Chris Barker is a partner in the Business Law Department and the former chair of the firm’s Real Estate, REITs & Real Estate Capital Markets Group. He does a significant amount of work in the hospitality industry, and currently serves as co-chair of the firm’s Hospitality and Leisure Practice. He also has served on the firm’s Executive Committee. Mr. Barker has particular expertise in representing funds and other entities with tax-exempt investors in structuring and implementing debt and equity investments in real estate and in real estate operating companies.
WORK FOR CLIENTS
Mr. Barker has represented a number of prominent private investment fund sponsors and public REITs in the formation of funds and separate account vehicles, portfolio acquisitions, joint ventures, merger and acquisition transactions and other strategic transactions. His representative clients include BayNorth Capital Partners, Rockwood Capital, AEW Capital Management, HEI Hotels & Resorts, Leggat McCall Properties, Cabot Properties and Tremont Realty Capital.
Mr. Barker took a leave from the firm in 1990 and 1991 to work for Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, an international law firm based in Tokyo and Japan’s largest law firm; he continued to spend material time in Japan through the mid-’90s. His work there included counseling Japanese lenders and investors in connection with their real estate transactions in the United States and in other countries. He continues his work for Japanese clients, primarily in connection with hotel and resort properties.
MEDIA
Mr. Barker has lectured and written on real estate finance subjects for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and has been a panelist at a number of hospitality and real estate capital markets symposiums.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Prior to law school, Mr. Barker worked for five years as a project manager for a large industrial engineering and construction firm on projects in various regions of the United States.
BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS
Mr. Barker is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.
RECOGNITION
Mr. Barker is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as one of the leading real estate lawyers in Massachusetts.