represented a sponsor in a $200 million programmatic joint venture for the acquisition and financing of two Class A medical office buildings and future medical office buildings in several states; and acted as lead counsel for a cross-disciplinary team involved in the $2.4 billion acquisition of approximately 1.55 million acres of timberlands and other assets located in seven states, a transaction which involved mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing, installment notes, tax, and REIT and SEC compliance.
“It’s a positive reflection of our firm’s culture when an attorney chooses to come back,” said G. Michelle Ferreira and William J. Goines, co-managing shareholders of the Silicon Valley office. “With our cross-practice and cross-office collaborative infrastructure, Greenberg Traurig is the perfect place for Vivek’s wide-reaching national real estate practice.” Ferreira also returned to practice at Greenberg Traurig after a brief stretch away and is now a senior vice president of the firm.
“Very few firms have a national real estate presence like Greenberg Traurig. Real estate is in the firm’s DNA – it’s woven into the foundation – which allows real estate clients to harness the firm’s wide connections and benefit from a range of services we can provide,” Chavan said. “Greenberg Traurig has phenomenal people at every level, and I’m looking forward to jumping back into the mix."
Chavan received his J.D. from the University of California at Davis School of Law and a B.A. from the University of California at Riverside.
About Greenberg Traurig's Global Real Estate Practice: The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firm’s real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 700 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe & the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. The group’s clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firm’s real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 47 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.