Real Estate

Amy Rifkind practices in the area of commercial real estate, with a particular focus on public-private partnerships and real estate development. She has experience in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions including construction, term loan, mezzanine, and securitized debt financings. She also regularly handles purchases, dispositions, ground leases, build-to-suits and joint ventures. Her clients include FORTUNE 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, large law firms, and real estate developers.

Ms. Rifkind was named the 2009 Top Washington Lawyer-Real Estate by the Washington Business Journal and has been ranked as one of America's leading real estate lawyers by Chambers & Partners.

Ms. Rifkind is a member of Arnold & Porter LLP's hiring and pro bono committees and regularly handles transactions for pro bono clients including several District of Columbia charter schools and nonprofit organizations.

After law school, Ms. Rifkind clerked for Judge Douglas P. Woodlock on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Real Estate Representative Matters

Federal Transactions and Public-Private Partnerships

• Represented the developer of an approximately 500,000 square foot building for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, Maryland including the lease with the General Services Administration and the related financing.
• Represented the developer of the 575,000 square foot National Cancer Institute building in Rockville, Maryland in the bond financing for the project.
• Negotiated on behalf of the owner of a multibuilding complex of approximately 900,000 square feet in Alexandria, Virginia lease extensions in connection with BRAC relocations.
• Advised a major national investor regarding responses to solicitations by federal agencies for over 800,000 square feet of space in Northern Virginia.
• Represented a private equity fund in a follow-on lease for 100,000 square foot building in Arlington, Virginia for the Department of Defense.
• Represented local developer (i) in the restructuring of ground leases and related matters with the District of Columbia and a private party in connection with the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront and (ii) a joint development agreement and associated ground leases with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for the development of a 26-acre parcel in Rockville, MD in six phases.

Financings and Workouts

• Represented a major insurance company in a mortgage refinancing involving 25 industrial properties located in seven states.
• Negotiated multiple new loans and loan restructurings for a major insurance company.
• Currently advising a national developer in negotiating a loan restructuring and previously represented the same client in a forbearance agreement with its lender in connection with a maturity default.
• Represented a major financial institution in its joint venture with a third-party investor and the acquisition of a senior loan participation related to a defaulted construction loan.

Dispositions, Acquisitions, Ground Leases, and Joint Ventures

• Represented a New York-based real estate fund with respect to a variety of projects including (i) the acquisition of 20 buildings and land for redevelopment in Tysons Corner, Virginia, (which deal was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as the Deal of the Year, April 2011) (ii) the sale of a portion of the recently acquired Tysons Corner portfolio, (iii) a joint venture for the development of an apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, and (iv) a joint venture for the acquisition of multiple apartment complexes in Prince Georges County, Maryland.
• Negotiated on behalf of a national developer (i) the acquisition of a note and joint venture agreement for the redevelopment of a retail site in downtown, Washington, DC, (ii) a long-term ground lease for a retail and apartment complex in Arlington, Virginia and (iii) the acquisition of multiple properties in Washington, DC.
• Represented a national corporation in the sale of a six-acre site in Washington, DC, several other projects in Washington, DC, and a joint venture agreement for the development of a substantial parcel elsewhere in the United States.