Steven G. Horowitz’s practice concentrates on U.S. and international real estate investment and finance transactions, including joint ventures, mortgage finance, securitization and capital markets, restructuring, and real estate-related mergers and acquisitions.

He regularly represents foreign and domestic institutional investors, property owners, commercial and investment banks, and a wide variety of companies in their real estate matters.

Steven has extensive experience in financing, acquisition, and disposition of significant properties throughout the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Transaction types encompass all forms of joint ventures, leasing, mortgage finance, securitization, loan syndication, mortgage loan trading, and subordinate debt, such as mezzanine loan and preferred equity funding. In addition, he focuses on credit tenant and portfolio leasing, workout and bankruptcy matters, investment entity formation, and tax-oriented finance transactions, as well as investments in non-traditional property types such as resorts and hotels, Indian gaming casinos, mines, forest lands, utilities, sports fitness clubs, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Steven repeatedly has been recognized by the business and legal press for his work on behalf of clients, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500 U.S., The Best Lawyers in America, and Law360, which named him an MVP in Real Estate.

He joined the firm in 1987, became a partner in 1989, and became senior counsel in 2019. Previously, Steven was a partner and real estate practice chair at the law firm of Hill & Barlow in Boston. Prior to Law School, he worked as a housing and urban development planner in the New York City Department of City Planning.

Notable Experiences

  • The Genting Group in its successful submission and implementation of a bid to the New York State Division of Lottery for the development of a world class entertainment destination at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, Queens; in financing the development of Indian gaming casinos at Foxwoods; and proposed casino and resort ventures in California, New York State, Massachusetts and Bimini.

  • Goldman Sachs Mortgage Company in acquiring and disposing of numerous mortgage loan portfolios, including non-performing loans and servicing rights in the U.S. and abroad.

  • FIFA in connection with the evaluation of the United States’ bid to host the 2026 World Cup and in relation to the event generally.

  • Istithmar in numerous acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and financings for office, hotel and resort properties in the U.S. and Dubai (including ENSeCs financing of The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, a joint venture investment with The Related Companies to develop the Grand Avenue mixed-use project in Los Angeles, the real estate aspects of its acquisition of the Barneys New York and Loehmanns retail chains, and the purchase and sale of major office buildings and hotels in Manhattan and elsewhere). 

  • Leading sovereign wealth fund in joint venture acquisition of multi-family assets throughout India. 

  • Kien Huat Realty, an affiliate of Genting, as lender in the restructuring of $2.3 billion in debt obligations secured by the Foxwoods Resort Casino, concluding a four-year restructuring that involved five different financings of varying seniority; and in financing construction of the Seneca Niagara Falls casino.

  • Meraas Capital in its joint venture acquisition of the landmark GM Building and three other New York office buildings, as well as their subsequent disposition.

  • The Irvine Company in joint venture office and apartment acquisitions, including a portfolio component of the Archstone going-private transaction.

  • An investment fund in connection with a $400 million loan to a national retailer secured by retail stores throughout the country. 

  • Kindred Healthcare, a national hospital and nursing center operator, both during and after its bankruptcy reorganization in master lease negotiations and senior and subordinate syndicated leasehold mortgage loans involving approximately 300 facilities in 36 states, and in subsequent financings, acquisitions and disposition of various hospital and nursing center operations throughout the United States, including its pending acquisition by TPG Capital, Humana, and Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe.

  • Washington Post in the new headquarters lease following its 2014 acquisition. 

  • Citigroup as underwriter of lease-backed pass-through mortgage acquisition financings with rated certificates.

  • McDonalds in a lease-backed financing of 900 restaurants. 

  • Hyundai Motor Corporation in development and lease of a luxury car showroom in the Meatpacking District of New York. 

  • A luxury fashion company in a tax-free exchange transaction, involving the sale of a lower Manhattan building, the proposed purchase of a 50% JV interest in a Midtown retail property and subsequent lease from the joint venture of such property for the company’s New York City flagship store.

  • American Tower in its acquisition of rights to approximately 11,324 wireless communications towers and its purchase of approximately 165 additional towers from Verizon Communications, Inc. for $5.056 billion in cash.

  • A consortium led by TPG, PAG Asia Capital and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in a series of transactions, including acquisition of acquisition of DTZ (the property services arm of UGL), Cassidy Turley  and Cushman & Wakefield, to create one of the largest global real estate services companies.

  • Significant experience in leasing, including serving as outside counsel to a number of prominent retailers (such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Tom Ford).

  • The Endurance International Group, a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus engaged in the web hosting and domain registration business, in the real estate aspects of its acquisition of the websites business of Intuit.

  • Neiman Marcus, TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus in the sale of Neiman Marcus to Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for approximately $6 billion.

  • Nortel Networks in connection with real estate aspects of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

  • TPG Capital in the $1.7 billion acquisition of Savers in a recapitalization transaction and in the acquisition of a $505 million portfolio of U.S. retail and mixed-use assets from ProLogis.

  • The major equity investor in the recapitalization of its joint venture acquisition of the MetLife Building in New York City.

  • Open Space Institute in various land conservation transactions.

  • Pro bono representation of Trust for Public Land and Open Space Institute in acquisition of the 16,000-acre Sterling Forest.

  • Pro bono representation of Trust for Public Land in proposed development of The QueensWay, a new 3.5-mile long park located on an abandoned rail line in Queens, New York.

  • Pro bono representation of The Nature Conservancy in numerous transactions, including forest preservation, impact investment funds, Argentine grasslands and green infrastructure.

  • Pro bono representation of Roundabout Theatre Company in acquisition and financing of Studio 54 theatre and cabaret.

  • Pro bono representation of Legal Aid Society in development and tax-exempt financing of a community facility in Harlem.

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Selected Activities

  • Member, American Law Institute and Adviser, ALI’s Restatement of the Law Fourth, Property

  • Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School

  • Chair, New York Advisory Board, Trust for Public Land

  • Member and Past Governor, American College of Real Estate Lawyers

  • Member and Past Governor, Anglo-American Real Property Institute

  • Member and Past Chair, Executive Committee, Real Property Law Section, New York State Bar Association

  • Past Member, Board of Directors, Legal Aid Society; and Member, Board of Advisors, Legal Aid Society

  • Member, New York City Advisory Board, Chicago Title Insurance Company

  • U.S. District Court Monitor to the Honorable Joseph L. Tauro, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Publications

  • September 2018: “Healthcare Master Leases in Bankruptcy: Out of One, Many?” Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law.
  • June 2018: “In a Health Provider Restructuring, Beware the Master Lease,” Law360.
  • January 2018: Report to Anglo-American Real Property Institute on Proceedings of Conference on Change and Innovation in Real Estate 2017.
  • June 23, 2017: “Things to Watch in Retail: Key Takeaways,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo.
  • March 5, 2010: “Roommates,” The Deal Magazine.
  • January 12, 2009: “The Joint Venture as an Alternative Source of Capital,” New York Law Journal.

Events