Christopher W. Pate

Government Experience

Representative Matters

• Served as Maryland counsel to a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed cold-storage REIT in its $725 million initial public offering
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed student housing REIT in its $4.6 billion acquisition by a private equity real estate firm
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed industrial REIT in its $8.5 billion stock-for-stock merger with another publicly traded industrial REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed data center REIT in its $7.8 billion stock-for-stock merger with another publicly traded data center REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed net lease REIT in its $5.8 billion stock-for-stock merger with another publicly traded net lease REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with a liquidation and dissolution
• Served as Maryland counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with its $5.9 billion stock-for-stock merger with its publicly traded sponsor
• Served as counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with its $450 million merger with an affiliated REIT
• Served as counsel to the special committee of the board of directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with its $280 million merger with an affiliated REIT 
• Served as Maryland counsel to numerous stock exchange–listed REITs and business development companies in follow-on public offerings, including firm commitment offerings, at-the-market offerings, equity forward offerings, and debt offerings
• Served as Maryland counsel to numerous nontraded REITs and business development companies sponsored by American Realty Capital, Behringer Harvard, Cole, Dividend Capital, Grubb & Ellis, Hines, Wells, W.P. Carey, and others in connection with their formation and continuous offerings
• Served as issuer’s counsel in a $58.6 million REIT public offering
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed REIT in its $2.3 billion acquisition by a registered SEC investment advisor
• Served as Maryland counsel to a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in its $3 billion stock-for-stock merger with a listed REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NASDAQ-listed healthcare REIT in its acquisition by a NYSE-listed healthcare REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed REIT in connection with its acquisition of two publicly registered, nontraded REIT affiliates
• Served as Maryland counsel to a NYSE-listed REIT in its $920.7 million merger with another listed REIT
• Served as Maryland counsel to Ares Capital in its acquisition of Allied Capital
• Served as Maryland counsel to Tishman Speyer in its acquisition of Archstone-Smith
• Served as counsel to a special committee of independent directors of a NYSE-listed REIT in connection with the negotiation of a new advisory agreement with its external advisor
• Served as counsel to a special committee of independent directors of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with a liquidation and dissolution
• Served as Maryland counsel to the independent directors committee of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in connection with the acquisition of a REIT management and advisory platform from an affiliate of its advisor
• Served as counsel to an independent directors’ committee of a publicly registered, nontraded REIT in its analysis of certain affiliated party transactions and exploration of strategic alternatives
• Served as Maryland counsel in the spin-off of a hotel REIT subsidiary
• Served as counsel to a publicly traded network security company in its stock-for-stock acquisition of a publicly traded information security company

Education

• J.D. with honors University of Maryland School of Law 1999
• • Editor, Maryland Law Review
• B.A. summa cum laude Loyola College 1996

Bar Admissions

• Maryland

Court Admissions

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Clerk Experience

• Honorable Thomas L. Ambro U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2000

Professional Memberships and Activities

• American Bar Association
• Maryland State Bar Association

• Chambers USA, REITs: Maryland Counsel, Nationwide, 2014 – 2024
• Legal 500
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), 2012 – 2013, 2016, 2018 – 2019, 2021– 2024
  • Real Estate, 2016 – 2017
• The Best Lawyers in America, Securities / Capital Markets Law, 2023

Volunteerism

• Past chairman, Harford County People's Counsel Citizens Advisory Board
• Past chairman, Harford County Redistricting Commission
• Past Co-Chair, City of Havre de Grace Ethics Commission
• Former member, Harford County Republican State Central Committee