Barnes & Thornburg Expands Real Estate Practice in Dallas
Barnes & Thornburg LLP has added Will Russ to its Dallas office as a partner in the Real Estate Department.
Russ advises investors, developers and operating companies with significant real estate assets. His practice focuses on M&A deals, secured financings, and projects across the energy value chain, including pipelines, gathering systems, refineries, traditional and renewable power plants. For his energy and infrastructure clients, Russ negotiates surface-use agreements, easements and rights-of-way, renewable power leases, and ground leases for commercial and industrial uses, the firm said in a release.
“Will has handled a variety of real estate transactions for leading energy companies in Texas and across the country,” said Mark Bayer, manager partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas office. “He can lead complex projects from beginning to end, and he does so with the practical, business-oriented approach sought by our clients.”
Russ’ representation of traditional real estate clients includes acquisitions, dispositions and the formation of joint ventures and development programs in the industrial, multifamily, office, and retail sectors.
Russ joins from Vinson & Elkins and is reunited with former colleague Elizabeth Brandon. His arrival comes on the heels of another attorney with strong ties to the energy sector, Bill Jones, former general counsel to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The Dallas office now has 14 attorneys since opening in 2015.
Russ earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his A.B. from Princeton University. He is admitted to practice in Texas.