Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli welcomes tax credit finance attorney Nicholas L. Burkhart as a new Shareholder in the firm’s St. Louis office, the latest outstanding authority to join the firm’s Tax Credit Practice, Real Estate Practice and Real Estate Finance Practice. Burkhart joins the national Real Estate Practice during a year of growth across the nation and specifically in Polsinelli’s St. Louis office, which has recently added seven more attorneys locally, including new Shareholder Scott L. Smithson, Jr., who joined in May. Polsinelli’s Real Estate and Financial Services Department now has more than 25 attorneys in St. Louis. Before joining Polsinelli, Burkhart was a Shareholder at Sandberg Phoenix, where he was the Co-Chair of the firm’s Cannabis industry team.

“St. Louis is one of our hottest markets for our fast-growing Real Estate Practice, and we’re pleased to be bringing in Nick, Scott and so many other outstanding lawyers to meet our incredibly high demand on local and national levels,” said Kraig M. Kohring, chair of the Real Estate and Financial Services Department. “Nick’s wealth of experience will be helpful not only as we expand our Tax Credit Practice, but in all aspects of our clients’ real estate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, development, financing and leasing.”

This spring, Polsinelli’s Tax Credit Practice welcomed a new chair with the hiring of new Shareholder S. Shawn Whitney, and seasoned attorney Emily K. Wehr joined him as Counsel in the Miami office. And in June, the Tax Credit Practice welcomed another new Shareholder, Jerome L. Garciano, and new associate Shauni T. Lynch to the firm’s Boston office.

Burkhart has built an outstanding reputation among his clients and peers in St. Louis and throughout the region through his work on all facets of commercial real estate and financing. In addition to tax credit financing, he regularly advises real estate developers, institutional investors, investment funds and lenders on the formation and operation of development joint ventures and investment partnerships, acquisitions, dispositions and leasing, with an emphasis on multifamily, office, hotel and urban infill development. By tapping his in-depth understanding of his clients’ industries and businesses, Burkhart prioritizes building lasting relationships that transcend legal advice and allow for more effective negotiation and strategic planning.

“I’ve always appreciated the focus that Polsinelli puts on serving clients and the community, and I’m eager to continue building my practice alongside my new colleagues,” said Burkhart, a Member of the Urban Land Institute in St. Louis and a former Chair of the Real Property & Development Committee for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. “My goal is always to be as helpful as possible at every stage of a client’s journey, and Polsinelli offers the national resources and local relationships to do just that.”

Polsinelli’s Tax Credit Practice has been catalyzed by the collective strength of the firm’s national Real Estate and Real Estate Finance practices and its Opportunity Zones group, which is led by Korb Maxwell. As one of the first Opportunity Zones groups formed in the country, under Maxwell’s leadership, Polsinelli has more than 30 attorneys dedicated to the practice. The team has closed deals valued at more than $1.5 billion.

“Nick is a valuable addition to the firm, helping us grow strategically in two key areas – nationally with our Tax Credit Practice, and locally with Real Estate in St. Louis,” said Whitney, Polsinelli’s Tax Credit Practice leader. “We’re being very intentional about our Tax Credit growth across the country, and hiring Nick reassures us we’re taking the right approach.”

Burkhart earned his bachelor’s degree at Fontbonne University before obtaining his J.D. at Saint Louis University School of Law, where he served as co-president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Association and as a Faculty Fellow for Professor Anders Walker. 

In addition to Burkhart, Smithson, Whitney, Wehr, Garciano and Lynch, Polsinelli’s rapidly growing Real Estate and Financial Services Department has recently added several notable attorneys, including Stephanie A. Zabela, Emina Kwok and Patrick Maloney in the firm’s Chicago office, J. David Wicker and Sarah K. Laird in Nashville, Jed W. Bonner in San Francisco, Crystal G. Persaud in New York, Hillary E. Ellis in Denver, Benjamin M. Lee in Washington D.C., and Emma R. Keyser in Houston.