Primo A.J. Fontana

Primo A. J. Fontana

Partner
Boston
About

Primo Fontana is a partner in DLA Piper's Boston office. He has a broad national practice working on virtually all types of transactions—acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and financings. Primo has a particular focus on complex transactions such as forward sales and other transactions involving buildings under construction, acquisitions of REIT shares and other equity transactions and all varieties of joint venture and partnership arrangements. Primo represents a broad client base of clients ranging from large institutional private equity funds to family-owned entrepreneurial clients operating in New England.

Areas of FocusReal EstateCorporateFinance
Bar admissionsMassachusettsNew York

EXPERIENCE

In private practice Primo has represented investors, buyers, sellers, lenders, landlords, tenants and developers. His experience includes representing:

  • AEW Capital Management in the US$340 million acquisition of a 33-building industrial portfolio in Miami-Dade County, Florida

  • An acquisition fund in the acquisition of an 8 property industrial portfolio out of receivership

  • A joint venture of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and an affiliate of First Washington Realty, Inc. in the acquisition of membership interests in a joint venture that owned 86 grocery-anchored shopping centers in the United States valued at US$1.73 billion

  • A joint venture between a real estate value-added fund and a sponsor in the acquisition of a 21 property industrial portfolio

  • A foreign pension fund in the formation of a joint venture for the acquisition of stabilized multifamily assets with an anticipated investment amount of US$200 million and a joint venture for the acquisition of multifamily development projects with an anticipated investment amount of US$150 million

  • A life sciences owner in two dispositions of over US$500 million each (one single building transaction and one portfolio transaction), both of which included assets still under construction at closing
  • A real estate value-added fund in the acquisition of a downtown Boston office tower by purchasing a loan and entering into a deed in lieu transaction with the owner/borrower
  • A national acquisition platform fund in two building industrial sale-leaseback transactions with an investment-grade credit tenant; negotiated all documents, conducted all legal due diligence and closed in one month
  • A real estate value-added fund in connection with the sale of 250 South Wacker Drive, a Chicago office tower
  • Numerous landlords in office, industrial and retail leasing

Awards

Chambers USA

  • Band 4, Massachusetts Real Estate, (2022 – 2025)

The Legal 500 United States

  • Recommended, Real Estate, (2024)
Education
  • J.D., Boston College Law School 2000
    Proofing Editor, Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review
    magna cum laude
  • B.S., The Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon 1996
    with honors

Prior Experience

In 2007 and 2008, Primo served as an in-house lawyer at Fidelity Investments working with Fidelity's private equity real estate group. In that role, he had primary legal responsibility for the group, including placement and management of joint venture and mezzanine loan transactions.
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Phone

+1 617 406 6054
(Work, Boston)