Real Estate Law Firms: National Rankings and Deal Roles
Not legal advice. This section describes law firms from published rankings and SEC filings. It does not recommend a lawyer for your matter, and reading it does not create a lawyer–client relationship with anyone. For a legal question, talk to a lawyer licensed where the property is.
The firms that lead the national real estate and REIT rankings, and which side of recent REIT deals they were on, from Chambers USA 2026, The Legal 500 and SEC filings.
Last updated: 2026-10-20
Alphabetical, not ranked.
We do not score law firms. We cannot see the work, and the guides already rank them through client interviews. We show the guides’ bands and tiers as they publish them, and list firms alphabetically.
What the sources reveal
- Real estate and REIT rankings pick different firms. Six firms are in Chambers’ Band 1 for nationwide real estate and five in Band 1 for REITs, and none is in both. Chambers Real Estate, Chambers REITs.
- The guides disagree. Simpson Thacher is Chambers Band 1 but Legal 500 Tier 2 for large-cap real estate; Latham & Watkins is Chambers Band 2 but Legal 500 Tier 1. Chambers, Legal 500.
- Big buyers bring the same firm. In the filings we read, Simpson Thacher acted for Blackstone, Gibson Dunn for Brookfield, and Kirkland & Ellis for Ares and Blue Owl. ROIC, Peakstone, Sila.
- Targets often use other firms. The REITs being bought used Clifford Chance, Bass Berry & Sims, Hogan Lovells, and Weil with Seyfarth Shaw. None of these is in Chambers’ Band 1 for nationwide real estate. ROIC, Whitestone, Sila, Veris.
- A second firm often handles local law. Venable passed on the validity of Lineage’s IPO shares under Maryland law. In the Alexander & Baldwin deal, each side paired a national firm with a second firm: Cades Schutte and Carlsmith Ball. Lineage, A&B.
Where each firm ranks, by guide
| Firm | Chambers USA 2026 Real Estate (nationwide) | Chambers USA 2026 REITs (nationwide) | Legal 500 US Real estate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fried Frank | Band 1 | Band 4 | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Gibson Dunn | Band 1 | Not ranked | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Goodwin | Band 3 | Band 1 | Mid-market, Tier 1 |
| Greenberg Traurig | Band 1 | Band 4 | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | Band 1 | Band 5 | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Latham & Watkins | Band 2 | Band 1 | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Paul Hastings | Band 1 | Band 3 | Large cap, Tier 1 |
| Simpson Thacher | Band 1 | Band 2 | Large cap, Tier 2 |
| Skadden | Band 2 | Band 1 | Large cap, Tier 2 |
Bands and tiers are the guides’ own, read 2026-10-20. Chambers Real Estate, Chambers REITs, Legal 500 large cap, Legal 500 mid-market. Listed alphabetically; we do not combine them into a ranking of our own.
Who sat on which side: deals in SEC filings
| Deal (announced) | Counsel: buyer side | Counsel: target, seller or other side | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone / Retail Opportunity Investments (Nov 2024) | Simpson Thacher | Clifford Chance | 8-K |
| Makarora and Ares / Plymouth Industrial, ~$2.1B (Oct 2025) | Greenberg Traurig and Simpson Thacher (Makarora); Latham and Kirkland (Ares) | Morrison & Foerster, Alston & Bird | 8-K |
| Investor group incl. Blackstone funds / Alexander & Baldwin, ~$2.3B (Dec 2025) | Simpson Thacher, Carlsmith Ball (Blackstone) | Skadden, Cades Schutte | 8-K |
| Brookfield / Peakstone, ~$1.2B (Feb 2026) | Gibson Dunn | Latham & Watkins | 8-K |
| Affinius-led group / Veris Residential, ~$3.4B (Feb 2026) | Skadden, Greenberg Traurig, Simpson Thacher (members of the buyer group) | Weil, Seyfarth Shaw | 8-K |
| Ares / Whitestone REIT, ~$1.7B (Apr 2026) | Kirkland & Ellis | Bass Berry & Sims | 8-K |
| Blue Owl / Sila Realty Trust, ~$2.4B (Apr 2026) | Kirkland & Ellis | Hogan Lovells | 8-K |
| Global Net Lease / Modiv Industrial, ~$535M (May 2026) | Paul, Weiss and Greenberg Traurig | Morrison & Foerster, Venable | 8-K |
| AvalonBay and Equity Residential merger of equals (May 2026; closed Aug 2026) | Goodwin (AvalonBay) | Wachtell Lipton (Equity Residential) | 8-K |
| Brookfield and CPP Investments / LXP Industrial, ~$5.2B (Jul 2026) | Gibson Dunn, Thompson Hine; DLA Piper (CPP, some matters) | Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | 8-K |
From the ‘Advisors’ paragraph of each press release filed with the SEC. These are examples we read, not a count of every deal.
Buying a home or a small building?
The firms here work mostly for funds, REITs and large companies. For a home purchase, a lease dispute or a closing, a local real estate lawyer is usually the better fit. Your state bar’s lawyer referral service can help you find one.
By segment
Real estate transactions
Firms Chambers USA 2026 ranks in its nationwide Real Estate table.
9 profiled · Open →REIT counsel
Firms in Band 1 of Chambers USA 2026’s nationwide REITs table.
3 profiled · Open →Counsel to private equity buyers
Firms that SEC filings show acting for Blackstone, Brookfield, Ares and Blue Owl on REIT take-privates.
3 profiled · Open →Profiled firms (alphabetical)
| Firm | Segment | Scale (as published) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fried Frank | Real estate transactions | Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1; REITs Band 4 | Private law partnership. |
| Gibson Dunn | Real estate transactions / Counsel to private equity buyers | Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1 | Private law partnership. |
| Goodwin | REIT counsel / Real estate transactions | Chambers REITs Nationwide Band 1; Real Estate Band 3 | Private law partnership. |
| Greenberg Traurig | Real estate transactions | More than 400 real estate lawyers (self-reported); Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1 | Private law partnership. |
| Kirkland & Ellis | Real estate transactions / Counsel to private equity buyers | Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1; REITs Band 5 | Private law partnership. |
| Latham & Watkins | REIT counsel / Real estate transactions | Chambers REITs Nationwide Band 1; Real Estate Band 2 | Private law partnership. |
| Paul Hastings | Real estate transactions | Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1; REITs Band 3 | Private law partnership. |
| Simpson Thacher | Real estate transactions / Counsel to private equity buyers | Chambers Real Estate Nationwide Band 1; REITs Band 2 | Private law partnership. |
| Skadden | REIT counsel / Real estate transactions | Chambers REITs Nationwide Band 1; Real Estate Band 2 | Private law partnership. |
Rankings from Chambers USA 2026 and The Legal 500 United States pages; deal roles from SEC filings. Read 2026-10-20.
Fried Frank
Private law partnership.
Hired as the independent counsel to Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance’s special committee on the ~$9B sale of its loan book to Athene.
Profile and sources →Gibson Dunn
Private law partnership.
Brookfield’s counsel on two 2026 REIT take-privates: Peakstone (~$1.2B) and LXP Industrial (~$5.2B).
Profile and sources →Goodwin
Private law partnership.
AvalonBay’s counsel on its 2026 merger with Equity Residential, which formed Vivmark Residential.
Profile and sources →Greenberg Traurig
Private law partnership.
Shows up on both sides of mid-size REIT deals: for the target, the buyer and buyer consortiums.
Profile and sources →Kirkland & Ellis
Private law partnership.
Counsel to Blue Owl and Ares on 2025–26 REIT take-privates worth $1.7B to $2.4B each.
Profile and sources →Latham & Watkins
Private law partnership.
Company counsel on Lineage’s IPO and Sun Communities’ $5.65B marina sale; also acts for buyers such as Ares.
Profile and sources →Paul Hastings
Private law partnership.
Counsel to Tri Pointe Homes on its ~$4.5B sale to Sumitomo Forestry; Chambers notes real estate work for tech companies.
Profile and sources →Simpson Thacher
Private law partnership.
Blackstone’s counsel in two REIT take-privates we read: Retail Opportunity Investments and Alexander & Baldwin (~$2.3B).
Profile and sources →Skadden
Private law partnership.
Rithm Capital’s counsel buying Paramount Group ($1.6B) and Alexander & Baldwin’s counsel on its take-private.
Profile and sources →Left out
We profile nine firms that rank at the top of the Chambers USA 2026 nationwide Real Estate or REITs tables. Other Band 1 REIT firms (Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Sidley Austin) and Band 2 to 6 real estate firms are not profiled yet. Wachtell Lipton, Clifford Chance, Weil and Venable appear in the filings we read but are not profiled. State and city rankings, land use and zoning boutiques, and firms for home buyers and landlord–tenant cases are not covered. We do not name individual lawyers. We do not publish fees or billing rates; we found no reliable source. We did not count deals per firm; the filings cited are examples, not a league table.
Comparisons
- Kirkland & Ellis vs Simpson Thacher: the two firms the filings most often put on the private equity buyer’s side.
- Goodwin vs Latham & Watkins: two Chambers Band 1 REIT firms.
- Fried Frank vs Greenberg Traurig: two Chambers Band 1 real estate firms with different shapes.
Questions
Which is the best real estate law firm?
We do not pick one. Chambers USA 2026 puts six firms in Band 1 for nationwide real estate: Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn, Greenberg Traurig, Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Hastings and Simpson Thacher. The best firm for you depends on the deal.
What is the difference between a Chambers band and a Legal 500 tier?
Both are rankings built from research and client feedback; Band 1 and Tier 1 are the top. The two guides do not always agree, so we show both.
Is this legal advice?
No. It describes firms from public rankings and filings. For your situation, talk to a lawyer licensed where the property is.
Do these firms handle home purchases?
They mostly work for funds, REITs and large companies. For a home purchase, a local real estate lawyer is usually a better fit; your state bar can refer you.
Why are no lawyers named?
We describe firms, not individual lawyers. The guides list individual rankings on their own sites.
Last verified 2026-10-20. Figures were re-read from the linked sources that day.
View changelog
- Section published: hub, three sub-hubs, nine profiles and three comparisons, from Chambers USA 2026, The Legal 500 and SEC filings read this day.
Sources
- Chambers USA 2026, Real Estate: USA Nationwide ranking table · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, REITs: USA Nationwide ranking table · accessed 2026-10-20
- The Legal 500 United States, Real estate: large cap ($500m+) firm rankings · accessed 2026-10-20
- The Legal 500 United States, Real estate: mid-market ($0-500m) firm rankings · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Fried Frank, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Jan 28, 2026): loan portfolio sale to Athene · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Gibson Dunn, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Peakstone Realty Trust 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Feb 2, 2026): Brookfield acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- LXP Industrial Trust 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Jul 20, 2026): Brookfield and CPP Investments acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Goodwin Procter, REITs department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Vivmark Residential (formerly Equity Residential) 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Aug 17, 2026): AvalonBay merger completed · accessed 2026-10-20
- Lineage, Inc. IPO prospectus (424B4, Jul 26, 2024), Legal Matters · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Greenberg Traurig, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Global Net Lease 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (May 4, 2026): Modiv Industrial acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Plymouth Industrial REIT 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Oct 24, 2025): Makarora acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Kirkland & Ellis, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Sila Realty Trust 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Apr 20, 2026): Blue Owl acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Whitestone REIT 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Apr 9, 2026): Ares acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Latham & Watkins, REITs department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Sun Communities 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Feb 24, 2025): Safe Harbor Marinas sale · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Paul Hastings, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Tri Pointe Homes 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Feb 13, 2026): Sumitomo Forestry combination · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Simpson Thacher, Real Estate department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Nov 6, 2024): Blackstone acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Alexander & Baldwin 8-K, Ex. 99.7 (Dec 9, 2025): take-private · accessed 2026-10-20
- Veris Residential 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Feb 23, 2026): Affinius-led acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20
- Chambers USA 2026, Skadden, REITs department profile · accessed 2026-10-20
- Paramount Group 8-K, Ex. 99.1 (Sep 17, 2025): Rithm Capital acquisition · accessed 2026-10-20