News

Apr 4, 2005

DLA Piper adds two star real estate lawyers to Boston office

Press Release

Former Palmer & Dodge lawyers bring decades of big deal urban development experience to firm

(BOSTON) April 4, 2005 – DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP today announced that John E. Rattigan and Anita S. Agajanian will join the firm’s Boston office as partners in the Real Estate practice group. Both formerly were partners at Palmer & Dodge.

“John Rattigan and Anita Agajanian bring with them decades of important and varied real estate experience, including the representation of major local and national developers and institutions,” said Elliot Surkin, managing partner of the Boston office. “John and Anita’s skills complement the firm’s breadth of experience both in Boston and on a national level, by bringing to our team extensive knowledge in complex areas of real estate practice, including urban development, airport expansion and leasing.”

Lee Miller, joint chief executive officer of DLA Piper said, “We are delighted with this very strong strategic addition to what was already an absolutely top-of-the-line real estate group in Boston. The addition of these two outstanding lawyers comes close on the heels of our addition of eight Boston business lawyers, including several top private equity fund formation partners from Testa Hurwitz and Thibeault.” 

David Perry, partner in charge of the Boston office of Hines, an international real estate firm, said, “Over the years, I have worked extensively with John Rattigan and also with Elliot Surkin, Bill Forbush and others at DLA Piper. What a powerful combination.”  

John Rattigan has more than 20 years of experience representing developers, lenders, and public agencies in connection with major development projects. He is well-known in the industry for his work on several of the largest public and private projects in Boston, including the Millennium Place Ritz-Carlton Hotel and high-rise condominiums; 10 St. James, a new high-rise office building; and the Post Office Square Park and Garage in the financial district of Boston, a multi-year project that involved extensive, complex negotiations with landowners, public officials, and financing sources. Rattigan has also been active in the development and financing of new airport terminals, including the newly-opened Terminal A, at Logan Airport.

A former member of the advisory board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate Development, in 2001 Rattigan served on Mayor Thomas Menino’s Linkage Commission, which proposed revisions to the City of Boston’s linkage requirements for major real estate developments. Rattigan is a director of both the Back Bay Association and Boston’s Downtown Crossing Association.

Rattigan received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. He earned an undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Merrimack College. He is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Last year, Chambers & Partners named Rattigan one of Boston’s top real estate lawyers.

Anita Agajanian graduated magna cum laude from Boston University before earning a law degree at the University of Michigan.

Admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Colorado, Agajanian has handled transactions that include the acquisition, construction, leasing, development, and financing of commercial real estate. She has extensive experience representing owners and developers of downtown office towers and landlords and tenants in leases of biotech, high-tech, office, retail, and industrial projects. Agajanian represented the Massachusetts Port Authority in connection with the development and leasing of the terminal facilities at Logan Airport to several major airlines. She is also a mentor with the Boston Lawyers Group.

In the U.S. DLA Piper’s Real Estate practice consists of 200 attorneys and is one of the largest real estate practices in the country. DLA Piper was recently named global Real Estate Law Firm of the Year 2005 in the inaugural Who’s Who Legal Awards based on nominations received from clients and private practice professionals. The firm is listed as the top real estate law firm in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2005, which was published in March.

About DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP is a business law firm of 1,350 lawyers in offices throughout the U.S., whose core practices are real estate, corporate and securities, litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Worldwide, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has 2,800 lawyers in 49 offices in 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and Asia, offering leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, and technology, media and communications. More information about DLA Piper is available at www.dlapiper.com.

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CONTACTS:

Elliot Surkin, Managing Partner, Boston office, DLA Piper, 617.406.6030

Laura Miller, Media Contact, Green Target, 312.252.4104

John Corey, Media Contact, Green Target, 312.252.4102