- Client attorney and lead outside counsel for one of the country’s largest privately owned national industrial development companies. In addition to handling various real estate transactions for this client, he also coordinated legal services provided by the various practice groups at Alston & Bird servicing this client. Jay led a team in this client’s programmatic joint venture program with a major state pension fund involving the formation of four joint ventures for the investment, financing, and development of more than $500 million of industrial properties across the country.
- Represented a number of multifamily developers and investors, including two of the country’s leading multifamily development companies. Jay and his team were involved in a multitude of multifamily development projects, typically involving zoning, environmental, tax incentive, ground lease and mixed-use components that require complicated reciprocal easement agreements for shared parking decks, common areas and infrastructure. He also represented institutional clients as investors in developed multifamily projects, both one-off and portfolio transactions.
- Represented pension funds and their advisors in their acquisition, leasing and disposition of all property types. Jay represented one of the largest pension fund advisors in its acquisitions, leasing and dispositions nationally. He handled a $750 million disposition of a portfolio of commercial real estate located in 10 cities across the U.S. for this pension fund advisor. Jay’s experience in this regard included analyzing and counseling on the various UBTI and ERISA issues facing pension fund investments in the real estate asset class.
- Represented a number of industrial distribution facilities developers in all aspects of their transactions. Jay was involved in these developments from cradle-to-grave, including land acquisitions, assemblages, development, redevelopment, leasing, protective covenants, financing, joint ventures, and sales.
- Represented the developer of a 1.5 million sq. ft. LEED Gold certified industrial distribution center build-to-suit lease with General Mills. His team was involved in all aspects of this development from land acquisition, rezoning, securing state economic incentives and grants, entering into a bond/sale-leaseback financing with the local economic development authority, negotiating a railroad sidetrack agreement, creating reciprocal easement agreements, and finally negotiating a joint venture to bring in a 75 percent equity investor after completion; and he negotiated a loan secured by the JV’s leasehold interest.
James G. Farris, Jr.
Senior Counsel,
- Phone: +1 404 881 7896
- Email: jay.farris@alston.com
Institutional investors relied on Jay for commercial real estate investment guidance. With almost 30 years of experience involving all major property types, Jay has the extensive experience that helped his clients close the deal.