James A. Greenfield

He/Him

Senior Counsel

I love helping parties who are negotiating "impossible" deals find common ground with creativity and persistence.

Jim Greenfield represents private, nonprofit, and public clients on a wide variety of real estate transactions and land use proceedings. Jim has particular expertise and experience with large, complex public infrastructure projects and is a well-recognized authority in crafting creative, natural-resource conservation transactions. Jim focuses his practice on public/private partnerships, real estate, and development transactions; land transactions with or on behalf of public agencies; and land use matters and administrative proceedings. Jim also has substantial experience with historic preservation and landmark designation, telecommunications, municipal law, government relations, and sports law.

Jim has represented Alaska Airlines, 4Culture (Cultural Development Authority of King County), American President Lines, City of Burien, National Basketball Association, PATH, Sound Transit, Seattle Art Museum, and Seattle Theater Group.

Practice Highlights

Public private partnerships

Representing a variety of public entities, particularly in the transportation sector, in large-scale public-private partnerships. Examples include the redevelopment of the North Satellite terminal at the Sea-Tac airport and the negotiation of a disposition and development agreement, and ground leases for the transit-oriented development on property near the Capitol Hill Link light-rail station on behalf of Sound Transit.

Natural resource conservation transactions

Sales of conservation easements associated with a variety of natural-resource conservation transactions. Examples of sales to King County include the sale of 100-acre conservation easement on Camp Sealth on behalf of Central Puget Sound Council of Camp Fire, and multiple sales on behalf of Port Blakely Tree Farms.

Land use proceedings

Representing a variety of businesses in land use proceedings in front of planning commissions, hearings boards, and other city and county entities. Recent examples include a negotiation of a development agreement with the City of SeaTac on behalf of Alaska Airlines for the development of a four-building office campus.

Public Private Partnerships

Commercial Real Estate Transactions

Government-Related Real Estate Transactions

Natural Resource Conservation Transactions

Land Use Proceedings

Admitted to Practice

Washington
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit

Education

J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 1983
B.S., Political Economy of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, 1979, with highest honors
- Phi Beta Kappa

Memberships & Affiliations

- Board of Directors, 1997-present; Board Chair, 2013-2014 – Forterra (formerly, Cascade Land Conservancy)
- Board of Directors, Leadership Tomorrow, 2010-2016
- Executive Council Member, Green Seattle Partnership, 2004-2012
- Viaduct Taskforce, Downtown Seattle Association, 2009 -2010
- Trustee, Municipal League of King County, 1990-1993, 1999-2002
- Administrator, King County Office of Open Space, 1993-1997
- Board Member and President, Pike Market Senior Center and Downtown Food Bank, 1987-1991
- Deputy General Counsel, Seattle Goodwill Games Organizing Committee, 1988-1990

Professional Recognition

- Named as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" by Chambers USA in Real Estate (Washington), 2007-2024
- Named as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in Real Estate Law by Best Lawyers, 2009-present; named in Land Use & Zoning Law, 2011-present
- Received the "Willard J. Wright Award for Outstanding Civic Activity," Davis Wright Tremaine, 2022
- Selected to "Washington Super Lawyers," Thomson Reuters, 2009-2014

Your search returned no results. Please try another search or remove search criteria.