Real Estate Law
Robert J. Ivanhoe
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2006 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Robert Ivanhoe is Chair of the 200+ lawyer Global Real Estate Practice and Co-Chair of the REIT group at Greenberg Traurig. He concentrates his practice in sophisticated real estate structures, financings, workouts, restructurings, acquisitions and dispositions of all asset classes of real estate. Robert is actively involved in real estate industry current affairs and regularly asked to write and lecture on industry topics.
Robert has been recognized by Chambers and Partners USA, The New York Observer and Real Estate New York as one of the leading real estate attorneys in New York City and throughout the United States. He has represented numerous nationally-recognized owner/developer and institutional lender/investor clients domestically and internationally for more than 30 years. Robert is a member of the firm's Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Operating Committee.
Overview
- American University Washington College of Law, J.D., graduated 1979
- New York, New York State Bar Association
- Advisory Board of The Stoler Report @ Building New York - Member
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Executive Committee
- American Friends of Rabin Medical Center - Executive Committee
- Bloomberg BNA, Real Estate Law & Industry Report - Editorial Board Member
- Real Estate Division of Israel Bonds - Executive Committee
- The Real Estate Roundtable, Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee, Liquidity Working Group - Member
- Urban Land Institute - Member
- New York, New York State Bar Association
- Advisory Board of The Stoler Report @ Building New York - Member
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Executive Committee
- American Friends of Rabin Medical Center - Executive Committee
- Bloomberg BNA, Real Estate Law & Industry Report - Editorial Board Member
- Real Estate Division of Israel Bonds - Executive Committee
- The Real Estate Roundtable, Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee, Liquidity Working Group - Member
- Urban Land Institute - Member
- American University Washington College of Law, J.D., graduated 1979
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
- Real Estate Law, New York City (2019)
- Real Estate Law, New York City (2017)
- Real Estate Law, New York City (2014)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Real Estate Law
Special Focus:
- Commercial
- Development
- Finance
- Hospitality
- Joint Ventures
- REITs
- Secured Transactions
- Tax Certiorari
- Transactions
- Workouts and Restructurings
Awards:
- AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5
- Who's Who Legal - "The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers," January 2006
- Real Estate Weekly "2008 All Stars," July 23, 2008
- "Lawyers Forum," Real Estate New York, July/August 2008
- New York Post "Top Four Commercial Real Estate Lawyers in New York City," 2008
- PLC Which Lawyer?, 2009 Yearbook
- The New York Observer "The Lawyers You Call 2010 Slideshow," August 9, 2010
- "Real Estate and Construction - Real Estate - Leading Lawyers," 2012-2013
- The Legal 500 United States, 2007-2013
- The New York Observer "100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate," 2008-2013
- Who's Who Legal - "The International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers," 2010-2011
- AVENUE magazine "Legal Elite," Real Estate Law, April 2011
- Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2011 and 2012
- Super Lawyers "Top 100 Lawyers in New York," 2006-2013
- Super Lawyers "Top 10 Lawyers in New York," 2010-2013
- Super Lawyers magazine, New York Super Lawyers, 2006-2013
- Chambers USA Guide, 2003-2013
- Winning Team, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2010 and 2013
- The Legal 500 United States, "Top Tier" Firm in Real Estate, 2013
News & Media
Case History
Cases
- Areas of Concentration
- Acquisitions and dispositions
- Partnerships and joint ventures
- Development
- Financing transactions
- Hospitality
- Real estate workouts and restructurings
- Commercial, ground and net leasing
- Reconstruction and redevelopment
- Construction, mezzanine, bridge and term loans
- Mortgage loan sales and purchases
- Preferred equity investments
- Publicly owned real estate companies
- Business law
- Significant Representations
- Represented the Chetrit Group in the purchase of Sony Corp. U.S. headquarters for $1.1 billon, including the $925 million financing and lease negotiations for Sony.
- Represented RFR Holdings and Kushner Companies on the joint venture agreements and $375 million acquisition and financing of the six building Watchtower portfolio, located in the heart of DUMBO Brooklyn from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York.
- Represented David Frankel Realty in connection with the sale of six commercial and multifamily properties in New York City for $416 million.
- Represented the joint venture among Stonehenge Partners, Caisse Depot Et Placement Du Quebec and Public Sector Pension Investment Board on the $386 million sale to SL Green of The Olivia residential building in Manhattan, including OP units and common stock.
- Represented Dividend Capital Total Realty Trust in its acquisition of a 32-property portfolio from iStar Financial, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion.
- Representation as general co-counsel and special bond counsel to the Larry Silverstein organization in connection with construction financing in excess of $700 million in the aggregate consisting of both conventional and HFA 80/20 bond financing facilities for River Place II in Manhattan. The financing is reputed to be the largest single residential construction loan ever closed in the United States.
- Part 2
- Representation of the El Ad Group in its joint venture with IDB, an Israeli public company, and in the acquisition and financing of the former Frontier hotel in Las Vegas for $1.25 billion, the highest priced land acquisition in Las Vegas history where El Ad plans to develop a mixed-use $7 billion hotel, resort, casino and residences project on The Strip.
- Representation of The Related Companies in connection with its $1 billion acquisition of the Snowmass Ski Resort. The transaction involved the very complex and challenging acquisition, joint venture, financing and ongoing operation and management of the assemblage of various properties, ski facilities, condominiums and fractional ownership interests of the Resort.
- Represented MetLife, Inc. in the sale of Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town to Tishman Speyer, in a joint venture with BlackRock Realty, the real estate arm of BlackRock, Inc., for $5.4 billion. The transaction is considered the biggest American real estate deal in history.
- Represented El-Ad Properties in connection with the acquisition of The Plaza Hotel, New York City for $675 million from Plaza Operating Partners, a partnership of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc and Kingdom Investments; and the negotiation of acquisition and redevelopment loans in excess of $900 million from HSBC, Credit Suisse and Hypo Real Estate. We subsequently represented El-Ad and the El-Ad/Kingdom partnership in the refinancing of existing mortgage and mezzanine debt in an aggregate amount in excess of $1.2 billion.
- Part 3
- Represented commercial REIT Mack-Cali Realty Corporation in a joint venture to acquire a 7-property portfolio comprised of approximately 667,000 sq. ft. for $53.6 million. The acquired portfolio is located in the Greater Boston area.
- Represented The Gale Company and SL Green Realty Corp. in a $545 million real estate transaction involving the sale of ownership interests in a 20 property office portfolio located in New Jersey; and a related transaction involving the sale of The Gale Services Co., LLC and Gale Construction Services, LLC to Mack-Cali Realty LP and affiliates.
- Represented Equity One, Inc., in a joint venture with Investcorp, in the more than $388 million acquisition of 29 properties throughout Texas, covering approximately 2.9 million sq. ft. of retail space.
- Greenberg Traurig represented Credit Suisse First Boston, Inc. in connection with SL Green Realty Corporation's acquisition of One Madison Avenue from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for $918 million.
- Part 4
- Represented two bulge bracket investment banks in a highly-structured $756 million loan made to finance the acquisition, renovation and condominium conversion of the Manhattan House on the Upper East Side of New York City. The transaction was part of an $840 million joint venture equity and condominium conversion financing package.
- Represented SL Green Realty Corp. in its agreement to acquire two office buildings, comprising 1.7 million square feet, located at 750 Third Avenue and 485 Lexington Avenue for $480 million, or $282 per square foot, including reverse 1031 exchange and two levels of joint venture for ownership of the project.
- Represented The Gale Company in connection with the acquisition, joint venture and financing of a 38-building, 4.7-million square foot office portfolio. The Gale Company bought out the interests of Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds and UBS in the properties. SL Green provided preferred equity and mezzanine financing and Wachovia provided mortgage financing for a total capitalization in excess of $600 million.
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