Jeffrey S. Thiede

Joint Ventures

Jeff brings over 20 years of experience negotiating joint venture agreements in real estate transactions. He represents both developers and sponsors in new developments and value-add projects, as well as investors such as investment funds, insurance companies and foreign entities. Skilled in entity structuring, Jeff understands the key negotiation pressure points and focuses on what truly matters to get deals done.

Highlighted experience since the COVID-19 pandemic includes:

• Jeff has worked on well over $1 billion in real estate transactions across a range of asset classes.
• His industrial experience includes advising on large-scale development projects totaling approximately 5 million square feet of light industrial space, with a total development cost of around $750 million, structured through two programmatic arrangements covering 25 joint venture agreements.
• In the senior housing sector, Jeff represented developers in more than five joint ventures for the development of approximately 500 units, with total project costs of about $200 million.
• He has also advised multifamily operators in approximately 10 to 15 joint ventures, with acquisition prices ranging from $30 million to $100 million.
• Jeff has represented clients in several build-to-rent joint ventures involving single-family and townhome communities, with individual communities ranging from 50 to 250 units and acquisition prices reaching up to $100 million.

Equity Brokerage Agreements

Jeff regularly negotiates equity brokerage and equity sourcing agreements on behalf of clients with national brokerage firms. He advises clients to review these agreements carefully, as the initial drafts often include broader service commitments and commission obligations than were originally discussed.

Multifamily Assets

Jeff regularly represents clients in the purchase and sale of multifamily assets across the U.S., including securing acquisition financing and refinancing. To date, he has assisted clients in the sale of over $1 billion in assets. His experience includes borrower-side representation in financing transactions involving agency debt, with a deep understanding of the process. Several of these deals have involved 1031 exchanges, as well as the acquisition and financing of Build-to-Rent communities.

Real Estate Counseling

Jeff’s work extends beyond traditional real estate assets. He regularly advises companies whose core business is not real estate, helping them navigate the complexities of leasing, space planning and location strategy. Drawing on his broad experience, Jeff distills what truly matters — highlighting key risks and avoiding common pitfalls when planning for new space needs or exiting existing locations.

Regulatory and Litigation

Jeff closely tracks the growing trend of regulatory requirements and class action lawsuits impacting landlords, providing clients with practical guidance in an increasingly complex environment. When necessary, Jeff counsels clients and teams with litigation colleagues in defending residential landlords against class action lawsuits.

Collaborative Connections

In addition to his transactional practice, Jeff enjoys serving as a connector within the broader firm. He frequently brings real estate industry clients together with colleagues across disciplines, including litigators, investment management attorneys, bankruptcy and eminent domain consultants, tax protest counsel, and tax professionals, ensuring clients receive comprehensive and strategic support.

Personal Interests

Outside of his professional work, Jeff is a techno-optimist with a strong interest in emerging technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence and the concept of the Network State. He is particularly interested in advancing real estate-related applications of real-world assets (RWA) through these innovations.

A lifelong Minnesota sports fan, Jeff also enjoys staying active through biking, trail running with his large dog, weightlifting and yoga. In quieter moments, he’s an avid reader and audiobook listener — currently re-circumnavigating the Aubrey/Maturin series.