Public and private REITs both benefit from their relationships with the REITs practice at Sullivan & Worcester LLP, which specializes in REIT tax issues, M&A, secured and unsecured financings, and preferred and common equity offerings. Ameek Ashok Ponda is a director in the tax practice and is an authority on REIT tax issues and regularly lectures at Boston University. Practice head Angela Gomes is a corporate finance specialist and handles securities matters for REITs. Avinash Rao advises public companies on securities law and represents REITs in M&A, equity and debt financings, and joint ventures. Lindsey Getz focuses on public REITs, while Shu Wei handles equity and debt financing work. Also noted is newly promoted partner Sarah Wellings who excels in REIT-related tax issues. All aforementioned lawyers are part of the Boston practice. Brian Hammell left the practice in August 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team I work with at Sullivan is well versed in REIT matters and always extremely responsive.’

  • ‘Sarah Wellings has been a joy to work with. She pays attention to detail, is extremely easy to work with and always provides prompt and valuable guidance as needed.’

Key clients

  • American Tower Corporation
  • Equinix, Inc.
  • Iron Mountain Incorporated
  • Industrial Logistics Properties Trust
  • Service Properties Trust
  • Office Properties Income Trust
  • Manulife US REIT
  • Diversified Healthcare Trust

Work highlights

  • Advising American Tower Corporation, and six other large public equity REITs on public tax opinions as tax counsel.
  • Represented Service Properties Trust in connection with certain real estate, tax and corporate matters with respect to BP p.l.c. (NYSE: BP)’s acquisition of TravelCenters of America Inc.
  • Represented Service Properties Trust in connection with its ongoing strategic disposition program.

Lawyers

Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
Ameek is director of Sullivan's Tax Department and a former member of the firm's Management Committee. His practice includes domestic and international taxation, with an emphasis on mergers & acquisitions and REIT transactions. Ameek is nationally recognized for his work in REIT conversions and REIT cross-border matters. He has represented public and private REITs in an array of real property sectors, both domestically and abroad, including: business storage facilities; cold storage facilities; communications towers; data centers; dark and lit fiber; digital billboards; distributed antenna systems; hotels and travel centers; industrial properties; mortgage loans; single-family and multi-family residential; office buildings; parking facilities; retail properties; senior living facilities; solar, wind, and other power infrastructure; timberlands; transmission and distribution lines; as well as vineyards, greenhouses, and other agricultural properties.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Sullivan & Worcester LLP
Sarah is a member of Sullivan’s REITs Practice Group. She advises public and private REITs, both domestic and foreign, in various industries, including: data centers, office buildings, commercial retail space, distributed antenna systems, timberlands and agricultural properties. She focuses on structuring and compliance work, including cross-border transactions. Sarah also has experience involving federal and state tax litigation and transactional planning involving corporate, franchise, personal income and sales/use tax matters, and in advising tax-exempt organizations, including public charities, on all aspects of operations.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Angela Gomes

Other key lawyers

Ameek Ashok Ponda, Avinash Rao, Lindsey Getz, Shu Wei, Sarah Wellings