Alston & Bird has added two partners to its Real Estate Group, further investing in an already high-performing practice and continuing a build-out of the firm’s equity-side real estate capabilities on the West Coast. Alex Jacobs joins the firm’s Century City office and Krista DeGroot joins the Los Angeles office. Together, Alex and Krista bring significant experience representing institutional investors, investment funds, owners, and developers in sophisticated acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, recapitalizations, developments, and financings across all major real estate asset classes. Their practices add immediate depth to the firm’s real estate, finance, funds, and REIT offerings.
“This is an exciting moment for our West Coast offices as our momentum in the region continues,” said Jeff Rosenfeld, partner in charge of Alston & Bird’s Los Angeles and Century City offices. “Adding Alex and Krista advances our growth across California and enhances our ability to serve clients with experienced real estate counsel in their own market and time zone.”
“Alex and Krista bring exactly the kind of talent that makes our national real estate practice stronger,” said Jason Howard, co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Real Estate Group. “Their extensive experience in all parts of the equity capital stack extends our national reach, giving the investors, owners, and developers we serve seamless coverage from coast to coast.”
Alex focuses his practice on structuring and negotiating complex joint ventures, redevelopment projects, and multitier real estate equity investments for private and institutional investors, REITs, sponsors, owners, and developers. He guides clients through the full investment life cycle across hospitality, multifamily, retail, industrial, and office properties, bringing a practical, business-minded approach to acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, development, repositioning, and financing. Alex is ranked by Chambers USA as a leading real estate lawyer in Southern California and is consistently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500.
“As institutional real estate equity structures and capital stacks become increasingly sophisticated, joining Alston & Bird provides an unmatched platform for our clients,” said Alex. “The firm’s national strength in real estate capital markets, specialized finance, and investment funds allows us to deliver seamless, full life-cycle execution for high-stakes joint ventures and complex developments across the country. I’m excited to join the team and grow my practice here alongside Krista.”
Krista helps institutional investors, REITs, investment funds, owners, and developers drive complex commercial real estate deals forward across a wide range of asset classes, with a particular focus on complex equity arrangements and transactions involving multiple layers of the capital stack. Her work spans asset- and entity-level acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, equity recapitalizations, development projects, and mortgage, mezzanine, and construction financings across a diverse range of real estate asset classes. She brings particular expertise to senior housing, master-planned communities and development projects, and hospitality transactions, complemented by significant experience involving multifamily, office properties, and student housing.
“I’m thrilled to join Alston & Bird with Alex and to help expand the firm’s real estate offerings across the region,” said Krista. “The firm’s strength across real estate, finance, funds, and other complementary practices gives us an exceptional platform to help clients navigate increasingly sophisticated investments and transactions, while continuing to provide the practical, deal-focused counsel they value.”
Alston & Bird’s Real Estate Group, situated at the intersection of capital markets and real property, is among the most experienced in the nation. With attorneys across the United States, the group represents investors, lenders, servicers, developers, and funds in the full range of real estate transactions, from conception to completion. The addition of Alex and Krista significantly expands the group’s equity-side capabilities on the West Coast and enhances its national platform for sophisticated real estate transactions.