Chris has a multifaceted commercial real estate practice that encompasses a broad spectrum of acquisitions, dispositions, financings, restructurings, and leasing. He draws on his extensive in-house experience to counsel clients on all aspects of real estate matters related to multifamily, office, hotel, and retail properties.
Prior to joining Mintz, Chris was general counsel of a New York City–based real estate development and investment company. His role included advising on legal issues related to property acquisitions and sales across the United States, and custom multi-partner equity partnerships that often incorporated complex 1031 exchange structuring and tenancy-in-common arrangements. He also handled development financings, refinancings, debt restructurings, and equity recapitalizations.
Chris has also served as general counsel of two other real estate investment firms, in New York and Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Chris worked as an associate in the real estate practices of several international law firms.
Experience
- Oversaw all legal operations related to acquisitions valued at over $3 billion across 11 states, including 30 multifamily projects totaling over 8,000 units and over one million square feet of development properties. The acquisitions involved custom equity arrangements with multiple partners and often a 1031 exchange, Qualified Opportunity Zone investment, or both.
- Managed legal operations for sales of properties valued at over $1 billion, including 13 multifamily projects totaling over 7,000 units and 650,000 square feet of last-mile industrial space across 10 properties.
- Closed $400 million of development financings for 1.5 million square feet of development projects.
- Closed $350 million of hotel and retail property refinancings.
- Managed the discounted payoff, debt restructuring, and equity recapitalization of a two-million square foot mall redevelopment project.
- Managed a complex tax-driven restructuring of a 16-property, $1.3 billion multifamily portfolio.
- Managed the legal aspects of the acquisition and repositioning of a $2 billion portfolio of value-add office assets over seven years.
- Managed the leasing of hundreds of thousands of square feet of office, retail, and residential spaces.
- Managed half-a-million square feet of residential, office, and retail ground-up construction from conception to certificate of occupancy.
Events & Speaking
Mintz Of Counsel Chris Smith will be speaking on a panel at IMN's 20th Annual Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing in Laguna Beach, California on January 23, 2025. The session is titled "Emerging Trends in Joint Venture Deal Structures."
