Wes Smith is a partner in Willkie’s Real Estate Department. He is based in the Firm’s Dallas office.
Wes represents institutional investors in debt and equity transactions with a focus on complex real estate financings, workouts and restructurings.
Wes advises both borrowers and lenders in the origination and restructuring of mortgage and mezzanine loans, construction and bridge loans, participations and other co-lender arrangements. His diverse practice covers all asset classes, including digital infrastructure, hospitality, office, retail, industrial, logistics and multifamily.
Prior to practicing law, Wesley spent nine years on active duty as a Ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment and as a Staff Sergeant with the U.S. Army.
Experience
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2021-2024
- Represented an institutional investor in connection with the origination of build-to-suit construction financing totaling $615 million for the development of two separate data centers in Arizona and Chicago
- Represented data center developer in connection with construction financing totaling $425 million for the development of a build-to-suit data center in California
- Represented institutional investor in multiple build-to-suit data center construction financings in Texas totaling $600 million
- Represented a joint venture in the acquisition financing of multiple stabilized "co-location" data centers
- Represented institutional private lenders in multiple secondary market transactions, including participations and other co-lending arrangements
- Represented an institutional investor in connection with a $1.25 billion in CMBS financing for the refinance of the investor's logistics portfolio
- Represented an institutional buyer in the negotiation and acquisition of numerous forward sale industrial buildings throughout North America
- Represented a Gulf-based real estate investment advisor in multiple Sharia and Islamic compliant financings for logistic center real estate loans totaling more than $350 million.
- Represented an institutional investor in the acquisition of more than $1 billion of self-storage assets.
- Represented various clients in real estate financings, including credit facilities, mezzanine financing and traditional mortgage backed financing.
*Wes advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., 2015 Southern Methodist University, B.S., 2002