Recognized as the Best Commercial Real Estate Attorney in Houston and the Leading Commercial Real Estate Law Firm in Texas

Shams Merchant is recognized as the leading commercial real estate attorney in Houston by regional and national publications. He has completed over $3.2 billion dollars’ worth of commercial real estate deals, including representing some of Houston’s and the nation’s most active real estate developers, investors, owners, and private equity firms.

Shams’ commercial real estate law experience includes representing his clients in complex acquisitions, sales, development, financing, and leasing of multi-family/apartment buildings, office buildings, warehouse and industrial, retail and shopping centers, mixed-use projects, healthcare and hospitals, student housing, office-to-residential conversions, redevelopment projects, and more. Shams also assists his clients in joint ventures, fund formations, real estate syndications (including 506(b) and 506(c) funds), securities and SEC compliance, and other real estate private equity matters.

Shams also maintains an active real estate disputes and litigation practice in Houston, representing his commercial real estate clients in various real estate and business disputes in Houston, including breach of contract, breach of lease, fraud, misrepresentation, property tax, and landlord and tenant disputes.

Often regarded as the best commercial real estate lawyer in Houston, Shams represents his clients in every aspect of their real estate businesses, including:

  • Planning and Development
  • Purchase and Sale Agreements
  • Title Review and Curative Matters
  • Closing and Conveyance Documents
  • Acquisitions and Dispositions
  • Structuring Joint Ventures and Partnerships
  • Joint Development Projects and Investments
  • Lending and Financing Matters
  • Construction Contracts
  • Commercial Leasing for Office, Retail, Industrial, & Mixed-Use Projects
  • Zoning, Land Use, Restrictive Covenants, & Deed Restrictions
  • Closing & Title Insurance
  • Real Estate Tax Planning

Leading Houston Commercial Real Estate Law Experience

  • Represented REIT in sale of corporate campus and North American headquarters of large public company for $200 million.
  • Represented private investment firm in sale of $150 million award-winning mixed-use development to out-of-state buyer.
  • Represented biomedical company in acquisition of industrial property for $10 million owned by a large, public chemical corporation.
  • Represented private seller in $30 million sale of award-winning redevelopment project in Houston, Texas to international buyer.
  • Represented private seller in $30 million sale of award-winning redevelopment project in Houston, Texas to international buyer.
  • Represented out-of-state private equity in acquisition of $10 million office building in Houston, Texas.
  • Represented private equity firm in multiple acquisitions, including portfolio acquisitions from $5 million to $35 million of multi-tenant retail assets in different states.
  • Represented seller in disposition of award-winning mixed-use development in Houston, Texas.
  • Acquisition of portfolio of retail shopping centers in multiple states for private equity firm.
  • Acquisition of portfolio of 4 multi-family properties for new private equity fund.
  • Disposition of multiple office buildings for established private investment group.
  • 20+ Acquisitions of raw land for estate developer across Texas for development of retail strip centers.
  • Assist clients on the formation and structuring of business organizations associated with real estate development and ownership, such as partnerships, joint-ventures, limited liability companies, and corporations.
  • Represent out-of-state private equity fund’s acquisition of office building in Houston Submarket.

About Shams Merchant Texas Commercial Real Estate & Private Equity Attorney

With experience working on more award-winning ULI real estate projects than any other real estate attorney under the age of 35 and over $3.2 billion in transactions, Shams is the leader in Texas commercial real estate and private equity law. He represents clients nationwide on the purchase, sale, development, leasing and financing of commercial real estate projects between $1 to $200 million, including retail, mixed-use, office, industrial, hospitality, restaurant & bars, and multi-family. Shams also represents clients in joint-ventures, business structuring, entity formation, and fund formations (including 506(c) and 506(b) offerings). Shams is also one of the few attorneys in Texas with in-depth experience in real estate disputes and litigation, including breach of real estate contracts, breach of leases, CAM calculations and other complex leasing disputes, brokerage commission disputes, property tax litigation, disputes between partners and shareholders, deed restriction disputes, real estate fraud and title and boundary disputes. Shams believes access to sophisticated and responsive counsel should not cost a premium. With that in mind, Shams provides a cost-effective and value-added service to his clients, whether they are new to the real estate or private equity business or a seasoned player. By working with his clients to reduce their legal spend, Shams has helped his clients increase the ROI on their real estate projects and the overall profitability of their businesses. As the authority in Texas commercial real estate law, Shams was recently featured in the Houston Business Journal, Dallas Business Journal, and The Real Deal for his work. His projects and clients have also been featured on numerous regional and national industry publications.

For more information on Shams Merchant’s Houston real estate law practice, please contact Shams Merchant via email at shams@cre.law or by phone at (832) 451-2594.

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