Brian is a member of Butler Snow’s Finance, Real Estate and Restructuring group. He represents institutional investors, private equity funds, regional and national developers, and institutional landlords in all stages of real estate development and investment, including horizontal infrastructure, vertical construction, acquisition, disposition, joint ventures, financing, restructuring and leasing (including ground leases and build-to-suit leases) of trophy office buildings, build-to-rent residential communities, destination resorts, full-service hotels, mixed-use developments, and industrial warehouses. Brian has particular experience representing tenants of stadium and arena facilities, as well as investment funds in the acquisition, remediation and vertical development of urban brownfield sites. In addition, Brian regularly negotiates AIA and other forms of construction and design contracts on behalf of institutional clients. Prior to joining Butler Snow, Brian practiced at an international law firm with offices in Charleston and clerked for the Honorable Max Rosenn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Overview
Brian is a member of Butler Snow’s Finance, Real Estate and Restructuring group. He represents institutional investors, private equity funds, regional and national developers, and institutional landlords in all stages of real estate development and investment, including horizontal infrastructure, vertical construction, acquisition, disposition, joint ventures, financing, restructuring and leasing (including ground leases and build-to-suit leases) of trophy office buildings, build-to-rent residential communities, destination resorts, full-service hotels, mixed-use developments, and industrial warehouses. Brian has particular experience representing tenants of stadium and arena facilities, as well as investment funds in the acquisition, remediation and vertical development of urban brownfield sites. In addition, Brian regularly negotiates AIA and other forms of construction and design contracts on behalf of institutional clients. Prior to joining Butler Snow, Brian practiced at an international law firm with offices in Charleston and clerked for the Honorable Max Rosenn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Practice Area
Experience
- Represented a private equity fund in the development of build-to-rent residential communities throughout the Southeast.
- Represented a preferred equity client in the formation of a joint venture with a sponsor to fund and develop build-to-rent residential communities throughout the Southeast.
- Represented a biotech company in a long-term, build-to-suit lease of a large production facility in South Carolina.
- Represented a private equity fund in the acquisition and redevelopment of a luxury destination resort located in Puerto Rico.
- Represented a Korean asset manager in the formation of a joint venture with a large domestic developer to own and operate a US $1B trophy office building in Washington, D.C.
- Represented a professional football league in the leasing of all of its stadium facilities, practice facilities, and front office/team headquarters facilities in eight national gateway markets.
- Represented a Korean-based asset management company in the acquisition and financing of a $115M office building located at 1750 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
- Represented a Korean asset manager in the formation of a joint venture with a large domestic sponsor to develop a trophy office building in downtown Dallas.
- Represented a publicly-traded pharmaceutical company in the disposition of a pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Alabama.
- Represented a South Korean steel-making company in the lease of office space located in Houston, Texas, and New Jersey.
- Represented an agricultural and outdoor living retailer in a build-to-suit lease for a new store located in Connecticut.
- Represented a beauty-care products company in a build-to-suit lease for space located in North Charleston, South Carolina.
- Represented a high net-worth individual in the design and construction of a luxury residential compound located in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
- Represented an owner of self-storage facilities in the construction of new self-storage facilities in Delaware.
- Represented a regional developer in the design and construction of townhomes located in North Carolina.
- Represented a national homebuilder in the design and construction of homes communities located in South Carolina.
- Represented a national medical research facility in the design and construction of an outpatient medical facility.
- Represented a national medical research facility in the design and construction of a children’s ambulatory medical facility.
- Represented a national outdoor sports and recreational retailer in the construction of new stores and the redevelopment of existing stores located in the U.S. and Canada.
- Represented a private equity firm in the construction of a beach-front resort and condominiums in Puerto Rico.
- Represented a national medical research facility in the design and construction of a $400 million research campus.
- Represented a joint venture in the levered acquisition of a so-called “King’s Grant” property tract located in coastal South Carolina.
- Represented an investment fund in the creation of a joint venture to acquire an office building in Denver, Colorado.
- Represented an iron and metalworking company in the acquisition of a steel manufacturer.
- Represented a private equity fund in the acquisition of an agricultural and outdoor-living retailer with locations in Connecticut.
- Represented a public REIT in the acquisition and disposition of a portfolio of diverse properties in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia; negotiated refinancing of long term loan.
- Represented the owner of an exclusive barrier island in the disposition of land to a time-share developer.
- Represented a publicly traded hospitality REIT in the acquisition and disposition of full service and destination hotel properties.
- Represented the owner of a South Carolina sea island destination resort in the disposition of ocean front parcels and co-development of beach-front club amenities.
- Represented a sponsor in the formation of a joint venture with an equity partner to develop a large production studio and soundstage complex in Georgia.
- Represented an investment fund in the creation of a joint venture to acquire, remediate and redevelop a former coal fired power plant near downtown Chicago.
- Represented an investment fund in the creation of a joint venture to acquire, remediate and redevelop a former coal fired power plant near downtown Boston.
- Represented an investment fund in the creation of a joint venture to acquire and redevelop a brownfield former manufacturing facility in Massachusetts.
- Negotiated term loan on behalf of a national commercial bank.
- Represented a commercial finance fund manager in the acquisition of equity interests in a hotel and casino property owner pursuant to an assignment-in-lieu of foreclosure settlement of a senior mezzanine loan and the restructuring of US$1.23 billion in mortgage and mezzanine debt and the origination of US$30 million in new subordinated mortgage financing.
- Represented a commercial finance fund manager in a debt-for-equity swap transaction and restructuring of $2.78 billion in existing financing secured by a destination resort in The Bahamas.
- Represented a subordinate lender in a $150 million recapitalization of a full-service destination hotel property in Hawaii.
Distinctions
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Real Estate Law, 2024-2025
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina, 2013
- District of Columbia, 2006
- Georgia, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 3rd Circuit
Education
- Columbia University, J.D., 2004
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, Articles Editor
- Cornell University, B.A., 1995
- Clerkship, Honorable Max Rosenn, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Associations
- Urban Land Institute
- American Bar Association
- Real Property and Probate Law Section
- South Carolina Bar
- Charleston County Bar Association
- Georgia Bar Association