James W. Grice

• Named to Best Lawyers in Texas for Real Estate Law, 2024-2026
  
• Recommended by The Legal 500 for Real Estate – Mid-Market, 2026 
  
• Recommended by The Legal 500 for Real Estate, 2024
  
• Named to The Legal 50 by The Tech Capital, 2025
  
• Named the 2023 Lawyer in Real Estate Award Winner by Connect CRE, 2023  

• Speaker, "Underwriting the AI Wave: How Customer Mix Reshapes Returns," DICE South, August 12, 2026
  
• Moderator, "Building at the Pace of Capital: Supply Chain, Capacity Planning and the New Procurement Playbook," 2026 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) National Conference, May 12, 2026
  
• Moderator, "Measuring Private Equity Risks, The Huge Scale of the Deals, Risk Management, and the Domino Impact of the AI Bubble Bursting," 2026 Information Management Network (IMN) Data Center and Private Equity Dealmakers East Conference, May 5, 2026
  
• Moderator, "Forging Ahead: Developing in New Regions & Overcoming Local Opposition," 2026 Solar + Wind Finance & Investment Summit, March 17, 2026
  
• Speaker, "Fortifying the Backbone: Managing Emerging Risks in Digital Infrastructure," Marsh Risk's 2026 Silicon Valley Technology Risk Forum, March 4, 2026
  
• Speaker, "Mapping the Next Wave of Data Center Deployment," 2026 Metro Connect USA Conference, February 23, 2026
  
• Moderator, "Fiber and Data Centers: Collaborating to Enhance America's AI Leadership," 2025 Datacloud USA Conference, September 16, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Data Center Industry Update," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Maximizing Exemptions and Managing Power Constraints," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Credits and Incentives Related to Sales and Use Tax," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Key Considerations for EPC Contract Language - Project Agreements and Indemnity Provisions," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Clawback Provisions - Plans for Compliance to Avoid Headaches Years Later," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Establishing Procurement Companies for Tax Optimization," DMA Data Center Forum, July 16-17, 2025
  
• Moderator, "From Capital to Concrete: Translating Investment into Data Center Construction," 2025 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) Capital Markets Conference, July 15, 2025
  
• Moderator, "Data Center Supply Chain, Capacity Planning and Procurement: The Biggest Challenges Impacting Supply Chain, Innovative Solutions to Keep Up with Demand and Building Resiliency," 2025 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) National Conference, May 20, 2025
  
• Speaker, "The Economics of Demand: Data Centers & Load Growth," 2025 Solar + Wind Finance & Investment Summit, March 17, 2025
  
• Speaker, "Where and How Can We Meet the Demand for Data Centres?" 2025 Metro Connect USA Conference, February 24, 2025
  
• Moderator, "If AI & Power are #1 and #2, What Else is on Top of the List?" 2025 Information Management Network (IMN) Data Center and Private Equity Dealmakers Forum, February 6, 2025
  
• Moderator, "Fireside Chat: Up-Close with Primary Digital Infrastructure," 2024 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) West Conference, December 3, 2024
  
• Speaker, "Data Center Market Outlook: Current Trends and Vision for the Future," 7x24 Exchange Midwest Chapter, October 10, 2024
  
• Speaker, "Looking for the Capital to Grow; Is It All About AI Now?" Yotta 2024, October 8, 2024
  
• Speaker, "Keynote Market Horizon: Trends, Recent Moves on the Map, Future Investments in Data Center Industry and Akerman's Vision for the Future," Data Center Dynamics (DCD) Connect Investment Forum, September 25, 2024
  
• Moderator, "Overcoming Challenges Amidst the Macroeconomic Environment," 2024 Datacloud USA Conference, September 18, 2024
  
• Moderator, "From Cryptocurrency to AI: How are Crypto Mining Facilities Supporting the Need for AI Compute," 2024 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) South Conference, August 7, 2024
  
• Moderator, "Deep dive strategy road map: A look at where the industry is headed and what AI means for the evolution of the global digital economy," 2024 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) East Conference, May 23, 2024
  
• Moderator, "What will it take to deliver the data centre of the future today?" 2024 Metro Connect USA Conference, February 26, 2024
  
• Speaker, "Legal/Regulatory Topical Session," 2024 Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) Conference, January 22, 2024
  
• Moderator, "Breaking Ground: How do we navigate the opportunities and challenges of emerging data center markets?" 2023 Datacloud USA Conference, September 11, 2023
  
• Moderator, "Location, Location, Server Location: Navigating Data Center Development and Where to Build Next," 2023 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) South Conference, August 2, 2023
  
• Moderator, "State of the Northern Virginia Market: How Are The Dynamics Changing In The World's Largest Data Center Market And What Are The Ripple Effects Across Tier 2 and 3 Markets?" 2023 Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) East Conference, May 24, 2023
  
• Moderator, "Keynote Panel: How do we Improve the Public Perception of the Data Centre Industry?" 2023 Datacloud USA Conference, April 27, 2023
  
• Speaker, "The Legal Side of Tech," The Nomad Futurist Podcast, March 6, 2023
  
• Moderator, "Are ESG Investments a Win-Win?" 2023 Metro Connect USA Conference, January 31, 2023
  
• Speaker, "Data Centers," 2023 Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) Conference, January 16, 2023
  
• Moderator, "State of the Southern Market: Has Growth Been Accounted For? Or Will Momentum Continue?" 2022 DICE South Conference, October 20, 2022 

Data Center Transactions:

• Assisted Mapletree with the portfolio purchase of 29 data centers from Sila Realty Trust, a transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion.
  
• Assisted Macquarie Capital USA with its strategic stock investment in Prime Data Centers.
  
• Assisted Landmark Dividend with various transactions to purchase and sell data center properties throughout the U.S. and Canada.
  
• Assisted Chirisa Capital Management with the acquisition of a 20+ acre facility to be developed into a 30+ MW data center.
  
• Represented large bank in a data center divestiture including negotiation of a multi building 8+ MW sale/lease back.

Data Center Development:

• Assisted a short list of confidential clients with delivery of data center campuses intended for proprietary use and master planned for 350+ MW. Projects of this scale require use of Jim’s core competencies associated with real estate acquisition and related diligence, grid power procurement, renewable energy procurement and/or facility development, sustainability, telecom provisioning, construction, project finance, and state and local tax incentives.
  
• Assisted Digital Realty with incentive negotiations and power procurement negotiations related to a 60+ acre data center campus development in Texas that is planned to accommodate more than one million sq. ft.
  
• Assisted Digital Realty with seeking approval for incentives and condo platting issues associated with an $80 million urban data center project redevelopment in the Midwest.
  
• Assisted developer with development issues on a 350-acre master planned campus in the Midwest to accommodate the needs of large-scale enterprise data centers. The project involved power delivery arrangement for 100MW of utility power at a high voltage rate.

Data Center Leasing:

• Assisted various clients in connection with hyperscale and other corporate colo leasing deals across North America and Europe including, among others: a 1000+ MW Build to Suit Lease in Nevada; 220+ MW campus in Texas; 200+ MW campus in Virginia; 70+ MW building in Virginia; 45+ MW building in Canada; 45+ MW building in Texas; 35+ MW building in Virginia; 15+ MW building in California; a 15+ MW building in Illinois, 5+ MW building in Israel.

Data Center Tax Incentives:

• Developed legislation that enhances data center operations in Arizona and led the effort to seek passage.
  
• Developing legislation that enhances co-location data center operation in Texas and is leading the effort to seek passage.
  
• Assisted approximately 10 data center owners and operators with certification of approximately 65 MW of space in Arizona to benefit from the new Arizona CDC program.
  
• Assisted data center client to obtain tenant-based certification under the new data center incentive program in Texas.
  
• Assisted multiple data center clients with making a private letter ruling request in Texas to clarify certain state tax issues that impact the client’s data center operations in that state.

Power for Data Centers and Telecommunications:

• Assisted with negotiation of special contract arrangements, special tariffs or enhanced power procurement arrangements for large data enter campus deployments globally.
  
• Supported data center client negotiations for power procurement strategy at numerous locations through upper and lower Midwest.
  
• Assisted telecommunications client with negotiation of more than a dozen local franchise agreements to access public right of way to install new fiber.
  
• Assisting Vertical Bridge, a large cell tower developer, on permits and approvals associated with national buildout of 200+ tower locations.
  
• Assisted real estate client with negotiation of agreements associated with deployment of micro cell wireless technology on roof tops and location of cell towers on excess land.
  
• Assisted telecommunications CLEC client with negotiation of more than a dozen local franchise agreements to access public right of way to install new fiber.
  
• Assisted a fiber to the home provider to with various access agreements and taxing arrangement in various jurisdictions in California.

Energy, Renewables, and Oil and Gas:

• Assisted an oil pipeline operator with strategy development for state siting authority and permitting for petroleum pipelines in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois.
  
• Assisted an oil pipeline operator with development of Presidential Permit strategy to cross the international border with petroleum pipeline and development of a federal permitting strategy for construction of petroleum pipeline to cross various multiple states.
  
• Assisted energy developer with project financing for biomass and organic fertilizer facility in the Midwest including assistance with tax credit financing utilizing the renewable energy investments tax credits (ITCs).
  
• Assisted energy developer with project finance structure and permitting strategy for redevelopment of 45 MW decommissioned coal fired power plant to use biomass solid fuel utilizing next generation coop structure and state-based investment tax credits.
  
• Assisted various clients with approximately 125 MW of solar facility projects. Jim’s involvement with such projects included issues related to development and permitting, FERC regulation, electrical power agreements (PPAs) and master lease agreements, interconnection agreements, net metering, renewable energy investment tax credits (ITC) and monetization, and renewable energy credits (REC) and monetization.

Commercial Development, Infrastructure Finance and P3:

• Assisted various agencies of Kansas City, Missouri (i.e. KC Tax Increment Financing Commission and the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority) with more than 85 different large scale development projects throughout Kansas City, Missouri.
  
• Assisted developer with $115 million redevelopment of iconic office building in Kansas City including assistance with all transactional documents (i.e. purchase and sale agreement and commercial leases) along with property tax abatement and historic rehabilitation tax credit financing.
  
• Assisted developer with 1 million sq. ft retail development in Branson, Mo. Worked to devise purchase/ incentive structure and negotiations to secure $50 million in tax increment financing, along with assistance of transaction documentation for development, lease up and sale of the project.
  
• Assisted developer to devise a $900 million redevelopment financing strategy for a proposed downtown arena and associated entertainment district in Las Vegas NV.
  
• Assisted various private development interests with dozens of other retail and commercial developments undertaken throughout the Midwest.

*Jim advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.