About Us

OUR TEAM SOUTH FLORIDA REAL ESTATE GROUP

POSITION YOURSELF TO THRIVE WITH OUR GROUP’S UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE

Holland & Knight’s Real Estate Practice is active throughout the South Florida market across a network of three offices – Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami. Because Florida is one of the country’s top states for growth across a range of industry sectors, our South Florida practice serves as an integral part of Holland & Knight’s nationwide recognition.

For more than 100 years, we have provided legal counsel to real estate clients in practically every area of their business, including:

Acquisition/ Development/Sales

Real Estate Finance/Leasing Commercial Projects Office/Retail/ Residential

Mixed-Use/ Public Housing

HOLLAND & KNIGHT’S REAL ESTATE PRACTICE IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF:

REAL ESTATE FINANCE

Real estate finance is a core strength of our Real Estate Practice, as demonstrated by our significant track record within the national real estate finance space.

We have a focus on the hotel and hospitality industry, with particular emphasis on hotel and mixed-use communities. We advise hotel owners and developers of mixed-use resort and urban communities domestically and in the emerging markets of Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

RETAIL

Holland & Knight has one of the strongest retail practices nationwide. As other retail law firms abandon their focus on the retail sector, we are even more committed to it, and continue to organize our retail practice around the needs of clients to fit their business services and structure. Holland & Knight was one of the first law firms with attorneys certified as LEED-accredited (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). We have attorneys who are certified to advise clients on green building, environmentally sustainable construction and performance issues.

Since the inception of low-income housing tax credits in 1975, Holland & Knight has represented syndicators, developers, broker-dealers and equity investors in structuring, negotiating and documenting tax-advantaged equity investments in all types of real estate throughout the U.S. As a result, we have developed extensive knowledge about low-income housing tax credits, and the tax and business problems that can arise in structuring tax-advantaged transactions.

HOSPITALITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDITS

SOUTH FLORIDA REAL ESTATE GROUP QUICK FACTS

Deep Hospitality Bench

of attorneys throughout South Florida, the gateway to Latin America

48

lawyers in the South Florida Real Estate group – the largest concentration of real estate attorneys across the firm Leadership Positions

in Urban Land Institute, the largest and most prestigious land use organization in the country

OUR TRANSACTIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PROWESS ALLOW US TO BE:

HIGHLY RESPONSIVE

to market changes including the COVID-19 pandemic, creatively adapting as circumstances demand

COMPREHENSIVE

via working relationships with local regulatory and policy authorities throughout the country, including municipalities and the executive and legislative branches

INNOVATIVE

by offering cutting-edge counsel on evolving issues affecting every aspect of the real estate industry

CONNECTED

to the Florida, Caribbean and Latin American markets, employing our intimate knowledge of pivotal opportunities, trending communities and challenges within these locales and beyond

LEADING LAWYERS ON YOUR SIDE

2021 Chambers USA Guide Shortlisted Holland & Knight for "Real Estate Law Firm of the Year" and ranked the firm as No. 1 in state and regional practices in the following categories: Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use for California and South Florida, as well as in Real Estate for the District of Columbia and for North & Central Florida

2021 U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" Guide Ranked Holland & Knight as a national first-tier law firm in Land Use & Zoning Law, Real Estate Law, LitigationConstruction, Litigation-Environmental and Litigation-Real Estate, as well as a metropolitan first-tier firm for Real Estate Law in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa

Best Lawyers in America 2021 Guide More than 70 Holland & Knight real estate attorneys recommended

The Legal 500 United States 2020 Guide Recognized Holland & Knight's land use/zoning and construction practices as top-tier nationwide | firm's Real Estate Practice and nine of its members received a recommended ranking | Partner Joseph Goldstein was named to the "Hall of Fame"

INCLUSION IN ACTION

We seek to further develop an organization and a culture where all talented individuals –

including those traditionally underrepre-

sented in the legal profession – can have, and can see, a path to long-term success. We are committed to these efforts because diverse and inclusive teams reflect the world we serve and produce better results for our clients. Most importantly, a diverse and inclusive organization is simply better.

RECOGNITION DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS

Since 2017, 50 percent of our newly promoted partners are diverse, based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or veteran status.

Our Directors Committee, the firm’s highest policymaking body, is 44 percent diverse, based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or veteran status.

Eight of our U.S. offices are led by diverse Executive Partners.

Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality Firm received its seventh “perfect score” on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index in 2021, which rates U.S. workplaces LGBTQ+ inclusion

2020 Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards Winner of “Veterans Program of the Year” | Providing pro bono help to active/retired military families on myriad issues, including bankruptcy, eviction and criminal cases

2020 Law360 Diversity Snapshot Top 10: Firms for Most Minority Equity Partners Working Mother Magazine Firm named in 2020 “Best Law Firms for Women” list for its commitment to the retention and advancement of women

The American Lawyer Magazine High rankings in 2020 Diversity Scorecard: No. 1: Hispanic Partners Top 10: Hispanic Non-Partners Top 10: “Other Racial or Ethnic Group” Partners Top 20: African American Partners

Street Law Inc. Received the 2020 Excellence in Service Award for the firm’s exceptional commitment to Street Law and its NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program

Mansfield RuleTM Certification Received Mansfield Certified Plus designation for third consecutive year because women, minority and LGBTQ lawyers represent at least 30 percent of firm leadership roles and committees HNBA 2019 Corporate Partner of the Year Recognized by the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) for our longstanding support of the HNBA and unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion

Local Office Diversity Committees:

Devise and implement locally tailored programming

Inclusive Benefits:

Benefits for domestic partners regardless of gender; transgender and reassignment benefits according to WPATH guidelines

Diversity Council:

Leads diversity strategy and initiatives, and includes Managing Partner and Directors Committee Chair

Affinity Groups:

Asian/Pacific Islander,

Black, Diverseability, Hispanic, LGBTQ, Native

American, Veterans,

Women’s Initiative Affinity

Mentoring:

Attorneys may request an affinity mentor for additional guidance and coaching

INCLUSION IN ACTION

Rising Stars Program:

Dynamic and intensive leadership program for a select group of talented women lawyers

Diversity Pipeline:

Investment in programs designed to encourage historically underrepresented students to consider the legal profession

Recruiting:

Engagement and participation with diversity programs at law schools, including job fairs, seminars and mock interview programs

Community Engagement:

Engagement with affinity bar organizations and diversity conferences and events

Client Partnerships:

Collaboration with clients to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession

LCLD:

Participation in the 1L LCLD Scholars and LCLD Fellows Programs; Managing Partner serves as an LCLD member

COMMITTED TO OUR COMMUNITIES

Holland & Knight Founder Chesterfield Smith (1917-2003) instilled in our lawyers a sense of community purpose and recognition that we have a duty to provide needy people and groups with free legal services. Today, that charge remains woven into the fabric of our firm. Holland & Knight annually contributes an amount of time equal to at least 3 percent of the firm’s billable hours to pro bono legal service. The variety of cases we take on is as broad as the needs of the communities in which we practice. In addition, members of the firm serve in leadership roles in governmental bodies, nonprofit organizations, civic initiatives, higher education institutions and economic development groups. As active members of our bar associations, we have many opportunities to leverage the resources of our firm with other law firms in community service. From cultural events to public education programs, our attorneys share their talents and resources to improve the quality of life in communities where we work and live. Holland & Knight also coordinates large-scale national and local service days and regular service engagements with the firm’s community partners.

OUR PUBLIC AND CHARITABLE SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Holland & Knight’s Public and Charitable Service Department was created in 2009 to integrate the firm’s global pro bono, community service and charitable giving initiatives to make deeper investments in communities in need. Our firm is proud to provide legal and organizational assistance to these positive forces for social change.

Veterans and the Military

Active-duty military service personnel often face complicated legal issues while they serve our country. We’ve joined the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project to help these individuals and their families with a variety of legal needs. As a result of this work, the ABA again honored Holland & Knight with its annual ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award. Holland & Knight is the only law firm or company to receive the Military Pro Bono Project’s annual Outstanding Service Award each year since the award’s inception in 2012. We dedicate significant resources to initiatives that benefit military veterans, including supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, providing legal services for the United Way’s Mission United Initiative to assist veterans with civilian re-acclimation, and partnering with the ABA’s Section of Taxation and the Internal Revenue Service to coordinate a Military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Social Entrepreneurship

The nonprofit organization MyGoodDeed was founded in 2002 to carry forward the remarkable spirit of service and unity that arose on and after Sept. 11, 2001. The organization was co-founded by Jay Winuk, the brother of Glenn Winuk, a Holland & Knight partner and volunteer firefighter and EMT, who lost his life in the line of duty as a rescuer at the World Trade Center on 9/11. MyGoodDeed has achieved great success leveraging grassroots technology, social media, public relations and networking strategies to expand participation in the annual 9/11

Day Observance. This is now a federally designated National Day of Service and Remembrance, in large part due to the organization’s efforts. As MyGoodDeed has grown by leaps and bounds and spread its message worldwide, Holland & Knight has helped build the organization’s infrastructure to maximize the impact and sustainability of its call to service. Serving as general counsel, we provide pro bono legal services that range from corporate governance guidance to transactional and intellectual property strategy.

Civil Rights

Best Buddies International is the world’s largest program dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Holland & Knight has supported the organization for more than 20 years by serving as outside general counsel, on its board of directors and for local advisory boards; providing financial support for Best Buddies’ awareness events that promote disability rights to a wider audience; and employing individuals through the Best Buddies Jobs program. We applaud Best Buddies’ commitment to advocate for the rights of people with IDD.

Human Rights

When Florida mandated Holocaust education in the state’s public schools in the mid-1990s, Holland & Knight assisted in preparing the first curriculum. Since then, we have focused on creating awareness about the Holocaust and genocide, and promoting the lessons learned from extraordinary stories of human courage and compassion. Our attorneys teamed up with Bet Tzedek to help hundreds of Holocaust survivors recover thousands of dollars in reparations from the German government and gain access to pro bono legal services. The firm works with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Lawyers Committee, which provides professional development initiatives to study the legal ramifications of the Holocaust. We also support other organizations that are active in this area of focus, such as Facing History and Ourselves and the Anti-Defamation League.

Children and Education

Through the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation’s Opening Doors for Children program, the firm’s attorneys and staff help students who are at risk of never realizing their full potential. We partner with schools and nonprofits in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods to provide tutoring, serve as mentors and enhance their curricula. For example, at Charles R. Darwin Elementary School in Chicago, students who are struggling with reading get help from our volunteers during “power lunches” held in the classrooms. Through a Reading Is Fundamental program, they take home a minimum of three books per year to spark their interest in reading. Many of these students also learn about the history of the United States and are introduced to the legal system through a partnership with the Constitutional Rights Foundation.