Frans works with in-house counsel and facilities managers of Fortune 500 corporations in efficiently managing their real estate portfolios.
He negotiates headquarters relocations, site selections, governmental incentives, leases, subleases and regulatory issues. Frans also works with regional developers, private equity funds and other clients with all facets of commercial real estate transactions, including multistate portfolio acquisitions and dispositions, financing, leasing, project management and joint venture formation. Ongoing and representative transactions include:
- Representation of nationally recognized St. Louis-based commercial real estate firm that has completed more than half a billion dollars in investment transactions over the past five years.
- Advised a Fortune 25 company on the development of its corporate headquarters consisting of five buildings containing 1 million square feet of office and operations space.
- Counsel to private equity fund in the commercial real estate net lease, sale-leaseback and build-to-suit sectors that has successfully developed, acquired, financed and disposed of more than $4 billion of commercial real estate assets.
- Structured joint venture between a major investment bank and a regional developer to acquire two shopping centers containing 450,000 square feet of retail space valued at $100 million.
- Representation of an innovative build-to-suit real estate development company in connection with the redevelopment of a 300 acre former automobile assembly plant.
In addition to his real estate practice, Frans is a member of the firm's International practice group, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.