David S. Phelps

David Phelps is a partner in Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry group. His practice focuses on real estate transactions, primarily representing private equity funds, capital markets clients, home offices, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors. Mr. Phelps regularly represents owners and investors in connection with acquisition, development and financing of hotels throughout the globe. He also has particular depth representing owners/developers and equity investors in structuring complex joint ventures for acquisition and development of individual and multiple properties and fund and portfolio transactions.

Mr. Phelps represents clients in the acquisition, disposition, development, financing (construction and permanent financing) and restructuring of various real estate projects. His work involves all property types, including office, multifamily residential (including luxury apartments and student housing), industrial, medical office, retail, hotels and resorts, including branded condominiums, spas, casinos and golf courses, among others.

Mr. Phelps’ clients include international and domestic financial institutions, pension plans and private equity funds and their advisors, private real estate owners and developers, home office and sovereign wealth funds, and real estate investment trusts.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Mr. Phelps was most recently a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP where he served as the national Real Estate practice group leader.

Mr. Phelps is a member of the California Bar Association, the Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE), and the Los Angeles Bar Association, Real Property Section. He is also an active participant in ALIS (Americas Lodging Investment Summit) and NYU Hotel Conference.

Mr. Phelps is recognized as a leading practitioner in Real Estate by Chambers USA (California: Southern) in 2021. He has also been recognized by The Legal 500 US in Corporate and Commercial: M&A, 2016, and Real Estate, 2019 to 2020.

Mr. Phelps has chaired industry panels on the financing and restructuring of distressed hospitality assets and lectured on complex joint ventures and presented on the topics of documentation and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements as well as the documentation and negotiation of construction contracts and related agreements. He has also given numerous oral and written presentations on the subjects of conveyancing, equity financing, title insurance and survey matters and presented on topics regarding documenting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements as well as documenting and negotiating construction contracts and related agreements.

His recent publications include:

• Quoted, “How Hospitality Industry Lawyers Are Working to Save Companies From COVID-19 Disaster,” Corporate Counsel, March 25, 2020
• Quoted, “3 Real Estate Trends To Watch In 2018,” Law360, January 1, 2018