David Lavian represents institutional and private clients in a broad array of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, financings, and development projects.

His acquisition and disposition work spans a wide range of asset types (including multifamily properties, office buildings, retail centers, industrial facilities, mixed-use developments and interests in real estate holding entities) and encompasses transactions of all sizes, values, and geographic scope—from a multifamily building in the New York metropolitan area to a large-scale development project in the Sunbelt.

David has extensive experience representing both sponsors and investors in structuring, negotiating and closing complex joint ventures and equity arrangements. His work includes traditional GP–LP structures, co-GP agreements, LP investments, and programmatic joint ventures, each designed to align with the strategic and financial goals of the parties. He advises on transactions ranging from single-asset acquisitions and development projects to platform-level ventures with long-term investment pipelines. His practice also encompasses the formation of real estate funds and other investment vehicles.

In addition to advising on joint ventures and other equity arrangements, David works on a broad range of debt financing transactions—including mortgage, mezzanine, construction, and note-on-note financings—representing both borrowers and lenders.

David’s practice has a special emphasis on commercial leasing, representing both landlords and tenants in transactions involving office, retail, restaurant, industrial, and warehouse properties. His experience spans a wide range of leasing arrangements and structures, including space leases, ground leases and net leases. He provides counsel through all phases of the leasing process—from initial term sheet negotiation through final lease execution—and ongoing advisory throughout the lease term.

With a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of and experience with diverse transaction types, deal structures, property types and stakeholder perspectives, David serves as a trusted advisor in commercial real estate transactions.

Prior to LAVIAN, David worked in the real estate departments of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP (now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer); Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC; and Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP.

Bar Admissions/Licensed Jurisdictions

• New York

• Represented an investment fund in the acquisition, joint venture, and financing of a $23 million multi-family property in Brooklyn, NY
• Represented an institutional investor in a series of joint ventures providing sponsors with Co-GP capital to fund their general partner co-investment requirement in joint venture real estate transactions
• Represented an institutional investor in connection with a platform joint venture with a real estate developer in Minnesota.
• Represented a private real estate company in the purchase of a remaining partner’s membership interest in a multi-family housing complex in Columbus, Ohio.
• Represented a prominent private real estate firm in numerous retail leasing transactions in New York City.
• Represented a private equity firm in the sale of a shopping center in Tulsa, OK totaling approximately 100,000 square feet
• Represented an institutional investor in a series of acquisitions and joint ventures for the development of speculative and build-to-suit warehouses across the U.S.
• Represented an institutional investor based in Spain in its investment in a hotel development project in New York City.
• Represented a REIT in its acquisition and financing of a $37 million industrial property as part of both a forward and reverse 1031 Exchange
• Represented a developer in a build-to-suit lease with a non-profit organization in Bronx, NY
• Represented a real estate firm based in Hong Kong in a lease with a non-profit academic medical center
• Represented a developer in the acquisition, joint venture, and financing of a retail center totaling approximately 650,000 square feet
• Represented a group of regional investors in its investment in a ground-up development of a mixed-use project in a designated Opportunity Zone
• Represented a large institutional investor in the acquisition, joint venture, and financing of a housing complex portfolio in the D.C. metro area
• Represented a lender on a $23 million mortgage loan secured by a mixed-use property in New York, NY