About Michael J. Baum

Michael J. Baum is Co-President of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Co-Chair of the firm's Global Real Estate Practice. He is well-recognized in the market for his client-focused approach, leveraging cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive legal counsel that maximizes the value of GT’s global real estate platform for clients.

Michael’s international practice includes the formation of real estate opportunity funds (private equity LP and/or GP funds, and debt funds), joint ventures, acquisitions, developments, financings, leasing, and dispositions of data centers, multi-family (single family rental, including build-to-rent programs, student housing, and senior living), industrial, office, retail, and resort properties. He also represents both financial institutions and borrowers in connection with construction, mezzanine, and general secured real estate financings.

Concentrations

•Private Equity
•Digital Infrastructure
•Real Estate Finance
•Asset-Backed Financing
•Cross-Border Transactions

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Listed, Lawdragon, 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers, 2024-2025
•Listed, Thomson Reuters, 'Stand-Out Lawyers,' 2024-2025
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law, 2016-2025
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide, 2019-2026
•'Recognised Practitioner,' 2019
• Listed, Leading Lawyers Network, 2018-2025
•'Emerging Lawyer,' 2015-2017
•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, 2020-2022 and 2024-2025
•'Rising Star,' 2009-2017
•Listed, Latin Lawyer, 'Latin Lawyer 250 - Practice Recognition: Real Estate & Tourism,' 2020-2026
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Real Estate - Real Estate Finance, 2021-2022
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Real Estate - Real Estate, 2021-2025
•'Leading Partners,' 2025
•'Leading Lawyer,' 2024
•'Other Key Lawyer,' 2022
•Listed, Crain’s Chicago Business, “Notable Gen X Leaders in Law,” 2022
• Team Member, Chambers & Partners USA Real Estate Law Firm of the Year, 2010, 2013, 2017-2018 and 2022
•Listed, Acritas Stars Independently Rated Lawyers, “Star Lawyers,” 2018-2021
•Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers, 'Law Firm of the Year' in Real Estate Law, 2015
•Team Member, a Law360 'Real Estate Practice Group of the Year,' 2011-2013, 2015, 2022, and 2023
•Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, 'Top Tier' Firm in Real Estate, 2013 and 2014

 

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Services

Areas of Law

  • Real Estate
  • Other 6
    • Real Estate Funds
    • Real Estate Finance
    • Digital Infrastructure, Data Center and Cloud Computing
    • Latin America Practice
    • Opportunity Zone Funds
    • Institutional Investors

Practice Details

  • Languages
    Spanish
  • Firm Information
    Position
    Shareholder
    Firm Name
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  • Representative Cases & Transactions
    Cases
    Experience: Representative Matters: Representation of Core Spaces, through its affiliate, Core Champaign Daniel, LLC
    partnered with Harrison Street Real Estate Capital through its affiliate, HSRE-CSP IIIA, LLC, to ground lease
    acquire a fee simple interest in various parcels of l
    near the intersection of South 6th Street
    East Daniel Street in Champaign, Illinois for the development of a mixed-use building with student housing, retail
    office uses.
    Representation of a real estate operator/developer in connection with its entry into a joint venture formed for the purpose of developing an assisted living
    memory care facility located in Denver, Colorado.
    Representation of American Finance Trust, Inc. (AFIN)
    successfully completed a real estate financing transaction with Column Financial, Inc. for $715 million in commercial mortgage backed securities.
    Representation of Walton Street Capital, through its affiliate, W Rickenbacker Investors VIII, L.L.C., partnered with CT Realty to jointly acquire (through a wholly owned subsidiary) the fee simple interest in 382 acres of vacant l
    within Rickenbacker Industrial Park in Columbus, Ohio for development of a 5,700,000 square foot logistics facility.
    Representation of Global Net Lease, Inc., in connection with both a U.S. portfolio
    Italian portfolio sale leaseback transaction with a Fortune 150 company. The purchase price for the U.S. portfolio was approximately $153,000,000
    consisted of six industrial distribution centers located in Ohio
    Tennessee comprising approximately 2,903,990 square feet. The purchase price for the Italian portfolio was approximately $25,000,000
    consisted of two industrial properties located in Fabriano, Italy comprising approximately 196,474 square feet.
    Representation of a joint-venture led by MRP Realty in their acquisition of a controlling interest of the owners of a portfolio of office, retail
    parking facilities in the Old City neighborhood of Center City, Philadelphia. The portfolio includes the Bourse building, a historic office
    retail building which was formerly Philadelphia's original trading floor, as well as the adjacent Bourse Garage
    movie theater,
    the 325 Chestnut Street
    400 Market Street office buildings.
    Represented Walton Street Capital
    its Brazilian partner, Banco BTG Pactual, in connection with the financing of the development of a regional shopping center in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
    Represented Chicago developer in connection with acquisitions/dispositions, development
    leasing of single tenant retail properties
    shopping centers throughout Illinois
    Florida.
    Represented Walton Street Capital in connection with the acquisition, third-party financing, servicing
    disposition of nonperforming loan portfolios, secured primarily by single family residential properties.
    Represented Transwestern Investment Management, Inc. in connection with national asset management
    leasing activities for several institutional platform domestic
    foreign investors.
    Represented consortium of Chilean
    Columbian high net-worth investors in connection with the acquisition, financing, leasing
    vertical subdivision of the office towers at 55 West Wacker Drive, LaSalle Wacker
    205 West Wacker Drive located in Chicago, IL,
    150 S. Rodeo Drive, 150/151 S. El Camino Drive (f/k/a William Morris Agency headquarters) located in Beverly Hills, CA.
    Represented Walton Street Capital in connection with the formation of a joint venture with Grupo FINSA to acquire stabilized industrial portfolios
    develop build-to-suit properties throughout Mexico.
    Represented Walton Street Capital in connection with the formation of joint ventures with separate Mexican development partners
    investors to develop a Fortune 50 Retailer or other 'big-box' anchored retail shopping centers throughout Mexico.
    Represented Walton Street Capital in connection with the formation of a joint venture with Mexican development partners
    investors to develop luxury hotel
    residential resort communities in Northern Baja, Cancun, Punta Mita, Los Cabos (El Dorado Country Club)
    Puebla, Mexico.
    Represented Walton Street Capital
    its Mexican partner, Grupo Sadasi, in their acquisition of the Mexican subsidiary of Pulte Homes, Inc.
    Represented the joint venture between Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds
    The John Buck Company in connection with the sale of (i) the Shops at Northbridge to Westfield America, Inc.
    (ii) ownership interests in the American Medical Association Building located in Chicago, IL.
    Represented The John Buck Company in connection with the acquisition, financing, development
    forward-sale of the mixed-use Palomar (Kimpton) hotel
    corporate housing project at 505 N. State Street in Chicago, IL.
    Represented Mexican high net worth family's investment in the development, financing
    operation of the Hotel Americano in New York City.
    Represented The John Hancock Center Homeowners' Association in connection with the negotiation of material building
    life-safety system repair programs with the commercial unit owner.
    Represented Corus Bank, N.A. in connection with the origination of several billion dollars of construction loans for residential condominium, office
    hotel projects located in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami
    other U.S. municipalities.
    Represented The Private Bank & Trust Company in connection with the construction financing of industrial
    retail properties throughout the Midwest.
    Represented Arbor Lodging Partners in connection with an approximately $135,000,00.00 acquisition, CMBS financing
    joint venture for a portfolio of 6 hotels located in Texas, Massachusetts, California, Minnesota,
    Utah.
    Represented CEDARst Companies/Pilsen in connection with the acquisition of two contiguous parcels at 1488 S. Racine
    1488 S. Blue Isl
    (cumulative $5.2M purchase price) from unrelated sellers
    entered into a construction financing with Associated Bank, N.A. to develop the property.
    Represented R2 Companies in the purchase of $61.3 million worth of historic buildings adapted to new uses, picking up two portfolios from Madison, Wisconsin- based Sara Investment Real Estate
    bulking up its presence in Minneapolis
    Milwaukee.
    Represented The Ardent Companies in connection with construction financing involving three different TopGolf entertainment locations to be built in Schaumberg IL, Richmond VA
    Clevel
    , Ohio, respectively.
    Represented Walton Street Capital in a joint venture with Trinity Investments LLC
    funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management in the acquisition of the Hilton Los Cabos Beach
    Golf Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.
    Represented Walton Street Capital, LLC
    its joint venture partner, Shapack Partners
    Focus Development, for the acquisition
    financing of a to-be-constructed class-A trophy office building in Chicago's West Loop (corner of Lake
    Halsted).
    Represented Tucker Development Corporation
    its joint venture partner, Acadia Realty, for the acquisition
    financing of the mixed-use development retail
    office development located at 900 West R
    olph, Chicago.
    Represented IDI Logistics (a subsidiary of Brookfield Investment) in connection with the $475M refinancing of a 27-property industrial portfolio in 11 States.
    Represented Hubbard Street Partners in the acquisition
    re-development of the former Marshall Fields' Loft Apartments located at 4000 W. Diversey, Chicago.
    Represented Transwestern Investment Management in connection with the acquisition
    financing of 9 properties totaling 2.5M square feet in 3 states from Blackstone.
    Represented CIBC Bank on the financing of the acquisition
    construction financing for development of industrial properties within the Elk Grove Industrial Technology Park, in Elk Grove, Illinois.
    Previous Experience: Associate, Mayer Brown, LLP, Chicago, 2002-2005
  • Additional Links

Experience

  • Bar Admission & Memberships
    Admissions
    2002, Illinois
    Memberships

    Professional & Community Involvement

    •Advisory Council, the Real Estate and Finance Center at UT Austin
    •Board Member, Digestive Health Foundation at Northwestern University
    •Co-Chair, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Annual Chicagoland Golf Tournament, 2012-2018Co-Chair, Dream Halloween benefiting Children Affected by Aids, 2008 and 2009
    •Member, Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations
    •Member, Urban Land Institute

  • Education & Certifications
    Law School
    Loyola University Chicago School of Law
    J.D.
    cum laude

    Loyola University Chicago School of Law
    J.D.
    2002 President

    Loyola University Chicago School of Law
    J.D.
    International Law Society
    Other Education
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Class of 1999
    B.B.A.
    Finance
  • Personal Details & History
    Age
    Chicago, Illinois
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Attorneys FAQs

  • What year was this attorney first admitted to the bar?
    Michael J. Baum was admitted in 2002 to the State of Illinois.
  • Does this attorney speak any other languages?
    Michael J. Baum speaks Spanish.
  • How many attorneys are in this law firm?
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP has 2750 attorneys at this location.
  • What law school did this attorney attend?
    Michael J. Baum attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
  • What year was this attorney's law firm established?
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP was established in 1967.