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Cara J. Nelson

Cara J. Nelson

Partner
Location Head, Boston Real Estate Practice
Boston
About

Cara Nelson has broad experience providing advice to commercial real estate investors and developers, real estate funds, investment advisors and pension plans in a wide variety of commercial real estate transactions throughout the United States. 

Cara’s clients invest in diverse asset classes, including multi-family, office, industrial, senior housing and retail properties, often through joint venture arrangements.  Her experience includes representing buyers, sellers and borrowers of multi-family and senior housing assets, office towers, development parcels, industrial  properties and retail centers.  Cara’s experience ranges from transactions involving single assets as well as large portfolios. 

Areas of FocusReal Estate
Bar admissionsMassachusetts

EXPERIENCE

Examples of Cara's experience include:

  • Represented a non-US investor in their US$3.5 billion acquisition of a privately-held REIT owning industrial assets and development sites in multiple states as well as a related management platform
  • Represented a real estate fund in various financings of industrial assets throughout the southeastern and east coast of the United States
  • Represented a private REIT in the formation of joint ventures for the acquisition, development and financing of major downtown office buildings, data centers, multi-family residential and student housing located throughout the United States
  • Represented a real estate fund in joint venture transactions with a senior housing operator to acquire and develop senior housing communities in various states throughout the United States
  • Represented a vertically-integrated real estate fund in a US$1.1 billion acquisition of multi-family residential communities throughout the United States and a US $700 million loan facility secured by the multi-family assets
  • Represented a non-US investor in its US$2.1 billion acquisition of a portfolio of trophy office towers, its related joint venture and financings secured by individual office towers
  • Represented a university in a long-term ground lease and related redevelopment of its campus
  • Represented a real estate fund in acquisitions of suburban office parks, downtown parcels for redevelopment and related joint ventures
Education
  • J.D., Boston University School of Law 2002
  • B.A., Brandeis University 1999

    with honors

Awards

Chambers USA

  •  Band 3, Massachusetts Real Estate (2020-2024)

The Legal 500 United States

  • Leading Lawyer, Real Estate (2022-2024)
  • Next Generation Partner, Real Estate (2021)
  • Recommended, Real Estate (2018-2020)

Clients say:

  • "Cara Nelson is nothing short of phenomenal to work with." (Chambers 2023)
  • "Cara is an incredibly strong capital markets lawyer." (Chambers 2023)
  • "Cara Nelson [is] efficient, practical, tough when needed but able to cut through the unnecessary aspects to get to a good result." (Legal 500 2023)
Additional Awards
  • Named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer Rising Star

Bylines

  • Author, "Ready, set, network!," New England Real Estate Journal, September 2016
  • Author, "Open letter to the Boston commercial real estate community," New England Real Estate Journal, January 2017

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Cara is a past president of CREW Boston 
  • Cara serves on the Board of Directors of Heading Home, Inc.

My latest insights

News

Three DLA Piper partners recognized by Connect CRE as 2024 Women in Real Estate

23 October 2024 .2 minute read

News

DLA Piper partner Cara Nelson named to GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum’s 2023 Women of...

31 July 2023 .1 minute read

News

DLA Piper partner Cara Nelson receives 2021 Lawyers in Real Estate Award from Connect CRE

14 December 2021 .3 minute read

Connect

Phone

+1 617.406.6059
(Work, Boston)
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