Shams has experience representing major REITs in all aspects of their real estate business from acquisitions & dispositions to corporate structuring and SEC compliance, securities law, and fund formations & fund management. His leading REIT practice encompasses servicing every aspect of his clients’ legal needs across all real estate asset classes, regardless of his clients’ investment strategy including the following: 

  • Mixed-Use Projects
  • Commercial Office Buildings
  • Multi-Family and Apartments
  • Retail Centers and Shopping Centers
  • Restaurants and Hospitality
  • Industrial/Warehouse Properties
  • Student Housing

Unlike other REIT practices at major law firms, Shams advises his REIT clients in all of their complex transactions often on a fixed fee, providing them with cost-effective and industry-leading representation to get them across the finish line and their projects completed in record time.

More About Commercial Real Estate Lawyer Shams Merchant

With experience working on more award-winning ULI real estate projects than any other real estate attorney under the age of 35 and over $3.2 billion in transactions, Shams is a leader in Texas commercial real estate and private equity law, representing clients nationwide on the purchase, sale, development, leasing and financing of commercial real estate projects between $1 to $200 million, including retail, mixed-use, office, industrial, hospitality, restaurant & bars, and multi-family. Shams also represents clients in joint-ventures, business structuring, entity formation, and fund formations (including 506(c) and 506(b) offerings). Shams is also one of the few attorneys in Texas with in-depth experience in real estate disputes and litigation, including breach of real estate contracts, breach of leases, CAM calculations and other complex leasing disputes, brokerage commission disputes, property tax litigation, disputes between partners and shareholders, deed restriction disputes, real estate fraud and title and boundary disputes. Shams believes access to sophisticated and responsive counsel should not cost a premium. With that in mind, Shams provides a cost-effective and value-added service to his clients, whether they are new to the real estate or private equity business or a seasoned player. In furtherance of that principle, Shams proactively provides his clients with new ways to track and quantify value, from using technology to improve service delivery to offering bespoke alternative fee arrangements. By working with his clients to reduce their legal spend, Shams has helped his clients increase their ROI on real estate projects and the overall profitability of their businesses. As the leading authority in Texas commercial real estate law, Shams was recently featured in the Houston Business Journal, Dallas Business Journal, and The Real Deal for his work. His clients’ real estate projects have also been featured on numerous regional and national industry publications.

For more information on Shams Merchant’s Texas REIT law practice, please contact Shams Merchant via email at shams@mwfirm.com or by phone at (832) 451-2594.

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