Keith Barnett is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group. He joined the firm in 1991. Mr. Barnett has significant experience locally, nationally and internationally in representing clients in all aspects of commercial real estate, including real estate finance, development, acquisitions, sales and leasing.
Practice
Mr. Barnett is a leader in the firm’s Distressed Real Estate Solutions Group, working to advise clients in various positions with respect to options and opportunities, including loan workouts, foreclosure advice and debt and equity restructurings. Mr. Barnett also represents national retailers in all their real estate needs, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, permitting and development. He has also represented clients in connection with numerous major real estate developments, including hotel projects, retail developments, office buildings, biotechnology and high technology facilities, residential developments, warehouse and industrial facilities and academic buildings. Mr. Barnett has significant experience in connection with various different real estate finance options including traditional mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and so-called “bond leases,” “synthetic leases” and other accounting and tax sensitive transactions. Mr. Barnett also has a very active practice representing owners and tenants in connection with various leasing transactions and buyers and sellers in connection with both the acquisition and disposition of real estate in all asset classes. Representative clients include investors, developers, retailers, pension fund advisors, life insurance companies, commercial banks, opportunity investors and publicly traded companies, including some of the world's largest publicly traded retailers and pharmaceutical companies.
Recent Highlights
- Representation of international NYSE retail company in acquisition, permitting and development of several new stores and expansions throughout New England
- Representation of developer of a luxury 300 room hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, financed in part by state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, a pension fund venture partner and a construction to mini-perm mortgage loan
- Representation of owner of a mixed-use commercial property in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a $160 million financing
- Representation of owner/developer in the restructuring and recapitalization of the debt and equity positions in a luxury hotel
- Representation of white knight who provided bridge financing and then purchased a majority of the assets in the mixed use development of a championship golf course and luxury residential community in north suburban Boston
- Represented a regional real estate owner/operator in its formation of a joint venture with a pension fund-backed real estate capital partner for the acquisition of a 14-building, approximately 800,000 s.f. portfolio of commercial properties in the greater Boston area. Eight of the properties were acquired in a first-in-Massachusetts federal receivership sale of failed commercial mortgage backed securities collateral. Acquisition financing was provided through the joint venture's equity and acquisition and construction loans from regional banks.
- Representation of a national retailer in the strategic re-use of various locations, including the sale of air rights and the development of mixed use projects
- Representation of pension fund advisors in the acquisition of multiple assisted living facilities, residential, retail and office projects
- Representation of clients in the acquisition, financing and disposition of approximately $250 million of property in sale/leaseback transactions
- Continued pro bono representation of The Walden Woods Project in connection with the preservation of approximately 160 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Concord and Lincoln, Massachusetts
Professional Activities
Mr. Barnett is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and NAIOP, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association.
Honors and Awards
- Selected by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of real estate law (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012)
- Named a "New England Super Lawyer," in the area of real estate law, in Boston Magazine (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011)
Publications
- Chapter of MCLE Commercial Real Estate Primer with respect to mortgage loans.
Speaking Engagements
- International Council of Shopping Centers, Annual Lawyers Conference: Discussion leader on issues related to complex air rights, deals and mixed use projects (October 27, 2011)
- New York University - Schack Institute of Real Estate: Conducted a full day seminar on commercial real estate workouts (July 22, 2009); Guest lecturer on Distressed Real Estate Opportunities, Lender and Borrower Perspectives (February 16, 2010 and February 8, 2011)
- International Council of Shopping Centers, Annual Lawyers Conference: Discussion Leader, “Financing and Investment: What Types of Deals Are Available?” (November 5, 2010)
- Columbia University: Guest Lecturer for Graduate Level Course on real estate investing in a distressed environment (November 17, 2009, September 14, 2010, and October 11, 2011)
- MIT Center for Real Estate: Guest Lecturer on the fundamentals of loan workouts (July 15, 2010)
- Real Estate Committee of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC): "Distressed Real Estate Solutions," Two-part Webinar Series – April 28 and May 12, 2009
Community Involvement
- Mr. Barnett is a member of the Audit Committee and the Board of Visitors of The New England Baptist Hospital. He has also been actively involved in various political campaigns at local, statewide and national levels.
