Bradley F. Williams
PEOPLE

Bradley F. Williams

Partner
williams.bradley@dorsey.com
Minneapolis P +1 (612) 492-6589 F +1 (952) 516-5257 New York P +1 (212) 415-9222 F +1 (952) 516-5257

Overview

BRAD IS A PRACTICAL, TRUSTED ADVISOR IN REAL ESTATE AND FINANCE MATTERS.

Brad represent clients in a wide range of real estate transactional and other matters. These matters have involved all types of real estate, as well as clients of all types. The breadth of Brad’s experience enables him to understand clients’ interests in these matters, and recognize market trends.

Brad has experience in real estate and finance matters of all types, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, joint ventures, construction, on-shoring projects and leasing matters, as well as defaults/remedies enforcement (including receiverships, foreclosures, bankruptcy, litigation and arbitration), workouts and restructurings. From this experience, Brad has become a nationally known attorney who has been quoted in news publications including the Wall Street Journal.

Education & Admissions

University of Iowa College of Law (J.D., 1993), with distinction

University of Northern Iowa (B.A., Marketing, 1991), with highest honors

Admissions

  • Minnesota
  • Iowa
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

Experience

Representative Work

Transactional Experience

  • Representation of national lenders and investors in purchases and sales of commercial real estate and loans in transactions ranging up to several hundred million dollars
  • Representation of a national institutional asset manager in its real estate investments, including joint venture and preferred equity investments
  • Represented an international supply chain solution provider in a build-to-suit lease of an automated distribution warehouse in California
  • Counsel to administrative agent in connection with $625 million senior secured credit facilities for commercial gaming operations in Nevada
  • Represented international owner/borrower in refinancing of its New York City boutique hotel
  • Represented a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in a $118,300,000 public-private partnership development/construction and financing in Florida
  • Counsel to nationally known design firm in the development of form construction agreements used for construction projects that are the subject of a popular reality television/streamed series
  • Represented a foreign bank’s New York branch in $65 million of mortgage financings in 3 states
  • Represented tribally-chartered entities in $420 million development/construction financing for the first two commercial casinos in Nebraska

Litigation and Bankruptcy Experience

  • Workouts, loan modifications, forbearance agreements, discounted payoffs and deed-in-lieu of foreclosure agreements
  • Contested receiverships and judicial and non-judicial foreclosures
  • Joint venture defaults and workouts
  • U.S. Bank, Nat’l Ass’n, et al. v. RBP Realty, LLC, 888 N.W.2d 699 (Minn. Ct. App. 2016) (borrower’s right to redeem from foreclosure by advertisement unimpaired by purported redemption waiver)
  • In re: DBSI, Inc., et al., Case No. 08-12687 (Bankr. Del. 2008) (counsel for hundreds of creditors in DBSI Inc. bankruptcy, one of the most complex bankruptcies filed in the District of Delaware) 

Industries & Practices

Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring
  • Banking & Financial Institutions
  • Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring
  • Construction & Design
  • Development & Infrastructure
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
  • Investment Management
  • Lending Transactions
  • Private Equity
  • Project Development & Finance
  • Public-Private Partnerships
  • Real Estate & Land Use

Professional & Civic

Professional Achievements

  • American Bar Association (Business Law and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections; Construction Lending, Mortgage Lending, Real Estate Financing; Workouts, Foreclosures and Bankruptcies; and Legal Opinions in Real Estate Transactions Committees; ABA Advisory Panel)
  • NAIOP (formerly the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties), Member
  • Minnesota State Bar Association (Real Property and Business Law Sections)
  • Hennepin County Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Habitat for Humanity, Dallas, TX (1995, volunteer)
  • Rebuild Resources, Inc., St. Paul, MN (1998-1999, pro bono counsel)
  • Penumbra Theater, St. Paul, MN (1998-2000, pro bono counsel)
  • Meals on Wheels, St. Paul, MN (1998-present, delivery volunteer)
  • Aeon, Minneapolis, MN (2007-2012, Cornerstone member)
  • LegalCORPS, Minneapolis, MN (2009-present, volunteer)
  • North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, Minneapolis, MN (2020, pro bono counsel)
  • The Sioux Chef, Minneapolis, MN (2020, pro bono counsel)
  • Lakes Area Food Shelf, Nisswa, MN (2023, pro bono counsel)

Accolades

Contributed 50+ Pro Bono Hours in 2020

  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America©, 2021-2025
  • Contributed more than 50 Challenge pro bono hours, 2020
  • “Rising Star” - Minnesota Law & Politics in 2001, 2006, 2007, and 2008
  • Certificate of Achievement - Office of Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Combined Arms Command, 1992
  • American Jurisprudence Award, Contracts I, 1991
  • Presidential Scholar – University of Northern Iowa, 1987
Bradley F. Williams