Our Real Estate M&A group has a leading practice focused on REIT and real estate mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, institutional investments, restructurings, joint ventures and private equity, across the real estate, hospitality and gaming sectors.  Among other matters, we have played a leading role in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center, as counsel to Silverstein Properties for almost a decade starting immediately after September 11, 2001.  Representative transactions include our representation of Ventas in a series of multi-billion M&A transactions to create the leading healthcare REIT in the U.S. with a $23 billion enterprise value; AMB in its $14 billion merger of equals with ProLogis to create a global industrial REIT with combined assets of $46 billion; Simon Property Group in a series of major acquisitions and other transactions, including its $31 billion bid for GGP; Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley funds in connection with a several significant restructurings and dispositions; Public Storage in its successful $5 billion hostile acquisition of the Shurgard Self Storage REIT; Tishman Speyer and Lehman Brothers in their $22 billion acquisition of the Archstone apartment REIT and the subsequent restructuring of Archstone; the Mills shopping mall REIT in its $8 billion sale to Simon and Farallon; the Reckson office REIT in its $6.2 billion sale to SL Green; Chatham Lodging Trust in its successful bids to acquire 69 hotels for $1.3 billion in Innkeepers’ bankruptcy auctions; the Innkeepers hotel REIT in its $1.5 billion sale to Apollo; Mohegan Sun in a $600 million joint venture to redevelop the Concord Resort in upstate New York; the Philadelphia 76ers in the restructuring of its arena lease in connection with the sale of the franchise; American Financial Realty Trust in its $3.4 billion sale to Gramercy Capital; Kimco in its strategic alliance with Valad Property Group of Australia and other transactions; Public Storage in its joint venture with New York Common with respect to Shurgard Europe; Vornado, Starwood Capital and Walton Street in their $39 billion bid for Equity Office Properties; Morgan Stanley and Onex in their $1.25 billion acquisition of the Town & Country apartment REIT; Kimco in its $4 billion acquisition of the Pan Pacific shopping center REIT; Morgans Hotel Group in its $1.5 billion acquisition and financing of the Hard Rock Hotel/Las Vegas and in a joint venture with Boyd Gaming for a major new development in Las Vegas; Taubman in its successful defense against an unsolicited offer; Lend Lease in the sale of its U.S. real estate businesses; Home-town in its $2.2 billion acquisition of the Chateau manufactured home REIT; Tishman Speyer in its acquisition and recapitalization of the Chrysler Building and other significant properties; Kmart in its disposition of a large portfolio of stores; Apollo in the structuring and formation of its private equity real estate opportunity funds; and other real estate M&A transactions involving Security Capital, National Golf, AvalonBay, Apollo and others. Our real estate group is recognized for its preeminence in major transactions and routinely listed by various publications in the very top ranks of real estate advisors.