DLA Piper advises Harrison Street and 1547 Critical Systems Realty on acquisition of Hawaii Data Center DRFortress

DLA Piper advised Harrison Street, an investment management firm focused on alternative real assets, and fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547), a developer and operator of data centers, in their acquisition of DRFortress, Hawaii’s largest carrier-neutral data center, from GI Partners.

The strategic acquisition expands Harrison Street and 1547’s digital infrastructure platform across the Pacific and reinforces DRFortress’s position as interconnective hub. Based in Honolulu, DRFortress operates the state’s largest data center, with over 800 racks and the highest concentration of IP carriers and networks in Hawaii.

“This deal will shape connectivity in the Pacific. It was a privilege to advise Harrison Street and 1547 on this transaction, leveraging our firm’s deep real estate and data center experience” said Michael Rechtin, the DLA Piper partner who led the real estate deal team. “This acquisition reflects the growing demand for robust, scalable, and strategically located digital infrastructure. We’re proud to support our clients in their pursuit of expanding access.”

In addition to Rechtin (Chicago), Brian Wolhberg (Chicago) led DLA Piper’s corporate deal team. Other members of the deal team included of counsels David Charles (Chicago) and Nia Brown (Washington, DC), attorney Kalisa Kennedy (Chicago); and associates Arnold MacEbong (Los Angeles), Emily Becker, Matt Hilowitz, and Darius Callum (all in Chicago), Michael Myers (Los Angeles), Huntington Domine (Palo Alto), and Heather Sutton (Dallas).

With approximately 200 real estate lawyers in the US and 500 globally, DLA Piper's market-leading Real Estate practice offers a full range of real estate services, including acquisitions and sales, single asset, programmatic and operating company joint ventures, real estate fund formation, public and private REITs, financing, zoning and development, construction and design, leasing and restructuring and workouts. The firm executes hundreds of transactions every year, ranging from billion-dollar-plus transactions to the acquisition, financing, joint venture formation, leasing, and sale of individual properties.

With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex transactions seamlessly while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 15 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket, and ranked as number one in VC, PE and M&A in combined global deal volume according to PitchBook.