Joshua P. Hanna, P.C.
Overview
Josh is “excellent at negotiation and at getting deals done.” - Chambers USA, 2021
Josh focuses on complex real estate transactions including joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions as well as financing, development, management and restructuring of real estate assets. He advises private equity sponsors, publicly traded investment firms, REITs, foreign pension funds and other institutional investors and developers in transactions involving various asset classes, including multifamily, industrial, office, hospitality and opportunity zones.
Josh has been recognized as a leading real estate lawyer by Chambers USA,The Legal 500 U.S. and The Best Lawyers in America. In Chambers USA’s 2024 edition, a client commented that “Josh takes a very practical approach to each deal and consistently provides meaningful insight and guidance.” In prior editions of Chambers USA sources noted that “he’s great to work with, very smart, highly driven, and I hold him in high regard” and he “understands complex business concepts and incorporates them in a way that is clear, eloquent, and thoughtful.” Josh has also been described in Chambers USA as “an excellent lawyer,” “practical and solution-oriented,” “very thoughtful, analytical and he thinks outside the box” and is “commercial and knowledgeable.” In the 2024 edition of The Legal 500 United States, a source noted he “does not shy away from taking the reins on transactions and is a partner level resource that is invaluable to us.”
Experience
Representative Matters
CapZone Impact Investments in its formation of a qualified opportunity zone joint venture to acquire the Alabama Shipyard, a shipyard that will be modernized in collaboration with the U.S. Navy to support U.S. nuclear submarine programs
U.S. publicly-traded homebuilder, as sponsor and investor in “build-to-core” club ventures to develop, operate and sell over $6 billion in multifamily properties, including “Top North American Fundraise” in 2017 PERE Global Awards
Bridge Investment Group in a series of development joint ventures for new multifamily and mixed-use projects in qualified opportunity zones with an aggregate value of over $4 billion
Global asset manager in formation of manufactured housing platform with leading manufactured housing operator and Canadian pension as sponsor and investor in multiple club investment vehicles to acquire and operate portfolio of U.S. manufactured home communities with an aggregate value of over $3.5 billion
ElmTree Funds as sponsor in a series of programmatic joint ventures with Guggenheim Investments to acquire and operate approximately $3.5 billion of industrial e-commerce assets throughout the United States
Bridge Industrial in a comprehensive reorganization of its company structure that created separate platforms for its fee-based management services and real estate equity holdings, including new ventures with Teacher Retirement System of Texas to invest a reported $1.5 billion in industrial real estate investments and to coinvest as the general partner in Bridge-sponsored funds and joint ventures
U.S. private equity fund in roll-up and sale of a $3.2 billion portfolio of 280 U.S. select service hotels to a newly formed investment fund including $2 billion investment by global insurance company
Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund in joint venture for $3.15 billion combination stock and asset purchase of a 55 million square foot industrial portfolio
Real estate private equity firm as majority investor in programmatic ventures to develop and operate single family rental communities with an aggregate value of over $3 billion
Nuveen Real Estate in acquisition of $3 billion portfolio including 100 U.S. logistics facilities
Carlyle Global Credit on the acquisition and financing of iStar Inc.’s net lease business for an enterprise value of approximately $3 billion consisting of more than 220 assets in 25 states
AustralianSuper in joint ventures with Brookfield Property Partners to recapitalize a $2.1 billion Washington, D.C and Boston office portfolio
U.S. real estate company on its $2 billion programmatic joint venture to acquire, develop and manage industrial assets located throughout the United States
First State Super in a 50/50 programmatic venture with Lendlease to develop and operate up to $2 billion in U.S. multifamily properties
Equity Residential on its $1.9 billion strategic partnership with Toll Brothers to acquire and develop new rental apartment communities in key U.S. markets
Consortium of multifamily investors in roll-up and recapitalization of 94 property, $1.9 billion multifamily portfolio
U.S. private equity firms in sale of a national provider of data center colocation, interconnection and cloud enablement solutions for $1.886 billion
Australian REIT in phased sale of controlling interest in joint venture owning 86 U.S. retail centers with a combined value of $1.73 billion
Australian superannuation fund as majority investor in programmatic ventures with U.S. operator to develop and operate over $1.5 billion of multifamily assets
Pantheon Real Estate in programmatic venture with ShopOne and global institutional investor to invest more than $1 billion in grocery-anchored shopping centers across the United States
Ventas in acquisition and master lease of $790 million of Holiday Retirement’s independent living facility portfolio
Bridge Industrial in a $789 million joint venture with CPP Investments to acquire and develop industrial properties
Real estate private equity firm in programmatic venture with non-traded retail REIT to acquire and operate up to $750 million of U.S. grocery-anchored shopping centers
JLL Income Property Trust in programmatic venture with Amherst to acquire and operate up to $500 million in single-family rental homes across the United States
U.S. private equity fund in its purchase and master lease with outdoor goods chain for sale/leaseback of 20 outdoor goods retail properties and 3 distribution facilities valued at over $500 million
Clayco Realty Group in its inaugural U.S. Logistics Fund I, a programmatic vehicle with a Canadian pension investor which developed six industrial assets valued at over $420 million
U.S. open-end real estate fund in $360 million sale of 19 private REITs which owned a multifamily portfolio in New York City consisting of 32 buildings and over 1000 units
Equity LifeStyle Properties in a joint venture to acquire a controlling interest in RVC Outdoor Destinations, which owns and operates six RV communities valued at $105 million, with a programmatic commitment to develop additional communities
Ventas as managing member and 25% co-investor in a programmatic joint venture with a state pension plan to acquire and develop senior housing
Meridian Group in 50/50 joint venture with Rockefeller Group to develop a 437,000 square foot trophy office building within The Boro, a 4.2 million square foot mixed-used development in Northern Virginia
AJ Capital Partners in programmatic ventures with institutional investors to launch Outpost Residential, a single-family development platform for build-to-rent communities in the southeastern U.S.
Ownership consortium in acquisition and development of Powder Mountain, a Utah ski resort that is the largest by acreage in North America, and sale of controlling interest to Reed Hastings
Private equity founder and philanthropist in programmatic venture to redevelop historic community and hotel in Denver, Colorado
Pro Bono
More
Thought Leadership
Seminars
Moderator, “Strategic Investment, Capital Markets, and Acquisition,” Bisnow, 2024 Chicago Industrial Summit, November 19, 2024
Moderator, “Living in Luxury: A Look at High-End Real Estate Market Trends and Performance,” Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference Midwest: Chicago, June 15, 2023
Moderator, “State of Chicagoland Industrial Real Estate Market,” CIP Industrial Summit, April 28, 2022
Presenter, “Real Estate Joint Venture Negotiations: Watching for Pitfalls,” ICSC U.S. Law Conference, November 3, 2021
Moderator, “Real Estate Panel,” Association of Asian American Investment Managers National Conference, September 16, 2021
Moderator, "State of Chicagoland Industrial Real Estate Market," CIP Industrial Summit, April 23, 2021
Panelist, "Multifamily Breakout Session," Illinois Real Estate Journal 19th Annual Commercial Real Estate Forecast Conference, January 7, 2021.
Moderator, “Equity Investing: Rescue Capital, Distressed Dealmaking, and Alternative Asset Classes,” Bisnow, Escape and Ascent Digital Dealmaking Conference, December 7–10, 2020.
Panelist, “Equity & Debt Solutions for Apartment Investors & Developers,” Illinois Real Estate Journal 11th Annual Multifamily & Apartment Conference: Chicago, March 5, 2020.
Chairperson, “Ground-Up Developers peer-to-peer roundtable,” Marcus & Millichap Multifamily Forum: Chicago, April 10, 2019.
Moderator, “Keep Calm & Carry On: The State of the Market from a Developer’s Perspective,” Marcus & Millichap Multifamily Forum: Chicago, April 10, 2019.
Moderator, “Creating Community Through Thoughtful Development & Design: Repositions & Adaptive Re-Use vs. New Construction,” Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference Midwest: Chicago, October 24, 2018.
Moderator, “Working with Institutional Capital: The Large Multifamily Session,” IMN: Middle Market Multifamily Forum (Midwest) 2018: Chicago, October 16, 2018.
Moderator, “The Future of Spec Development,” Bisnow National Industrial and Logistics Summit Midwest: Chicago, August 1, 2018.
Moderator, “Driving Business: An Economic Outlook From the Commercial Sector,” Marcus & Millichap Multifamily Forum: Chicago, April 19, 2018.
Moderator, “Owner’s Roundtable,” Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference Midwest: Chicago, November 29, 2017.
Moderator, “Multifamily Breakout Session,” Illinois Real Estate Journal 15th Annual Commercial Real Estate Forecast Conference: Chicago, January 18, 2017.
Moderator, “Investing Secrets: Getting Deals Done in Today’s Environment,” Bisnow Multifamily Annual Conference Midwest: Chicago, November 30, 2016.
Presenter, “Structuring Programmatic Real Estate Joint Ventures: Structures, Deal Sharing and Exclusivity, Pooling Variations,” Strafford Webinar, May 19, 2016.
Presenter, “Real Estate Joint Ventures: Current Topics and Trends,” ICSC Law Conference, October 18, 2013.
Moderator, Third Annual Bisnow Chicago Multifamily Summit, March 13, 2012.
Recognition
Josh was selected for The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Law in 2018–2025.
Recognized by Lawdragon in its 2024 list of “500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers.”
Recognized by CRE Connect in its 2021 "Lawyers in Real Estate Awards” in the Chicago/Midwest category.
Josh was recognized in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business from 2015–2024 for Real Estate.
Josh was named to Law360's 2014 “Rising Stars” list for real estate. The list honors outstanding attorneys under 40.
He was recognized in the 2014, 2015, and 2018–2020, and 2024 editions of The Legal 500 U.S. for Real Estate.
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 1999Illinois
Education
- Northwestern Pritzker School of LawJ.D.1999
- The Ohio State UniversityB.A., Historysumma cum laude1996