Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced today that Misty Sanford, Karen Lorang and Aimee Contreras-Camua have joined the Firm as partners in the Real Estate Department. They are based in Los Angeles, and Misty will serve as Chair, Real Estate – West Coast. Collectively they bring more than four decades of experience and a deep understanding of the full lifecycle of real estate matters. With the team’s arrival, Willkie’s Real Estate Department has over 50 lawyers nationwide, led by 12 partners, eight of whom are women. Misty, Karen and Aimee join Willkie from Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.
Thomas Henry, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Real Estate Department, commented: “We have more than doubled the size of our Real Estate team in the last five years, with a coast-to-coast presence in the U.S., coupled with global capabilities in Europe. Misty, Karen and Aimee have built a sophisticated national practice with an emphasis on the West Coast market, and their experience will mesh perfectly with our existing, best-in-class real estate services.”
Alex Weingarten, Managing Partner of Willkie’s Los Angeles office, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome this dynamic team to our growing LA office, which now includes more than 70 lawyers. Misty, Karen and Aimee each have strong ties to the Los Angeles community through their client work as well as pro bono commitments and other civic engagement, and they will further broaden Willkie’s presence in the market.”
Misty Sanford commented: “We are delighted to be a part of Willkie’s elite, global real estate team, which is well known for its first-class industry knowledge and experience, and exceptional client service. Karen, Aimee and I also look forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of Willkie’s Los Angeles office.”
Misty, Karen and Aimee advise clients on all aspects of complex real estate matters, with an emphasis on purchase and sale, finance, redevelopment, joint ventures, leasing, environmental issues, public/private partnerships and workouts, which allows them to assist with the full lifecycle of a real estate asset. They regularly advise clients on their large-scale, most complex development projects. Their work includes international, national and local representation of a wide range of institutional investors, private equity firms, developers, multinational corporations, REITs, investment banks, opportunity funds, foundations, nonprofits and individual entrepreneurs. They each have extensive experience with a variety of real estate assets, including mixed-use developments, full-service resorts, industrial facilities, office buildings, retail developments and multifamily properties.
Willkie represents a diverse group of U.S. and non-U.S. clients in real estate transactions throughout the United States and internationally. We are actively involved in numerous complex real estate transactions involving high-profile projects for a broad range of clients, including developers, public and private real estate companies, institutional investors, money-center banks, private equity sponsors and hedge funds. The team regularly advises large institutional clients on multibillion-dollar transactions, organizes public and private REITs, and advises on operating company/property company transactions, REIT mergers and acquisitions, equity offerings and securitized financings, as well as other transactions involving public and private capital markets.
