Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has advised Cottonwood Group on the successful closing of the Cottonwood Real Estate Special Situations Fund, LP. Together with its related separate accounts, the Fund closed on August 31, 2025, with aggregate commitments of more than US$1 billion, far exceeding its initial target of US$500 million in committed capital. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Boston and New York, Cottonwood is a private equity real estate investment firm focused on equity and debt opportunities spanning all property sectors and geographies.
K&L Gates has also begun assisting Cottonwood in deploying these funds within the US real estate markets. As part of this effort, the firm was recently engaged to advise on the Fund’s debt and equity investments, marking a significant step in the Fund’s capital deployment strategy.
The K&L Gates team advising on the formation of the Fund was led by Chicago partner Mitch Weiss. Chicago partners Balazs Danko, Jacob Trevick, and Larry Woodard, Seattle partner Mark Heine, Austin partner Robert McCarthy, Boston partner Pablo Man, and international partner Jacqueline Fu also assisted on the deal.
“This is quite an accomplishment for Cottonwood, particularly in today’s challenging environment where PE fund raising has declined 24% over the last year,” said Weiss. “Crushing their initial $500 million fundraising goal by such an order of magnitude speaks volumes about their team’s skills and Cottonwood’s investment strategy. We are thrilled to have helped them achieve this significant milestone.”
Cottonwood Group founder and CEO Alexander Shing said, “I have enjoyed working with K&L Gates since 2021 and am thoroughly impressed with the breadth, depth, and international presence of the firm’s capabilities, which include cross-border tax structuring, securities and fund formations, real estate debt and equity transactions, and even innovative asset-backed private bond issuances.”
K&L Gates’ Corporate practice is one of the most substantial in the legal industry, with hundreds of lawyers in offices on five continents, providing clients with practical legal solutions in the structuring, financing, and implementation of domestic, international, and cross-border transactions.
Cottonwood Group is a private equity real estate firm that has served as a trusted investment partner to global institutions, pension funds, and family offices since 2012. With a 13-year track record, Cottonwood has invested, transacted, and advised on over US$7 billion in gross assets. Its portfolio spans a variety of asset types and geographies within the United States. The private equity firm operates through a vertically integrated platform with in-house expertise in origination and investment execution, portfolio and risk management, asset management, development and construction, and capital markets.