Steven L. Wilner is a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP based in the New York office.
Mr. Wilner's practice focuses on financial and corporate matters, ranging from global hospitality and real estate acquisitions, dispositions, development and financings to international mergers and acquisitions and restructurings, including private equity investments and joint ventures in the gaming, lodging and hospitality areas.
Mr. Wilner is distinguished as one of the country's best real estate lawyers by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, The Legal 500 U.S. and the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook. In 2011, he was named a "Most Valuable Practitioner" for real estate by Law360.
Mr. Wilner's experience includes advising international investors in numerous hotel, gaming, lodging and resort projects throughout the world. He recently represented YOTEL and IFA Hotels & Resorts in the development, opening and financing of the new 700-room YOTEL in New York City, the first YOTEL location in the United States, and in connection with a joint venture with the John Buck Companies, which will establish a $250 million fund to seed the development of YOTEL hotels in gateway cities around the United States.
Mr. Wilner has also been advising Colony Capital in connection with the foreclosure on and restructuring in bankruptcy of the Jameson Inns hotel chain of 103 limited service hotels.
Mr. Wilner has extensive experience in the gaming industry, including advising Resorts World New York in its successful bid to the New York State Division of Lottery for the development and financing of a casino and entertainment destination with 4,525 video lottery terminals at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, Queens. He has also represented the Genting Group in its acquisition of 40 acres of waterfront development sites in downtown Miami, Florida, slated for the development of a luxury resort casino and convention center.
Mr. Wilner has recent experience in the acquisition and development of other destination attractions, including Montparnasse 56's recent acquisition of the Hancock Center Observatory in the John Hancock Center in Chicago. He has also been advising Montparnasse 56 in connection with its bid for the operation of a panoramic observation deck in New York City.
Mr. Wilner also advised numerous foreign investors in connection with acquisitions of commercial real estate projects in the United States and elsewhere, including Meraas Capital LLC in its acquisition of the GM Building with Boston Properties Limited Partnership, one of the largest and most noteworthy real estate transactions of the past several years.
Mr. Wilner joined the firm in 1988 and became a partner in 1997. Mr. Wilner spent 2001-2005 as a partner in Tokyo. Mr. Wilner received a J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 1988, where he was the 1987-1988 Blaustein Fellow of International Human Rights. He received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University in 1985. Mr. Wilner is a member of the Bar in New York.