Nicole W. Riley

Nicole Riley is counsel in the firm’s Business Law Department and a member of the Real Estate Industry group with a focus on commercial leasing and transactional work. Ms. Riley joined Goodwin in 2014.

Ms. Riley is a member of Goodwin’s PropSci practice Steering Committee which is focused on supporting the intersection of Real Estate and Life Sciences through thoughtful collaboration across the two practice areas. As a key contributor to the group and Steering Committee, Ms. Riley stays up to date on relevant market trends impacting the PropSci sector to effectively support clients involved in this space.

Ms. Riley is also involved in Goodwin’s PropTech Initiative, which focuses on the intersection of Real Estate and Technology.

Ms. Riley was recently a member of the Planning Board for the Town of Wayland, where she resided for several years. She is a member of the Boston Bar Association and the Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts.

Recent leasing transactions include major office and lab buildings, GMP facilities, and build-to-suit properties, as well as suburban office and industrial parks, and clients ranging from corporate and institutional tenants to tech startups, early-stage biotechs and nonprofits, in locations including Boston, Cambridge, San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Colorado, and D.C. Recent representative transactions include:

• Representing several early-stage biotech companies with leases in Boston, Cambridge, Waltham, Lexington, New York City, and Seattle with tenants ranging from 2,500 square feet to over 100,000 square feet.
• Representing the tenant in a build-to-suit lease of over 253,000 rentable square feet of office and R&D space in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Representing a landlord in the leasing of a portfolio of several properties across the country totaling over 2,000,000 square feet of office space, with tenants ranging from 700 square feet to over 50,000 square feet.
• Representing the tenant in the lease of an office, warehouse, and distribution facility totaling over 207,000 square feet.

Ms. Riley’s recent real estate transactional experience also includes representing:

• Several biotech companies in the purchase of sites for drug manufacturing in North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
• MEPT and Bentall Kennedy in connection with several acquisitions, all in the Fort Point Channel and Seaport District neighborhoods, for a combined purchase price of over $500 million. 
• A public REIT in the sale of a four-property portfolio of outlet shopping centers located in Michigan, Illinois, Maine, and California.
• Boston Properties with sale of a 45% interest in three office properties located in New York and Boston for approximately $1.5 billion.

Ms. Riley was recently a Co-chair of the Leasing Committee for the Boston Bar Association (2019-2021 Term) and was chosen as a member of the Law360 Real Estate Editorial Review Board for 2021.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Ms. Riley was an associate at Warshaw Di Carlo & Associates, P.C.

1. IFLR 1000 — Notable Practitioner 2019-2022
2. Massachusetts Super Lawyer — Rising Star 2018-2021
3. Law360 Real Estate Editorial Review Board member for 2021

Recent publications and presentations include:

• Video, “Goodwin Propsci Perspectives: LabCentral/BioLabs,” August 2, 2022
• Video, “Goodwin Propsci Perspectives: SmartLabs,” January 24, 2022
• Video, “Goodwin Propsci Perspectives: IQHQ,” November 3, 2021
• Interview, “Institutional Money is Flooding Life Sciences,” Globe Street, November 6, 2020
• Co-author, “Building Flexible (and Sustainable) Laboratory Spaces for the Future,” Goodwin Insights, October 28, 2020
• Co-author, “Building Flexible (and Sustainable) Laboratory Spaces For The Future,” Life Sciences Perspectives blog, October 28, 2020
• Co-author, “Three Key Leasing Models in Life Sciences,” Life Sciences Perspectives blog, September 18, 2020
• Co-author, “Leasing Models in Life Sciences and How They Correspond to the Life Cycle of a Company,” Goodwin Insights, September 17, 2020
• Co-author, “Envisioning the New Normal in the Life Sciences Industry,” Life Sciences Perspectives blog, August 11, 2020
• Co-author, “Envisioning the New Normal: Real Estate + Technology – Part 3: Life Sciences and Healthcare Industries,” Goodwin Insights, July 29, 2020
• Co-author, “Considerations for Operators: Reopening Fitness Facilities Amidst COVID-19,” Goodwin Insights, May 21, 2020
• Author, “Life Sciences Cos. Bring Unique Real Estate Considerations,” Law360, April 21, 2020
• Panelist, Webinar Recording: PropSci Virtual Meeting, April 10, 2020

Recent speaking engagements include:

• Boston Business Journal — Biotech in Boston: Leading the way in Life Sciences (panelist)
• NewYork Bio — Back to the Office: Bioscience Perspective (moderator)
• Boston Bar Association — Biotech Leasing — Special Issues in Leasing Laboratory Space (panelist)
• Urban Land Institute Boston/New England — What’s Shaping Real Estate Decisions of Life Sciences Companies (moderator)
• BizGrow Boston — Primer on Commercial Leasing (presenter)
• Boston Bar Association — Trends in Commercial Leasing (panelist)