The Law Firms Behind the Southeast’s Biggest Real Estate Deals: Who’s Advising Developers and Investors?

From a $628 million industrial portfolio acquisition to multimillion-dollar Miami developments and Charlotte’s evolving investment market, the attorneys behind major transactions are helping determine where capital moves and what gets built next.

When a major commercial real estate transaction makes headlines, the attention usually goes to the developer, investor, lender, or brokerage firm. The acquisition price becomes the headline. The property becomes the photograph. The executives behind the transaction become the public faces of the deal.

But another group of professionals frequently plays a critical role in determining whether those transactions reach the closing table: the attorneys.

Across Charlotte, Miami, Nashville, and the broader Southeast, commercial real estate law firms work on acquisitions, joint ventures, construction financing, redevelopment agreements, zoning approvals, and complex property transactions. Their role is especially important when capital structures are evolving, construction costs remain elevated, and developers face greater scrutiny over how projects are financed and approved.

A review of publicly disclosed representations and transactions from 2025 and 2026 reveals several firms advising on significant investment and development activity. The common thread: legal strategy can be a central component of real estate investment strategy.

Greenberg Traurig: Advising on a $628 Million Industrial Acquisition

Transaction: $628 million industrial real estate portfolio acquisition | Client: TPG AG-led consortium | Geography: Seven states, with substantial Southeast exposure | Legal advisor: Greenberg Traurig | Announced: August 21, 2026.

In August, Greenberg Traurig announced that it represented a consortium led by TPG AG in the $628 million acquisition of a 53-building industrial portfolio comprising approximately 5.4 million square feet of distribution, logistics, and manufacturing facilities across seven states.

Approximately 75% of the portfolio is concentrated in the Southeast, including properties in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lakeland and Tampa, Florida. TPG AG completed the acquisition alongside operating partners Redfearn Capital, Atlanta Property Group, and Matterhorn Venture Partners.

Greenberg Traurig’s team was led by Michael J. Baum, co-chair of its global real estate practice, and included attorneys in New York, Miami, and Chicago. Miami shareholders Michael J. Larson and Gavin M. Loughlin participated.

The significance goes beyond price. Acquiring dozens of industrial assets across jurisdictions creates demands involving title, leases, due diligence, financing, entity structure and local law. The transaction demonstrates the value of coordinating national transactional expertise with regional operating knowledge.

Parker Poe: The $575 Million Childress Klein Industrial Transaction

Parker Poe represented Charlotte-based Childress Klein in a transaction involving a regional industrial portfolio valued at approximately $575 million. The agreement encompassed 21 industrial buildings in Charlotte and Charleston.

INDUS Realty Trust acquired a majority interest while Childress Klein retained a minority stake and continued managing and leasing the properties. Parker Poe’s work included advising on the term sheet, joint venture agreement, purchase agreement and associated portfolio debt. Charlotte partner Jimmy Greene led the team.

This was more than a straightforward asset sale. It provided liquidity while preserving the developer’s relationship to the assets. Ownership percentages, governance rights, debt responsibilities and exit arrangements were central to the legal structure.

Akerman: The $45 Million Brickell City Centre Development Site Sale

Akerman represented Swire Properties in the sale of a roughly one-acre site within the Brickell City Centre Special Area Plan. Kerzner International plans a mixed-use project potentially including up to 350 residences and 180 hotel rooms.

The legal challenge went beyond conveyance. A City of Miami fire station occupies part of the property. Akerman reported helping arrange temporary relocation during construction and incorporation of a permanent facility into the development. The firm had also assisted with the Special Area Plan and associated entitlements.

Akerman’s team was led by land-use attorney Spencer Crowley and real estate partner Nick Barshel. In Miami’s dense neighborhoods, permitted density, public facilities, infrastructure commitments and entitlement arrangements can substantially influence a site’s value.

Olshan: Structuring Kushner and Cain’s Miami Residential Joint Venture

Kushner Companies and Cain formed a joint venture for a proposed 40-story, 364-apartment tower on approximately 1.5 acres at 614 and 720 Northeast 27th Street.

Olshan represented Kushner in the joint venture and related acquisition and financing matters. Nina M. Roket, co-managing partner and co-chair of its real estate practice, led the team alongside Gregory Jaske, Claudia Dubón, Melody Schor and Mattan Maman.

Joint ventures can combine land, capital, local knowledge and development expertise. Attorneys negotiate how partners contribute money, control decisions, share profits and handle disputes—decisions made well before construction starts.

Greenberg Traurig: A $111.25 Million Construction Loan in Brickell

Greenberg Traurig represented Empira Group in connection with a $111.25 million construction loan for The Perrin, a proposed 26-story Brickell tower with 310 apartments, approximately 380 parking spaces and 2,500 square feet of retail.

Construction lending differs from financing a completed, occupied property. Loan documents must account for completion obligations, budget overruns, draw schedules, construction risk and lender protections. As building costs rise, these terms can materially affect whether a project advances.

Olshan: A $24.5 Million Wynwood Property Transaction

Olshan announced its representation of David Edelstein in the approximately $24.5 million simultaneous acquisition and sale of two Wynwood properties at 320 and 380 NW 26th Street.

One asset, a former shoe warehouse transformed into boutique retail space, was sold to Moishe Mana and hosts Pastis restaurant and the Apparatus showroom. Olshan reported more than $14 million in net sale proceeds for its client. Eric L. Goldberg led its team alongside Mattan Maman.

The transactions show how attorneys help investors navigate existing income-producing assets, multiple property interests and the financial consequences of buying and selling in a rapidly changing neighborhood.

Nashville: The Legal Infrastructure Behind Major Development

Nashville’s development pipeline highlights another set of legal demands. The East Bank transformation depends on agreements involving government entities, developers, investors, lenders and future users.

In April 2024, the Metropolitan Council approved a Master Developer Agreement with The Fallon Company covering approximately 30 acres of publicly owned East Bank land. The framework envisions a mixed-income neighborhood, affordable housing, commercial space and public infrastructure.

Public-private development requires clear agreements about control of land, construction responsibilities, financial commitments, milestones and infrastructure delivery.

Holland & Knight attorney Bo Campbell has advised on significant Nashville projects, including the approximately $400 million Fifth + Broadway mixed-use redevelopment, and has represented Giarratana Development in restructuring a high-rise project to combine apartments and condominiums.

Adams & Reese lists representative work involving planning approval for a 60-unit Nashville townhome development and approximately $5 million in subsequent infrastructure financing.

Public sources do not identify counsel for every major East Bank project or recent Nashville sale. Those assignments should not be attributed to firms without deal-specific confirmation.

Why Real Estate Attorneys Matter Before a Project Breaks Ground

Attorneys frequently become involved before a development announcement. They investigate title, easements, restrictions and environmental obligations; negotiate purchase agreements and joint ventures; secure land-use entitlements; structure financing; draft public-private agreements; and allocate construction risk.

A promising property can become unworkable when zoning prevents the proposed use, title issues emerge or a lender requires additional guarantees. Those legal questions affect project economics—not just closing paperwork.

Transaction work often spans multiple disciplines: acquisitions and due diligence; zoning and development approvals; capital structuring; development agreements; and construction contracting and disputes.

The Southeast’s Real Estate Legal Market Is Becoming More Specialized

Several trends emerge from the disclosed transactions. Institutional portfolio investment requires counsel able to coordinate multiple states and counterparties. Joint ventures and recapitalizations create layered governance and financing structures. Urban development depends on land-use and public-infrastructure agreements. Construction financing remains central to execution.

These trends reward lawyers who understand the commercial realities of real estate and the differing objectives of developers, lenders, owners, investors and public agencies.

The Business Behind the Biggest Deals

The law firms involved in major transactions operate at the intersection of capital, regulation, construction and ownership. Their work shapes how investments are structured, financed and executed.

In Charlotte, Parker Poe has advised on major industrial recapitalization. In Miami, Greenberg Traurig, Akerman and Olshan have advised on acquisitions, entitlements, joint ventures and construction financing. In Nashville, legal counsel helps developers navigate public-private initiatives and complex private projects.

The buildings may dominate the skyline. The purchase prices may dominate the headlines. But behind many of the Southeast’s most consequential real estate transactions are legal professionals turning investment strategies into executable deals.

Corporate Rizz tracks the developers, investors, construction companies and legal advisors shaping commercial real estate across the Southeast.

Editorial Methodology

This article profiles selected publicly disclosed legal representations and development matters from 2025–2026, alongside established Nashville examples. It is not a ranking of the region’s largest deals or its law firms. Values refer to announced transaction, financing, portfolio or development amounts—not legal fees. Some assignments are confidential or are not publicly identified. Readers should distinguish announced projects from completed closings and confirmed construction activity.