Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the continued expansion of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group with the addition of partners Allison Nelson and Lori Albert and associates William Garehime and Kelly Adams from Fennemore Craig. With a particular focus on the real estate portfolios of national healthcare systems, the team joins Akerman's Denver office and enhances the firm's core strength in complex real estate transactions.
"Growing client needs across the real estate and construction sector continue to drive the expansion of our practice," said Richard Bezold, chair of Akerman's Real Estate Practice Group, which is ranked sixth by Law360 among the largest teams of real estate lawyers in the United States. "Allison leads a highly skilled team who operate at the intersection of the real estate and healthcare economies. These lawyers add important depth to our national and local capabilities as shifting federal and state policy agendas produce new opportunities and challenges for our clients."
"We are thrilled to welcome Allison and her team to the Denver office, where we have diverse practices in the financial services, real estate, healthcare and life sciences sectors," said Justin Balser, Akerman's Denver office managing partner. "Their deep experience in complex transactions and compliance investigations will provide immediate value to our clients in Denver and nationwide."
Nelson focuses her national practice on the representation of public and private healthcare systems in complex real estate transactions and joint-ventures, and in mergers and acquisitions. She partners with clients to construct and improve legal, business, and compliance systems to manage their U.S. healthcare real estate portfolios and navigate through real estate compliance investigations by the U.S. Office of Inspector General. Nelson also regularly represents commercial developers in refinancing and acquisition of Colorado properties.
Prior to Fennemore Craig, Nelson was the chair of the real estate transactions practice group at Polsinelli where she served as lead real estate counsel in the $1.2 billion acquisition of a five-campus hospital system in Houston, Texas.
Albert represents national healthcare organizations, as well as Fortune 500 companies, developers, and investors in acquisition, disposition, and financing transactions involving all types of real estate. She has negotiated numerous leases, subleases, and other lease-related transactions for healthcare providers, and ensures such arrangements are compliant with the Stark Law, Anti-kickback Statute, and other federal and state healthcare regulations. In the community, Albert serves on the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Committee.
Real estate associates Garehime and Adams also principally focus their practice on healthcare real estate transactions. As a group, Nelson, Albert, Garehime and Adams are responsible for closing more than 500 healthcare leasing, development and acquisition projects annually across the United States.
Denver marks the latest growth for the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. Akerman previously welcomed a real estate and land use team in Los Angeles led by partner Ellen Berkowitz from Gresham Savage; real estate litigation partner Michael Weiss from Lewis Brisbois in Los Angeles, hospitality litigation partner Joshua Bernstein from Pryor Cashman in New York and real estate transactional partner Thomas Dioriofrom Nixon Peabody in New York.
About Akerman LLP
Akerman LLP is a leading transactions and trial law firm known for its core strengths in middle market M&A, within the financial services and real estate industries, and for a diverse Latin America practice. With more than 650 lawyers and government affairs professionals and a network of 24 offices, it is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The American Lawyer (2016). Akerman also is ranked among the top 60 law firms for diversity in The American Lawyer's Diversity Scorecard (2016).
Akerman's Real Estate Practice Group offers comprehensive and fully integrated project counsel services to clients across the United States and Latin America. With substantial industry experience and local market insights, the firm represents clients in complex real estate transactions and financings, development and redevelopment projects, public-private initiatives and litigation. Recognized as a national tier one law firm for real estate law by U.S. News - Best Lawyers, the group advises investors, developers, builders, lenders, retailers, owners and corporate end users, often in high profile matters.
More information can be found at akerman.com or twitter.com/akerman_law.
