Olivia Byrne is a partner in the firm's Real Estate practice and the lead of the Global Location Strategies practice. Her practice involves site selection, economic incentives, and real estate for many different industries, including Energy, EV battery, solar, hydrogen and off shore wind materials manufacturing, OEM auto parts and components, industrial manufacturing, wood-based products and biofuels, technology, broadcasting, distribution centers, fulfillment centers, data centers, professional sports stadiums and arenas, practice fields, food processing, as well as financial services, entertainment facilities, and hotels. She represents companies inbound from abroad including Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia, as well as US companies relocating or deciding to remain in place and expand.
Olivia has successfully obtained significant economic incentives for clients on a national basis and has extensive experience drafting legislation for economic incentives and tax-related issues. Her proven track record demonstrates proposals to certain corporations such as manufacturing and technology from US$100 million dollars to about one billion dollars in economic incentives. She served as lobbyist for The Advisory Board Company that won the “Game Changer Award” at the Washington Business Journal's Best Real Estate Deal of the Year Awards in 2016. She regularly meets with many Economic Development corporations and authorities on behalf of clients on a national basis.
She is a frequent speaker on a national and international basis at Site Selection and Economic Incentive conferences and programs. She has worked with clients to assist with structuring real estate transactions and related real estate and tax issues in many different industry areas including Energy and Automotive. She understands the challenges for inbound companies and provides a comprehensive review for her clients before they decide on a location for their new factory, fab or headquarters. By combining her team’s knowledge of public policy, real estate, and state legislation, the result is a solution that is inclusive and thorough. The success of her projects often involve infrastructure needs and public private partnerships.
Olivia focuses her real estate and finance practice on real estate transactions, financing transactions, public policy, and legislative counseling. She represents many corporations, nonprofits, and partnerships in real estate projects relating to headquarters buildings, mixed-use, retail, office, sports stadiums and arenas, residential, manufacturing, warehouse, healthcare, hotels, restaurants, and colleges and universities. This includes tax exempt and taxable bonds, conventional loans, OZ equity, New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), Tax Increment Financings (TIFs), public/private partnerships (including those with colleges and universities), and public finance including multifamily housing projects with low-income housing tax credits and tax exempt bonds. She has completed financing transactions with NMTC allocatees for many mixed-use multifamily housing and office projects. She has worked on numerous multifamily housing projects on a national, state, and local basis. Olivia has worked on infrastructure projects and other projects financed with TIFs. She has represented NMTC borrowers with public/private partnerships and manufacturing projects on a national basis. She represents developers and corporations with real estate acquisitions, renovation projects, and public/private partnerships, as well as retail/residential, office condominiums, and the related real estate documentation and due diligence. She is a registered lobbyist in DC and works with Virginia and Maryland frequently as well.
Olivia was named to the Super Lawyers list as a top Washington, D.C., lawyer in Government Finance in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. and 2023. She was also named by the Washington Business Journal as a "2009 Top Washington Lawyer" Finalist in the Real Estate Transactions category. Her financing structure for the National Association of Realtors' US$40 million real estate transaction was selected as the "Best Financing Deal of the Year" by the Washington Business Journal.
Prior to joining the firm, Olivia was a real estate partner for another international law firm.
- Named a Top 25 Opportunity Zone Influencer by Opportunity Zone Magazine in 2020 and 2021
- Named a top 25 Opportunity Zone Attorney by Opportunity Zone Magazine in 2019 and 2020
- Named by Bisnow as Top Women in D.C. CRE, 2017
- Named to the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers list - Government Finance, 2016-2023
- Listed in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in the East, Who's Who of American Women, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the World
- Named by the Washington Business Journal as a "2009 Top Washington Lawyer" Finalist in the Real Estate Transactions category
- Editorial board member for OZ Investors Magazine
- Consultant Member of Institute for Professionals in Taxation
- Prior Co-Chairman and current member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Washington, D.C. Economic Partnership
- Previous Member of the Board of the DC Appleseed Foundation
- Advisory board member of the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind
- Member of the District of Columbia Building Industry Association
- Member of Association of Public Finance Professionals
- Previous Vice President, D.C. Nonprofit Task Force
- Previous Chairman of the National Tax-Exempt Bond Conference at Georgetown Law Center
- Served on the Advisory Board for Planned Giving to the American Heart Association
- Graduate of Leadership Montgomery
- Member of the Advisory Board to the Municipal Finance Journal
- Past President and a Board Member of Commercial Real Estate Women
- Served as Co-Chairperson of Professional Development for Strathmore Hall
- Past President of the D.C. Bowdoin Alumni Association and a former member of the Alumni Council for Bowdoin College
- Appointed to the National Task Force on Intermediate Sanctions — Helped to write the guidelines in this important area of tax law
- Advisory Council to Cultural Alliance in the District of Columbia
- American Bar Association
- Maryland Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Served on Board of Directors of Bethesda Academy for the Performing Arts
- National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL)
- ABA Committee on Tax Exempt Bonds
- Panelist: “Federal Incentives,” KOTRA 2024 Battery Onshoring Webinar, Seoul, South Korea, 22 February 2024
- Speaker: “Legal and Real Estate Due Diligence,” Women in Economic Development Forum, Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL, 10-12 October 2023
- Speaker: “Real Estate Finance Options and Economic Incentives for New Manufacturing Projects,” 2023 LiveXchange Emerging Industries event, Sonesta Columbus Downtown, Columbus, OH, 4-6 October 2023
- Panelist: “From Red Tape to Green Light: 5 must-dos for expanding to the USA,” Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles CA, 20 September 2023
- Panelist: “On Target Nevada – Economic Development Forum,” Elko Convention and Visitors Center, Elko, NV, 18 September 2023
- Speaker: “Economic Incentives and Site Selection Options for Expanding Companies Inbound to U.S.,” Korean International Trade Association, Washington, D.C., 23 June 2022
- Panelist: “Community Redevelopment With Opportunity Zones,” NABL Hybrid 2021 Workshop, 15 October 2021
- Panelist: “Post COVID-19: OZ Impact,” Opportunity Zone Expo, Denver, CO, 15 July 2021
- Panelist: "Economic Incentives," IT Infrastructure and Cloud Strategies Conference, London, England, 22 April 2021
- Panelist: “The Importance of Location,” 2020 Opportunity Zone Expo, Las Vegas, NV, 25 June 2020
- Panelist: “Economic Incentives for Stadium Projects,” United Soccer League Webinar - Tax Incentives and Opportunity Zones for Stadium Development Projects, 10 June 2020
- Panelist: “A Surge in Demand for Distribution, Data Center and Manufacturing Facilities during COVID-19: Economic Incentives & Real Estate,” 20 May 2020
- Panelist: "The Summer of OZ: Now is an Opportune Time to Invest in Opportunity Zones," K&L Gates, LLP, San Francisco, CA, 31 July 2019
- Panelist: "The Summer of OZ: Now is an Opportune Time to Invest in Opportunity Zones," K&L Gates, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, 29 July 2019
- Panelist: “Opportunity Zones: Expanded Opportunities for Fund Sponsors and Investors in the Wake of the Latest Regulations,” K&L Gates, LLP, New York, NY, 6 June 2019
- Panelist: “Opportunity Zones from a Bio View — What do they mean for funding lab infrastructure and bio health companies? What are the rules? What are the opportunities?” AURP BIO Health Caucus, Philadelphia, PA, 3 June 2019
- Moderator: “DCA Live: Opportunity Zone Fever,” Arlington, VA, 29 May 2019
- Panelist: “The Green Zone: Opportunity Zone Funding for Brownfields Redevelopment,” K&L Gates, Chicago, IL, 22 May 2019
- Panelist: “Built for Success: Best practices for Fund Structures,” Small Scale Developer Forum #14 - When Opportunity Abounds, Baltimore, MD, 20 May 2019
- Panelist: “2019 Opportunity Zone Expo Las Vegas,” Las Vegas, NV, 9 May 2019
- Panelist: “Discussion on Opportunity Zones,” K&L Gates, Washington, DC, 30 April 2019
- Panelist, “Discussion on Opportunity Zones,” Boston, MA, 4 April 2019
- Panelist: “Prince George's Opportunity Zones Conference,” Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation, Largo, MD, Tuesday, 12 March 2019
- Speaker, "Opportunity Zone Expo," Los Angeles, C.A., 25 January 2019
- Speaker, "A Conversation on Opportunity Zones," Chicago, I.L., 16 January 2019
- Speaker, “Charlotte Opportunity Zones,” Charlotte, N.C., 11 December 2018
- Speaker, “DCA Live BIG Growth Summit: Amazon and the New Innovation Economy,” Crystal City, V.A., 16 November 2018
- Moderator, “DCBIA Opportunity Zones Seminar,” Washington, D.C., 6 November 2018
- Speaker, “Now that the proposed regulations have been released for the Opportunity Zones Program, What Is Your Next Step?” Qualified Opportunity Funds and Opportunity Zones Released Regulations, Washington, D.C., 31 October 2018
- Moderator, “Opportunity Tax Credits and Opportunity Zones,” Innovative Business Solutions Program, Washington, D.C., 28 February 2018
- Speaker, “Tax Exempt Bonds and Real Estate Finance Options for Nonprofits,” Greater Washington Society of CPAs: Nonprofit Section Meeting, Washington, D.C., 27 February 2018
- A Conversation on Opportunity Zones, 16 January 2019
- “Opportunity Zones: A Powerful New Tool for Development in South Carolina,” Association of Corporate Counsel - South Carolina Chapter, 19 June 2018
