Amy J. Diaz

Amy J. Diaz

Shareholder

Background

More than twenty years’ experience in real estate law. Broad expertise in managing complicated real estate transactions.

Amy Diaz provides strategic counsel for real estate investors in acquisitions, dispositions, and large-scale commercial leasing nationwide.  Amy also represents private and municipal developers in master-planned communities and guides clients through complex development issues and negotiations with regional and national builders.

She represents commercial borrowers in connection with senior, mezzanine, construction and permanent loans secured by real and personal property. In her lending practice, she also represents commercial banks and other investors. Working with clients on  diverse  issues, Amy understands her client’s business needs, anticipates problems and identifies solutions.

Before returning to the firm, Amy spent several years as deputy general counsel and VP and managing counsel for CoBank, ACB, a national agricultural credit bank. As in-house counsel at CoBank, Amy managed the documentation and regulatory compliance of secured agribusiness loans to farmer-owned cooperatives, rural electric distribution, water and communications services. She oversaw corporate matters, including the build-to-suit lease and loan documentation for CoBank’s new 276,000-square-foot headquarters. Amy also served as general counsel for Western New Mexico University while at Brownstein. Prior to joining Brownstein, Amy was an in-house attorney in the Office of University Counsel at the University of Colorado.

Representative Matters

Recent Experience

  • Counsel to McWhinney, a leading Colorado-based real estate investment and development company, in connection with the development and sale of land in its master planned communities. We recently represented McWhinney in the sale of several hundred residential lots to homebuilders in its Baseline community in Broomfield, and The Lakes at Centerra and Kinston communities in Loveland, Colorado.

  • Counsel to Community Development Group, a leading creator of master planned communities in Colorado in connection with the sale of a substantial area of land in Erie, Colorado to Toll Southwest, an affiliate of Toll Brothers. The deal allows Toll to develop the land pursuant to a complicated carryback arrangement.

  • Represented a Denver-based real estate investment company in numerous deals, including the $102 million sale of the Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town Hotel, the $616 million sale of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa to The Blackstone Group; the $70 million acquisition, financing, and development of an office building in Portland, Oregon; the sale of Panorama Corporate Center, a 780,659 square foot, six-building, class A office campus in suburban Denver; and the acquisition and leasing of a 200,000 square foot high-rise core and shell office development in Austin, Texas.

  • Represented Cottonwood Residential, an owner, operator and developer of multifamily projects across the U.S., in various aspects of transactions, including the negotiation of joint venture agreements, as well as the acquisition, development and financing of multifamily complexes in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

  • Represented buyer in $500M acquisition of foreign pension advisor for two downtown Denver high-rise buildings and local counsel opinion for $63M acquisition loan.

  • Represented Colorado Heights University, a non-profit private university in all aspects of the disposal of its high-value, 76-acre southwest Denver campus. The 14-building campus included a 1,000-seat theater, an interfaith chapel, a swimming pool, a cafeteria, residence halls and recreational amenities. It was sold to Westside Investment Partners for $16.5 million.

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., 2000, University of Colorado Law School
  • B.A., 1996, Muhlenberg College

Admissions

Colorado

New Mexico

Memberships

Colorado Bar Association

Community Involvement

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Board of Directors, Corrales Cultural Arts Council, 2023-present 

Pro Bono Services, Food Bank of the Rockies, 2022-present

Pro Bono Services, Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network, 2008-present

Board of Directors, Denver Convention Center Hotel Authority, 2019-2021

Board of Directors, Food Bank of the Rockies, 2008-2014 & 2015-2021

Member, Impact Denver, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, 2010
 

Recognition

AWARDS:

Best Lawyers in America, 2023-2025