A partner in the Real Estate Department, Harris Freidus advises public and private companies, developers, entrepreneurial and institutional investors and lenders in all areas of commercial real estate, including developments, financings, joint ventures, sales and acquisitions, construction, leasing and restructurings. His expertise covers all real estate asset classes, with a special emphasis on gaming and hospitality.

Harris' recent experience includes:

• representing Las Vegas Sands Corp., the owner of The Venetian and Palazzo gaming resorts in Las Vegas, The Sands Macau and Venetian Macau in Macau, and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, with all of its financings, developments, sales, joint ventures and other material transactions in the United States, Macau and Singapore since 1995;
  
  
• representing CIM Group, a sponsor of real estate funds that specializes in urban investments, in a variety of New York City acquisitions and joint ventures, including 432 Park Avenue and 303 East 51st Street;
  
  
• acting as primary counsel to the joint venture that owns the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, and representing it in the successful out-of-court restructuring of over $800 million in debt and other secured claims;
  
  
• representing the majority owner of The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with a successful restructuring of a mortgage loan and three levels of mezzanine debt totaling $1.3 billion in the aggregate, and then the eventual disposition of the hotel to one of the lenders;
  
  
• representing NRDC Equity Advisors with its acquisitions of Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay Trading Company and the debt, preferred equity and equity transactions and arrangements used to finance the acquisitions and then to recapitalize them;
  
  
• assisting Douglaston Development in the development of The Edge, a mixed-use project consisting of 347 moderate-income rental apartments, 1,100 luxury condominium units, 60,000 square feet of retail space and parking garage space for over 600 cars on the Williamsburg waterfront; and
  
  
• representing various developers and funds and other institutions in the acquisition, development and financing of various properties.

Harris has been recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500 and The Best Lawyers in America as one of the country's leading Real Estate lawyers. He is involved with numerous charitable organizations including serving as pro bono counsel for The Blue School, an innovative school for young children led by the founders of The Blue Man Group.