Joshua M. Bowman

Joshua M. Bowman

Partner, Hospitality Chair

Pronouns: he, him, his

Overview & Experience

Joshua M. Bowman is a partner in the firm’s Real Estate and Corporate departments and is chair of the firm’s Hospitality Practice Group.

Described by his clients as “a skilled and tenacious attorney with a collegial demeanor” who provides “a practical approach with deal-focused creativity,” Josh brings years of experience counseling local and national real estate owners and developers, institutional and non-institutional lenders, investors, tenants, contractors, and other businesses in connection with a wide variety of transactions and situations.

Josh has substantial experience dealing with complicated issues related to commercial real estate ownership, development, finance, joint venture arrangements, acquisitions and sales, leasing, land use, licensing, management and franchise agreements, construction agreements, and food and beverage agreements. As the Chair of the firm’s Hospitality Practice Group, Josh has a particular concentration in representing owners and operators of restaurants and hotels.

Josh is a member of the Hotel Industry Advisory Board for the New England Real Estate Journal, where he regularly writes articles of interest to the hospitality industry and is a member of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys. He also works on governmental issues important to the retail real estate industry as an active member of the ICSC Government Relations Committee and is a former member of the ICSC NextGen Boston Steering Committee.

In 2019, Josh was appointed to Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education’s (MCLE) Board of Trustees. Throughout the years, he has moderated several panels at conferences and commercial real estate industry events, led continuing legal education seminars for MCLE and The Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts (REBA), and served as an advisor to the Boston College Law School Community Economic Development Clinic.

Over the past ten years, Josh has raised over $150,000 for the life-saving work of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as a rider in the Pan-Mass Challenge – a two-day bicycle ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In 2019, Josh was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Chunilal Initiative – a 501(c)3 nonprofit that organizes neurosurgery mission trips in under-served, impoverished, and marginalized communities around the world.

In January of 2017, Josh joined the faculty at the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration, where he teaches two courses: The Fundamentals of a Hotel Real Estate Deal and Hospitality Law.

“Josh has proven to be a partner to our business rather than a vendor of our business. Timely and fully-responsive answers to questions, a basket of strategies for every problem drawing from technical expertise under a business-practical umbrella, and an invoice that does not shock the conscience are elements that coalesce to cement our lawyer-client relationship. His thoughtful and professional approach to the company’s transactions/files is tempered by a refreshing irreverence about himself that stretches the relationship beyond merely lawyer-client.”

Best Lawyers Client Reference

Experience

  • Represented a purchaser in the acquisition of 20 hotels in New England and 4 hotels in New York City
  • Represented a purchaser of a 6 hotel portfolio
  • Represented a developer in the ground-up development and construction of 6 hotels in New England and 4 hotels in New York City
  • Represented various ground lessees / operators in connection with ground leased hospitality projects
  • Represented one of the largest third party management companies in North America in connection with third party management agreements
  • Represented borrowers and lenders in connection with various hospitality related debt financing
  • Represented borrowers in debt workouts totaling over $100mm of debt
  • Represented various investors in joint venture arrangements, often with large institutional investors
  • Represented franchisees of Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, IHG, Choice and Best Western flagged hotels
  • Represented the purchaser of a 460,000 s.f. office portfolio
  • Represented various restaurateurs with leasing and licensing issues
  • Represented hotel owner / operator in private placement and debt refinance
  • Represented hotel franchisee in franchise negotiations with major franchisor
Insights & Activities

Accolades

  • Included in Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Real Estate
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America©
  • New England Rising Star, Real Estate (2005-2013)

Speaking Engagements & Publications

Certifications

  • Urban Land Institute (ULI) Certificate in Commercial Real Estate Pro Forma Fundamentals

Community Involvement