Franz Rassman, Fried Frank
"We're sherpas to high-end real estate developers," says Franz: "We guide clients to the top of the mountain." He's usually involved in negotiating contracts, whether lease or loan docs, for complex deals. For instance, structuring the purchase and sale contract in last month's $2B buy of the Waldorf-Astoria for client Anbang, and repping Tishman Speyer in leases for Skadden's two-building DC HQ and Nike's two-building Asia HQ (with a full basketball court) in Shanghai. He repped Prentiss Properties in transforming the Franklin Square area (formerly filled with nightclubs and peep shows) with the rise of 625k SF 1301 K. At AU law school, Franz wanted to be a litigator, but tried out real estate in the booming early '80s and loved this "win-win area of the law." He also finds time to CrossFit in the office gym each morning at 7:30am and spend time on the family farm in Frederick. Best lesson: Stay focused on the client's business objectives.
