Christopher J. Dickson

Christopher J. Dickson

Partner Corporate & Finance

Charlotte

+1 704 348 5159

[email protected]

Christopher J. Dickson

Overview
Experience
Credentials
Insights and events

Chris Dickson’s practice is focused on commercial real estate finance. Chris represents financial institutions and private capital investors in connection with the origination, sale, and servicing of loans secured (directly or indirectly) by commercial office buildings, industrial and logistics portfolios, retail properties, luxury hotels and resorts, data centers, life science properties, green energy projects, self-storage properties and multifamily housing. His work includes a wide range of transactions, with a focus on originating mortgage and mezzanine loans on stabilized assets, bridge lending on transitional assets (including complimentary C-PACE financing), and ground-up construction finance. Chris also advises clients on co-lender, intercreditor and recognition agreements, loan workouts and foreclosures, and the acquisition of performing and non-performing commercial real estate loan portfolios.

Chris was named a 2025 Law360 MVP in Real Estate and previously recognized as a “Real Estate Rising Star” by Law360 on its 2022 annual list of top attorneys under 40 years of age. He is also featured in the 2026 Lawdragon “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” guide, Lawdragon’s inaugural “Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers” guide and the “2025 Lawdragon Leading Real Estate Lawyers" guide.

Chris serves as a partner mentor for several associates and summer associates at the Firm. Since 2023, Chris has also served as a Housing Champion as part of the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership, spearheading the firm’s initiative to represent pro bono clients in landlord/tenant disputes.

He received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude with honors and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of South Carolina, and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Journal of Legislation and Public Policy. Chris is admitted to practice in the State of North Carolina.

Representative experience

The lenders in the origination of a $1.9 billion mortgage loan secured by a 135-property logistics portfolio located across 17 states.

The lenders in a $475 million refinancing for two university-owned life sciences buildings ground leased to the related borrowers, one in Philadelphia and the other in Pittsburgh. The capital stack included financing from a historic tax credit investor.

The lender in the $465 million refinancing of two office towers with ground floor retail space at the Hub on Causeway, which is a unique mixed-use development in Boston, Massachusetts, home to innovative companies, retail and entertainment spaces, a boutique hotel, and a luxury residential tower.

The lender in floating rate SASB securitized commercial mortgage loan financing for a portfolio of 10 retail assets owned by the Gerrity Group and located on the West Coast.

The lenders in a $350 million mortgage and mezzanine financing of 29 logistical/industrial properties owned by Agellan Commercial REIT Holdings Inc. The loan was used to refinance the Agellan's fee simple interests in 28, institutional quality, logistics facilities and one Class A office property totaling approximately 4.2 million square feet located throughout seven states.

The lenders in the $340 million refinancing of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa in Honolulu, one of the largest and highest-occupancy hotels in Hawaii.

A lender in the $235 million refinancing of a seven-property hotel portfolio in Manhattan, including Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, and Candlewood Suites-branded assets, following the portfolio's transition out of special servicing.

The lenders in the $1.15 billion refinancing of The Wharf, a premier mixed-use waterfront development in Washington, D.C., consolidating Phase 1 and Phase 2 debt into what was at the time the largest single-asset securitization ever executed in the D.C. market.

A lender in connection with a $330,000,000 loan for Driftwood Capital, a hotel portfolio of nine hotels in CA, TX, VA, NY and FL.

The lenders on a $590 million floating rate mortgage loan refinancing secured by the 809-room JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, outside Naples, Florida.

A lender in the $1.55 billion financing of a 9-property portfolio of Great Wolf Lodge resorts located throughout the US.

A syndicate of lenders in connection with a $1.05 billion CMBS for Blackstone's take private of AIR Communities. The bonds add to an earlier $2.95 billion of CMBS that Blackstone sold in July which were also backed by AIR Communities properties.

The lender in a $475M fixed rate financing of a loan secured by the Warner Brothers office headquarters in Burbank, California.

The lender in a $41 million pre-development loan for a retail center with luxury residential condominiums in Naples, Florida to finance the raw land acquisition costs, certain demolition costs and other pre-development costs incurred in connection with the planned development of the property.

The lender in a $147 million construction loan facility to finance the construction and conversion of a portfolio of extended state hotel portfolio into multifamily apartment complexes in 7 states.

The lender in the financing of two portfolios of retail shopping centers owned by Merlone Geier Partner Funds securitized in a "twin tower" structured SASB.

An alternative investment platform's real estate debt platform in the acquisition of a $1.3 billion medical office loan portfolio, comprising 106 loans secured by more than 300 properties in 33 states.

The lender in a $46 million financing for ground-up construction of a 350-unit, multi-phase apartment community in Ferndale, Washington, as part of a capital stack that included mezzanine debt and C-PACE financing.

The lender in a $48 million construction loan to finance the construction of a multifamily apartment complex with ground floor retail near the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida.

The lender in a $117.1 million syndicated mortgage loan to finance the simultaneous acquisition of two apartment complexes in Austin, Texas and Greenville, South Carolina by a major US bank.

The lender in a $146.6 million mortgage loan to refinance the West Park Village, a luxury apartment complex in Tampa, Florida.

The lenders in a $360 million syndicated mortgage loan and a $40 million mezzanine loan secured by a 50-story postmodern skyscraper in Dallas, Texas.

A large real estate investment manager in the acquisition of a $26 million B-note secured by two multifamily apartment complexes in Dallas, Texas.

The co-lenders in a $1 billion single-asset, single-borrower (SASB) securitized mortgage loan secured by 601 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan for a joint venture between a publicly traded developer, bank and sovereign wealth fund.

The lenders in a $3 billion single-asset/single-borrower securitized refinancing of One Vanderbilt in New York City, at the time, the largest-ever fixed rate CMBS financing secured by a single asset.

The lenders in a $250 million securitized mortgage and mezzanine financing in connection with the refinancing of an office condominium unit in the Verizon Building located at 375 Pearl Street in New York, New York.

The co-lenders in an $845 million mortgage loan secured by 48 industrial properties and certain land and ancillary assets in California, Georgia, Maryland and Minnesota for the U.S. warehouse platform of a large publicly listed asset managers.

The lender in a $130.4 million mortgage loan to finance the acquisition of five buildings in an interior design and showroom space in Dallas, Texas.

The lender in a $232 million mortgage loan secured by 14 industrial properties located in five states in connection with their acquisition in a sale-leaseback transaction by the U.S. warehouse platform of a large publicly listed asset managers.

A private investor in the bidding and purchase of a $225 million distressed CMBS loan with an eye toward future development of the related site.

Represented an investment manager in a $165M fixed rate mortgage loan financing to a developer of renewable energy projects to finance 4 solar facilities located in various states.