William F. Davis

Vice Chair, Real Estate

Recent News:

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Bill handles matters involving commercial real estate, complex finance, and commercial leasing with a particular emphasis on highly structured transactions. He is vice chair of the firm's Real Estate Practice and co-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Real Estate Finance Practice Group.

Bill has represented institutional investors, nationally recognized banks, real estate investment trusts, real estate funds, high net worth individuals, and real estate developers. He has extensive experience with loan work outs, distressed assets, construction lending, securitized conduit lending programs, sale leaseback portfolio transactions, development deals, and office and retail leasing.

Bill’s focus on distressed real estate in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis has proven invaluable in the face of COVID-19. Having modified or otherwise restructured nearly $1 billion in mortgage debt, and represented opportunistic parties in connection with acquisitions across all asset classes, Bill’s experience aligns with the needs of many clients.

Bill earned his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from The George Washington University, and his law degree, cum laude, from Tulane Law School, where he served as associate executive editor of the Tulane Journal of International & Comparative Law.

Experience

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Cozen O’Connor Releases Film Short on New York Real Estate’s Future

December 19, 2022

New York, December 19, 2022 – Cozen O’Connor and its affiliate, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, announce the release of an innovative short documentary, “New York City: What’s Ahead? A Real Estate Perspective,” with keen observations about this current unprecedented and transformative period.

Survey of Real Estate Professionals Finds Strong Optimism About New York City’s Future

October 06, 2022

New York City real estate professionals are feeling optimistic about the city, with anti-real estate sentiment among politicians topping their list of concerns, narrowly edging out the high cost of construction.

William Davis Judged The Real Estate Board of NY Awards

April 18, 2022

William Davis served as a judge for the Real Estate Board of New York's Sales Brokers Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards.

Cozen O’Connor Serves as Lead Counsel in Acquisition and Financing of Ozone Park Manufacturing Facility

November 27, 2017

The national real estate practice at Cozen O’Connor represented Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center Local Development Corporation (GMDC) in the acquisition, development, and financing of an Ozone Park manufacturing facility in Queens, New York. The cost of the acquisition and development of the project is an estimated $40 million.

Publications

Fierce Competition Awaits Distressed Real Estate Funds as Deals Ramp Up [Fund Fire]

July 07, 2020

Bill Davis discusses the deal competition confronting real estate funds in the months ahead as private real estate fund strategies turn to distressed assets in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn.

Navigating Improved Rules for HVCRE Loans – What You Need to Know [Alert]

October 19, 2018

Zach Samton and William Davis discuss the enactment of the Economic Growth Act and how it impacts both borrowers and lenders.

New Accounting Rules to Require Tenants to Reflect Operating Leases on Balance Sheet [Real Estate Alert!]

July 05, 2011

New Accounting Rules to Require Tenants to Reflect Operating Leases on Balance Sheet - Real Estate Alert! - consider the possible impact of new accounting rules to be issued shortly by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board. These rules likely will eliminate the accounting distinctions between an operating lease and a capital lease, thus eliminating a tenant's ability to keep "liabilities" under an operating lease off its balance sheet.

The General Growth Court Refuses to Grant Motions to Dismiss 21 "Bankruptcy Remote" Subsidiaries from Bankruptcy [Real Estate Alert]

August 13, 2009

The General Growth Court Refuses to Grant Motions to Dismiss 21 "Bankruptcy Remote" Subsidiaries from Bankruptcy - Real Estate Alert - On August 11, 2009, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York denied five motions to dismiss a total of 21 property-level subsidiaries of General Growth Properties, Inc. (“GGP”) from what has become the largest real estate
bankruptcy in U.S. history. The much-anticipated ruling reinforces the concern of many that single purpose, “bankruptcy remote” borrowers are far from “bankruptcy proof”.

Events & Seminars

Upcoming Events

Assessing Distressed Owner Options: Sell vs. Refi vs. Extend vs. Increase Equity vs. Giving Up Keys

September 26, 2023 - New York, NY

Bill Davis will moderate a panel discussion titled “Assessing Distressed Owner Options: Sell vs. Refi vs. Extend vs. Increase Equity vs. Giving Up Keys” at The Distressed CRE Forum.

Past Events

2019 Bridge Loans for Commercial Real Estate

November 07, 2019 - New York, NY

ICSC U.S. Shopping Center Law Conference

October 24, 2018 - Orlando, FL

Education

  • Tulane University Law School, J.D., 2002
  • The George Washington University, B.A.

Awards & Honors

Best Lawyers in America, 2024

New York Metro Super Lawyers "Rising Star" 2013 

  • New York