Robert K. Smith

Practice Areas

Mr. Smith is head of the firm’s REIT capital markets practice and has more than 20 years of experience in advising REITs and real estate funds in various asset classes, including mortgage, office, industrial, data center, retail, and self-storage companies, on a broad range of capital markets, securities, governance, and SEC compliance matters. Mr. Smith has represented both issuers and underwriters in numerous capital markets transactions, including IPOs, follow-on offerings, 144A offerings and other private placements. Mr. Smith also has significant REIT M&A experience and is a trusted advisor to multiple REIT boards of directors, and he has also acted as an industry expert witness in REIT-related proceedings.

Mr. Smith has been counsel in hundreds of securities offerings by REITs (including the then-largest ever non-rated public offering of preferred stock). He leads several engagements for publicly traded REITs, including some of the largest publicly traded mortgage REITs, and he is either issuer’s or designated underwriter’s counsel for a significant portion of all U.S. listed mortgage REITs. Mr. Smith also acts as exclusive outside corporate counsel on a pro bono basis to a national, real estate-focused, non-profit organization dedicated to furthering education and diversity in underserved cities.