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Shams Merchant stands as a premier real estate syndication attorney in Austin, Texas, specializing in real estate syndications, fund formations, securities law, and private placements for commercial property investments and development. Recognized as an expert in Texas commercial real estate law, Shams has been featured in publications like Law360, the Austin Business Journal, BisNow, and The Real Deal. As a top commercial real estate attorney in Austin, Texas, Shams has overseen transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the area as well as disputes and litigation. He has represented clients in more award-winning real estate projects in Texas than any other lawyer under 35.
Shams Merchant is a Partner at The Top-Tier Austin Real Estate Securities and SEC Law Firm for Syndications and Real Estate Funds
Shams Merchant specializes exclusively in real estate securities law within the real estate private equity sector. Although his practice is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, he serves clients nationwide. Shams provides legal services to numerous funds based outside of Texas with a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in establishing and managing syndications and private equity funds for real estate ventures of varying sizes and complexities. He regularly creates new syndications and funds for the acquisition and development of retail, multi-family, industrial, office, mixed-use, build-to-rent, and student housing projects. These encompass most of Texas cities like Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, as well as across the country.
Industry-Leading Austin Real Estate Private Equity Lawyer
Shams is widely recognized by clients and the Austin real estate community as the foremost private equity attorney for creating 506(b) and 506(c) funds and syndications. A top authority in this field, he advises both new and established real estate private equity firms in Texas. He boasts extensive experience in structuring and drafting all necessary fund formation and syndication documents for both public and private offerings such as private placement memoranda, subscription agreements, and operating agreements. At the heart of his practice is commercial real estate syndications and private equity funds aimed at acquiring various types of properties like apartment buildings, retail centers, office buildings, industrial facilities, warehouses, portfolios, and distressed assets. Additionally, he expertly guides clients through the offering process and ensures compliance with federal and state filing requirements, including blue-sky laws.
Comprehensive Legal Services for Fund Formation, Real Estate Law and Title, Escrow and Closing Transactions
Not all lawyers offer the start-to-finish legal services for real estate private equity firms in Austin and their sponsors as Shams does. Covering all aspects of their property ventures, he assists individual investors, private investment funds, capital raisers, sponsors, and general partners throughout their fundraising, commercial real estate investment, and development projects. As a commercial real estate attorney, Shams supports these same clients with one-stop-shop services — purchase, sale, development, management, and leasing of their commercial properties. This end-to-end extends to a collaboration with an affiliated title company to finalize commercial real estate transactions for his clients in Austin and throughout Texas.
Austin, Texas Legal Services for Fund Formation and Syndication
Renowned as the leading real estate syndication and fund formation attorney in Austin, Shams offers an extensive range of syndication legal services that are both affordable and prompt, including the following:
- Utilizing top-tier PPM and company agreement documents, he ensures clients receive the best support available.
- Drafting public and private offering documents (private placement memoranda, subscription agreements, and operating agreements) for commercial real estate syndications and real estate private equity firms for the acquisition of apartment buildings, retail centers, office buildings, industrial and warehouses, portfolios, and distressed assets
- Navigating and counseling on offering process and compliance with the federal and state filing requirements including blue-sky laws
- Compliance with the 1934 Act reporting and ongoing disclosure matters
- Formation and structuring of GP/Manager entities (LLC)
- Formation and structuring of Fund entity (LLC or LP) (per CPA guidance)
- Governing Documents for Entities
- Company (Fund) Agreement/Partnership Agreement
- GP/Manager Company Agreement/Sponsor Company Agreement
- SPV or SPE Company Agreement
- Unanimous Written Consent
- Investor Offering Documents
- Subscription Agreement
- Investor Suitability Questionnaire
- Private Placement Memorandum (PPM)
- Securities Compliance
- Securities Act of 1933 Counsel
- SEC Form D Filings
- Rule 506(b) and Rule 506 (c) counsel
- State securities BlueSky notice filings counsel
- Investment Company Act Counsel
- Securities 3(c)(5) Exemption
- Syndication or Fund Marketing Compliance Review; Audits
- Syndication or Fund Pitch Deck legal disclaimer assistance
- Assist fund administrator in signature audits for complex issues, if necessary.
Shams also skillfully created and organized nearly every variety of real estate syndication and investment fund for his clients who invest in multifamily properties in Austin, including:
- Real Estate Syndications
- Real Estate Funds
- 506(b) and 506(c) Offerings
- Regulation A Offerings
- Real Estate Private Equity Funds
- Real Estate Joint-Ventures
- Blind Pool Funds
- Fund of Funds
- Hedge Funds
- Debt and Lender Funds
- Primate Placement Memorandums
- Specified Offerings
- SEC and Blue-Sky Filings
- Subscription Agreements
- Legal entity formation (LLCs, Limited Partnerships)
- LLC Operating Agreements
- Limited Partnership Agreements
- Joint Venture Agreements
- Sponsor Operating Agreements
- Expert deal structuring advice
- Lump sum and flat fee or fixed fee legal fees
- Joint Venture representation between Private Equity Funds/Family Offices
- Tenant in Common Agreements for 1031 Exchanges
- Non-disclosure and Non-Compete Agreements
- Promissory Notes (Fractional, Shared Appreciation, Straight Interest Notes
- Dallas Capital Raising Help by Distributing Syndications and Funds to MW Law’s LP and Family Office Network
Being the foremost private equity and fund formation lawyer in Austin and in the industry, Shams possesses an exceptional understanding of the entire spectrum of real estate private equity funds. This expertise allows him to efficiently establish and manage real estate private equity funds for clients of all sizes.
Legal Fees on Fund Formations and Syndications in Austin, Texas
Shams charges a flat fee for legal services for real estate fund formations and syndications in Austin. Legal fees for a typical syndication in Austin begin at $13,500 for basic Reg D. 506(b) and 506(c) offerings and can increase in price depending on the size and intricacy of the fund or syndication, the sponsor’s experience, and various other considerations. These are the most competitive rates in Austin for real estate syndication, and Shams manages more syndications and funds than any other attorney in the area.
About Shams Merchant, Real Estate Private Equity Attorney
With unparalleled experience in handling more award-winning Urban Land Institute real estate projects than any other real estate attorney under the age of 35, Shams Merchant stands as a prominent figure in Texas commercial real estate private equity. He represents clients across the nation in these various facets of the industry:
- Syndication
- Fund formation
- Purchasing
- Selling
- Development
Shams likewise handles leasing to financing of commercial real estate projects valued at $1 million to $250 million. These projects span retail, mixed-use, office, industrial, hospitality, restaurants and bars, and multi-family sectors.
With transactions exceeding $3.2 billion, Shams advises clients on joint ventures, business structuring, entity formation, and fund formations encompassing both 506(c) and 506(b) offerings. Notably, he is among the select few Texas attorneys with extensive experience in real estate disputes and litigation. His expertise covers the following:
- Breaches of real estate contracts and leases
- CAM calculations
- Complex leasing disputes
- Brokerage commission disagreements
- Property tax litigation
- Conflicts among partners and shareholders
- Deed restriction issues
- Real estate fraud
- Title and boundary disputes
Shams believes advanced legal counsel should be both approachable and affordable. Therefore, he provides economical yet valuable services to his clients, whether they are newcomers or seasoned veterans to real estate or private equity business. To this end, Shams introduces innovative methods for clients to track and quantify value by utilizing technology for service delivery enhancement and offering customized alternative fee arrangements. Collaborating with his clients to lower their legal expenses, Shams significantly boosts their return on investment in real estate projects and improves the overall profitability of their businesses.
For additional information on Shams Merchant’s Austin real estate syndication law practice in Austin, Texas, please email shams@mwfirm.com or call (832) 451-2594.