Real Estate Development & Investments
View People

Real Estate is one of the most consistent investment avenues for developers, investors and operators of all types, from long-standing institutions and well-established corporations to entrepreneurial start-ups and savvy individuals.

The opportunities are tremendous, so too are the challenges, and you need a partner who has the experience, knowledge, industry insights, foresight, relationships and vision to partner with you and take your project from inception to completion. That is Winstead.

Clients across the country have come to rely on and trust Winstead’s team of over 155 dedicated real estate attorneys as their business partners, helping them understand the trends and maximize on opportunities in today’s complex and ever-changing national market. 

From commercial developments and luxury residential high-rises, to the construction and development of retail, residential and mixed-use projects, to airports, student housing, sports facilities, healthcare and medical facilities, warehouses, industrial parks, office towers, toll-roads and public-private-partnerships, we have the experience and market understanding having worked on hundreds of successful projects across all segments of the industry throughout the United States.

We work with national and regional real estate developers and investors to help guide them through and simplify the sales, acquisitions, equity investments, and financing process, while anticipating obstacles, removing roadblocks, and navigating the legal requirements, including negotiating and structuring ownership, and managing risk to maximize potential and returns on investment.

Unlike many law firms, in addition to our broad Real Estate practice, Winstead has active Entitlement/Land Use, Construction, Leasing & Asset Management, Regulatory, Labor & Employment, and Tax practices, enabling us to work collaboratively with you through all phases of your transaction.

We are Winstead. We work as your trusted counsel and focus on exceeding your expectations on every file, every day, by providing creative solutions to your most complex legal and business challenges.

Winstead real estate attorneys have an extensive project portfolio that includes:

  • Airport and Hangar Facilities
  • Apartments
  • Build-to-Suit Projects
  • Condominiums
  • Health Care Facilities
  • High Density Urban Projects
  • Industrial and Warehouses
  • Mixed-Use Projects
  • Office Buildings
  • Public/Private Projects
  • Resorts
  • Restaurants and Hospitality
  • Retail and Shopping Centers
  • Sports Venues
  • Zoning and Entitlements

At the Center of Real Estate

Because the time-cost axis is at the core of real estate development and investments, Winstead attorneys achieve efficiency and client savings throughout the process.

We cut through deal-stopping regulations, expedite approvals and reduce closing time by using experience, state-of-the-art documentation and due diligence resources.

In recognition of the caliber of our attorneys, Winstead's real estate practice is listed in the Chambers USA Guide to America (Chambers & Partners Publishing), band 1 in Texas, and a number of our attorneys are members of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and the Association of Life Insurance Counsel.

Big Projects. Comprehensive Counsel.

From the acquisition and disposition of multijurisdictional portfolios and billion dollar developments, to strategic tax credit counsel and environmental regulatory compliance, Winstead’s attorneys advise developers and investors across the full spectrum of commercial real estate challenges and requirements.

Leasing. Equity infusions. Construction financing. Contracts, agreements and covenants, conditions and restrictions. Permitting, zoning, land use, entitlements and public assistance. Co-ownerships and mixed-use divisions. Property management. Tax structuring.

To resolve the many issues involved in real estate transactions, Winstead attorneys deploy the vast resources of our integrated business law firm. A strategic combination of big-picture perspective and area-specific technical and tactical knowledge.

For clients, this results in comprehensive, convenient and seasoned counsel that ensures that value is added to every project. 

Condominium Counsel

Winstead’s experience in vertical subdivision in metropolitan areas is a cornerstone of our real estate development and investment counsel.

Fluent in the complex statutes that govern common ownership and disclosure on the state and federal levels, our attorneys manage permitting, construction, conversions and all phases of developments.

Fully immersed in the unique aspects of condominium development, including in mixed-use projects, we are strategic negotiators knowledgeable in complex structures. Our attorneys focus on critical details and the time-cost sensitivities of our clients’ projects.

Winstead’s experience managing the requirements of the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act provides an advantage to developers. On many projects we are able to assist in identifying an available exemption. However, when registration is required, we work with clients to gather all applicable information, produce the necessary registration filing and prosecute the filing to conclusion with diligence and efficiency.

Experience

Real Estate Development and Investment Projects

  • NBA Sports Arena in Houston – Winstead team worked closely with the sports authority client and underwriting team to maximize funding of three new sports facilities.  Site acquisition and eminent domain litigation were among the legal issues involved. 
  • NFL $650 Million Stadium Complex Development – Represent Dallas team in Master Agreement negotiations and actively advocate during successful voter referendum approving project and financing. 
  • 1.4 Million sq. ft. Office Building – For this East Coast high profile project, Winstead attorneys structured parcel ownership division and prevented a significant tax liability during our acquisition, development and construction counsel. 
  • Manhattan Office Building – $105 million acquisition on behalf of a private equity fund. 
  • Mixed-Use Project – Construction and development of a $56 million complex in downtown Fairfax, VA on behalf of a private equity fund. 
  • Casualty-Distressed Office Tower – Purchase and redevelopment of structure in downtown Fort Worth. 
  • Retail Groundlease Portfolio – Finance and acquisition of a 72-site $47 million deal for a national real estate company. 
  • Multifamily Projects – Zone and develop numerous developments, ranging from $8 to $17 million, in central Texas on behalf of a foreign real estate development company. 
  • Mixed-Use Planned Development – Restructure a 480-acre project in Pinellas Park, Florida for the developer. 
  • Assisted Care Facilities – Development of 10 Texas sites on behalf of developer. 
  • Build-to-Suit Development –Represent a public real estate company in their development of a Texas corporate campus for a public telecommunications and technology company. 
  • International Restaurant – Represent company with leasing and development of over 50 restaurant sites 
  • Redevelopment of Major Houston Mall – Project was developed in phases, which required the creation of horizontal condominium ownership pieces to keep lender collateral segregated and protect the total pool of assets against construction liabilities during each phase.

Selected Condominium Projects

  • 295 mixed-use residential units plus hotel, office and retail - Dallas (Victory Development) 
  • Mixed-use residential and retail units – Dallas (West Village) (West Village II) (City Place I) 
  • 247 residential units – Las Colinas (The Grand Treviso) 
  • 141 residential units – Dallas (The Mayfair at Turtle Creek) 
  • Mixed-use residential and retail – Fort Worth (former Tandy Center) 
  • Mixed-use hotel and residential – Downtown Austin 
  • 89 residential units – Houston (West University) 
  • 45 residential units – Dallas (Uptown)