Fawaz A. Bham

Fawaz guides clients in the acquisition, development, financing and disposition of major real estate projects and over the last few years alone he has facilitated over $3 billion in transactions. He seamlessly integrates with in-house counsels and the business teams to efficiently achieve the client’s objectives.

Private Equity and Large-Scale Acquisitions

• Multi-Property Portfolio: Represented a global private equity firm in acquiring 45 large multi-family properties and 1 mixed-use property across 10 states for $1.825 billion. Tasks included correcting construction deficiencies, satisfying capex requirements, and navigating regulatory and financing complexities.
• Golf Course Portfolio: Represented an industry leader in a $74 million acquisition of golf courses, businesses, and clubs across Texas. The deal involved in-depth analysis of contracts, water rights, leases, environmental impacts, and more, with simultaneous acquisition financing.
• Land and Industrial Portfolio: Represented an investment group in a strategic sale of properties in New Jersey, Ohio, and California to two real estate investment trusts (REITs) for $50 million.

Global Sports and Entertainment Projects

• Reverse Build-to-Suit Leases & Acquisitions: Represented a global sports and entertainment public company in long-term ground leases and fee acquisitions, including a 12-acre site in the newly-formed New Orleans’ River District and a 11-acre site as an anchor tenant within a new master development in the growing tourist destination of Panama City Beach, Florida, which included negotiating the purchase and sale agreement and a detailed scope of work with the master developer, assisting with the permitting and entitlement process, and closing the transaction along with a third-party financing partner.

Business Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

• Affordable Housing Portfolio: Represented Fairstead in a $350 million acquisition of 48 affordable housing buildings, the largest affordable housing deal in New York for 2021, which included entity diligence, organizational structuring, joint venture negotiation, and coordinating with federal and local agencies.
• Programmatic Joint Ventures: Represented a hedge fund in acquiring 314 properties through a joint venture, structuring acquisitions and managing tax implications.

Lending and Financing

• Self-Storage: Represented a real estate investment group as a borrower in refinancing $82 million across 13 self-storage properties in various states. Involved ownership restructuring, tax implications, environmental analysis, and zoning resolutions.
• Industrial Buildings: Represented a national lender in originating a $30 million mortgage loan secured by 15 industrial buildings in Illinois, with a sharia-compliant master lease structure.
• Franchised Hotels: Represented a national lender in a $155.5 million mortgage loan for two franchised hotels in California with ground leases.
• Mixed-Use Development: Represented a national lender in a $35 million mortgage loan for a mixed-use development in California, featuring retail, educational services, and live/work units, including defeasing prior financing.
• Hotel Refinancing: Represented a national lender in refinancing a $140 million mortgage loan secured by a five-star hotel in California, including senior and junior mezzanine loans.

Leasing

• Retail Locations: Represented a national growing retail brand in negotiating and closing multiple 10-year retail leases with national retail owners for space in Arizona and Oregon.
• Office Locations: Represented a startup in negotiating and closing long-term office and retail locations with landlords in Texas.
• Airport Leases: Represented a national airline in terminal, logistics, and cargo storage leases and license agreements with airport operators, cities, and other airlines in Maryland, Ohio, California, Illinois, Oklahoma and Utah.

Note and Loan Sales

• Commercial Loans Portfolio: Concluded $330 million in sub- and non-performing commercial loan acquisitions for a global private equity firm, involving multiple jurisdictions.

Property Management

• Leasing: Managed leasing portfolios and dispositions of various properties nationwide, including REO properties such as office, retail centers, and multifamily.
• Private Equity Funding: Negotiated non-disclosure and cooperative agreements to facilitate private equity funding and lender financing.

• Recognized with a Pro Bono Publico Award, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, 2024

• Selected as a Rising Star for Real Estate, Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers Magazine, 2020-2023
• Recognized as a finalist for On the Rise, Texas Legal Awards, 2022
• Awarded the Young Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award by the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL), 2022
• Awarded the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2022

• Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Real Estate Law (2021-2024) and Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2024)

• Named the 2021 Lawyer of the Year by the Dallas Bar Association, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and DVAP
• Selected to Rising Stars for 2020 – 2022 by SuperLawyers
• Named a Pro Bono Pillar by DAYL Pro Bono Partners, 2021
• Named as 1 of the 20 Most Inspiring Leaders of 2020 by the Dallas Business Journal
• Pro Bono Coordinator of the Year 2020 by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP)
• Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2014–2021
• Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, 2014–2022
• Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) Volunteer of the Month, October 2018
• Recognized as One of DVAP’s Finest, Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, 2018

• Fellow 2021 and Pathfinder 2016, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
• Member, Dallas Bar Association
• Member, Dallas Asian American Bar Association
• Member, Texas Young Lawyer Association
• Member, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers