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 digital infrastructure development and construction financings.
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 for the development of two separate data centers in Arizona and Chicago with an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion.
- Represented data center developer in connection with construction financing for the development of a build-to-suit data center in California valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
- Represented institutional investor in multiple build-to-suit data center construction financings in Texas valued at over $1.5 billion
- Represented institutional investor in a spec data center development Oregon valued at approximately $650 million.
- Represented a joint venture in the acquisition financing of multiple stabilized "co-location" data centers
- Represented Bleecker Partners in the acquisition financing of a portfolio of industrial properties totaling over 2 million square feet with an enterprise value of approximately $350,000,000 across Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.
- 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