Profile
Lawrence Sternthal focuses his practice on representing insurance companies, pension funds, public and private real estate companies, and family offices in cross-border real estate transactions in the United States and Europe. Lawrence advises clients in real estate acquisitions, joint ventures, and mezzanine and preferred equity financings and is experienced in handling distressed real estate situations such as loan foreclosures, restructurings and workouts.
Lawrence also advises multinational companies in sophisticated office, data center and hospitality transactions in Israel.
Concentrations
- Joint Venture Transactions
- Commercial Real Estate
- Real Estate Capital Markets
- Real Estate Joint Venture Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Restructuring
- Workouts
- Hospitality
- Data Centers
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented Menora Mivtachim Insurance in a £500 million student housing development across several major U.K. cities together with Cain Properties.
- Represented Meitav Pension funds in its investment in a $60 million commercial real estate loan secured by health care properties together with Northwind.
- Represented Clal Insurance and Menora Mivtachim Insurance in a $247.5 million acquisition of downtown Manhattan building together with Silverstein Properties.
- Represented a global leading technology company in connection with multiple office and research and development leases in Israel.
- Represented an international hotel operator in connection with the leasing and development of a hotel property in Israel.
- Represented Altshuler Shaham Investment House in forming a strategic joint venture with a leading Israeli family office to invest $200 million in the development of residential properties in Poland.
- Represented Apexus Logistics fund, a real estate fund anchored by major Israeli institutional investors, in the acquisition of a portfolio of large industrial warehouses in Tennessee.
- Represented Faropoint Ventures in the acquisition of a USD $120 million portfolio of industrial properties in the United States.
- Represented Clal Insurance in a $400 million programmatic joint venture with MetLife to develop multifamily and industrial projects in the United States.
- Represented Us Living in the acquisition of a $147 million apartment complex in Dallas, Texas.
- Represented Amitim Pension Funds and Clal Insurance Company in $300 million joint venture with Starlight Capital to acquire Bloor Islington Place office complex in Toronto.
- Represented Israeli investor group in joint venture dispute with local operator and in CMBS loan workout of a $50 million portfolio of U.S. multifamily properties.
- Represented Migdal Insurance Company and a consortium of Israeli pension funds in a EUR 200 million joint venture to acquire an office complex in Frankfurt, Germany.
- Represented Artificial Intelligence CRE Investment Manager, Skyline AI, in multifamily acquisitions in the United States.
- Represented a U.S. real estate developer in $100 million acquisition of Chicago office building and joint venture with Israeli pension fund.
- Represented a prominent Israeli insurance company in sale of Berlin office building.
Recognition & Leadership
- Chambers Global
- Team Member, Corporate/M&A (Desk based Abroad in USA), 2016-2023
- IFLR1000 Middle East and Egypt
- Recognized, Real Estate Acquisitions, Notable Practitioner, 2024
- IFLR1000
- Recognized, Real Estate Acquisitions, Notable Practitioner, 2019-2024
- BDICode (Israel)
- Recognized, Real Estate, Prominent Leaders, 2019-2024
- Recognized, International Commercial, Prominent Leaders, 2016-2024
- Recognized, Hi-Tech, Prominent Leaders, 2021-2024
- Dun’s 100 (Israel)
- Recognized, International Commercial, Prominent Team, 2016-2023, 2025
- LegallyIsrael100
- Recognized, Notable Practitioner, 2021-2023, 2025
- Recognized, Real Estate Practice, First Tier, 2019-2025
- Chambers USA
- Recognized, Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2017
- Thomson Reuters’ ALB Middle East Law Awards
- Shortlisted, Israeli Law Firm of the Year, 2021-2023
- The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa > Israel:
- Recognized, Commercial, corporate and M&A, 2017
- Team Member, a Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2023
- Member, American Bar Association
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, Israel Bar Association
Credentials
Education
-
J.D., cum laude, Boston University School of Law
Article Editor, Boston University Law Review
- B.A., Middle East Studies, with honors, McGill University
Admissions
- Massachusetts
^
Attorneys in the Tel Aviv office do not practice Israeli law.
Languages
- Hebrew, Fluent
- English, Fluent
News, Insights & Events
Lawrence is a contributor to the GT Israel Law Blog 