Practice
John L. Opar, the Deputy Practice Group Leader of the global Real Estate Group, has extensive experience in all areas of commercial real estate law, including foreign investment in U.S. real estate. He has represented public and private real estate investment funds and trusts, insurance company separate accounts and other investment vehicles.

He has also worked extensively on Shari’ah compliant investment structures and has been involved in international real estate development projects in the Middle East, China, England, Germany and the Philippines.

Mr. Opar has been selected for inclusion in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Real Estate Lawyers 2011.

• Advised non-U.S. based foreign clients of STRATEGIC REAL ESTATE ADVISORS LTD. on acquisition, financing and disposition of substantial properties in the United States, including:  the acquisition and financing of the USAA industrial portfolio, the Chicago multi-family property known as Grand Plaza, the Brookdale office portfolio, Four Penn Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Riverside on the James mixed-use development in Richmond, Virginia; joint venture with K Hovnanian to develop condominium project at 77 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey; disposition of 1201 New York Avenue, Washington, D.C.; acquisition, financing and disposition of the Quaker headquarters building in Chicago, Illinois and the AON headquarters building in suburban Chicago
• Representation of SYRACUSE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY and the CITY OF SYRACUSE in respect of $2.2 billion PILOT-based financing of expansion of Carousel Center
• Representation of ARCHSTONE-SMITH OPERATING TRUST in acquisition of three multi-family projects in the northeastern United States: The Aston, 800 Avenue of the Americas, New York and Marlborough House, 245 East 40th Street, New York and related assumptions of bond financing; newly constructed project in Quincy, Massachusetts
• Advised family-owned corporation in sale of 530 Park Avenue, a multi-family rental property
• Representation of NATIONAL REAL ESTATE COMPANY, a publicly traded Kuwaiti company, in several joint venture development opportunities throughout the Middle East, including projects in Dubai, the federal region of Kurdistan, and Libya
• Representation of PWC LOGISTICS, a publicly traded Kuwaiti company, in several concession and joint venture arrangements throughout the Middle East, including in Kuwait and Jordan
• Advise in respect of proposed $75 billion development of SILK CITY (Madinat al Hareer), Kuwait, a 400 square kilometre city on the northern coast of Kuwait Bay
• Representation of WAFRA INVESTMENT ADVISORY GROUP in sponsorship of two Shari’ah compliant investment funds; acquisition of Robert Harris Homes Group, a private homebuilder; and in numerous multi-family acquisitions and residential development projects throughout the United States
• Establishment of various Shari’ah-compliant investment funds on behalf of Credit Suisse
• Acquisition of a Georgia office portfolio on behalf of LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. MASTER PENSION TRUST; also advised client with respect to the acquisition of a Massachusetts industrial property
• Advised owners of fee interest in 625 Madison Avenue in New York City with respect to a rent reset under a ground lease.
• Establishment of FIRST POINT REALTY HOLDINGS, a $300 million real estate investment fund, on behalf of anchor investor
• Listing of THE LINK REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, a Hong Kong unit trust and the territory’s first publicly traded real estate investment trust
• Acquisition of the UBS U.S. headquarters office complex in Stamford, Connecticut for exchange funds managed by EATON VANCE MANAGEMENT
• Acquisition of 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, a 1.5 million square foot office building, on behalf of a partnership affiliated with TISHMAN SPEYER PROPERTIES
• Disposition of 101 West End Avenue, New York, New York, a 500+ unit “80/20” multi-family rental property, on behalf of a limited liability company affiliated with TISHMAN SPEYER PROPERTIES; also involved in land acquisition for, and development of, the project
• Numerous purchases, sales, development projects, and leases throughout the United States for METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
• Construction financing of Dearborn Center, Chicago on behalf of HYPOVEREINSBANK
• Formation of multi-family residential “downreits” on behalf of EATON VANCE MANAGEMENT
• Various acquisition and development projects and financings in Manhattan and Westchester County for, inter alia, CAPPELLI ENTERPRISES, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY and TISHMAN SPEYER PROPERTIES
• Advice on “outsourcing” transactions for corporations, including MERRILL LYNCH CREDIT CORPORATION
• Sale of interest in New York Hilton and three other northeastern U.S. hotels by THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA
• Sale of BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL on behalf of Japanese owner
• Extensive hotel experience involving SETAI, SWISSÔTEL, HILTON, HILTON INTERNATIONAL, FOUR SEASONS, REGENT and other chains
• Sale of Financial Square, a major downtown New York City office building, on behalf of a subsidiary of THE SANWA BANK, LIMITED
• Purchase and sale of commercial loan and REO portfolios for CITIBANK, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY and THE O’CONNOR GROUP
• Development of CANARY WHARF, on behalf of original development team

• Member, Urban Land Institute
• Speaker, Chairperson, Euromoney PropInvest Asia Pacific Conference: “Creating Sustainable Real Estate Investment Growth”
• Guest Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania School of Law
• Speaker, Real Estate Round Table, Columbia University
• Coordinator, Firm Pro Bono real estate activities relating to 9/11
• Captain, Shearman & Sterling Legal Recruiting, University of Pennsylvania School of Law
• Speaker, "Islamic Finance—Shari'ah Compliant Funds and Investment," New York, October 21, 2009

• Author, “Estoppel Certificates: Deceptively Complex”
• Co-Author, “The Globalization of Real Estate Investment Trusts”
• Author, “The Commercial Leasing Process”
• Author, “Strategies for Indirect Investment in Real Estate”
• Co-Author, “New Standards Are In the Air: ASHRAE’s Proposed Standard on Indoor Air Quality”
• Co-Author, “Non-Resident Investment―A Comparison of the U.S./U.K. Tax Regimes”
• Co-Author, “Lender Liability: A Practical Guide”
• Co-Author, “TDRs: Whose Sky Is It Anyway?”