Services

Real Estate Practice

Each day, our Business Transactions Team’s real estate attorneys’ partner with our clients to act as an extension to the legal issues related to their facilities.

Our Business Transaction’s real estate have experience in all facets of real estate law with an emphasis on complex commercial and multi-family residential real estate transactions, including complex commercial leasing and development.   The Business Transactions Team’s real estate attorneys provide a broad range of legal proficiency, experience and practical knowledge in all facets related to real estate law.  Our attorneys represent Fortune 100/500 corporate entities, state and local governmental entities and agencies, partnerships, not-for-profits, small businesses, entrepreneurs, financial/banking institutions and developers in the business of financing, developing, owning, managing and operating real estate assets. 

Our real estate services include:

  • Acquisitions & Dispositions
  • Complex Commercial Leasing (Tenant and Landlord Representation)
  • Condominium and Homeowner’s Association Formation & Compliance
  • Construction, including AIA Forms
  • Development
  • Development Incentives, including TIF, LIHTC, NMTC and HOME
  • Environmental
  • Land Use & Zoning
  • Property Tax Appeals
  • Public/Private Partnership (P3) Infrastructure Transactions
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Tax Deferred Exchanges (“1031 Exchanges”)

Our real estate attorneys act as legal counsel for real estate transactions, commercial leasing and development across the United States. Below is a brief description of some of our most recent real estate experiences:

REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS

Acquisitions & Dispositions

  • Purchaser’s Counsel in the acquisition of the Jackie D. Lynch Building in connection with the development of an approximately 50,000 square foot medical/healthcare educational and office complex to be occupied by the Gift of Hope, Chicago State University and the National Kidney Foundation Inc. located in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Purchaser’s Counsel to an Educational & Economic Development Corporation in the acquisition, leasing, construction, and development of a LEED certified office complex located in Chicago, Illinois. The client is seeking LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Our LEED AP designation and experience have been instrumental in the Project.
  • Seller’s Local Counsel in the sale of a 221-unit apartment building located in Evanston, Illinois.
  • Purchaser’s Counsel to a national fuel multi-site operator in the acquisition of various Shell gas stations within the Chicagoland area.
  • Seller/Lessor’s Counsel in a transaction involving the split and sale of industrial facility property, leasing of a portion of Seller/Lessor’s retained building, profit sharing agreement and easement for use of water tower, as well as related quiet title action to correct decades old legal description omission.
  • Represented Purchasers and Sellers of mall properties, including anchor stores, around the country.
  • Counsel for Purchaser of former corporate headquarters from private equity fund, with transaction, including the lease of a portion of the building to former corporate owner, negotiation of extensive tenant improvement agreement and negotiation and drafting of extensive investment agreement with private lender including the purchase of Purchaser, loan of cash portion of purchase price, and terms of extensive property management and development agreement.
  • Represented European-based Purchaser of industrial facilities with environmental contamination concerns in largest real estate purchases by a company from that country.
  • Represented Purchaser in acquisition of processing facility and adding processing facility as additional security to existing credit facility.
  • Represented Seller in sale of 122 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, a 500,000 square foot mixed-use historical property on Miracle Mile.
  • Seller’s Counsel to the Chicago Housing Authority in connection with the sale of its real estate assets located in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Represented national grocery store chain in purchase of over 600 stores.
  • Seller’s Counsel in sale of over 50 national grocery store chain properties in Texas and Louisiana.
  • Represented Seller in sale of college campus in Illinois.

Complex Commercial Leasing

  • Represent national insurance company, grocery store chain, and national wireless service provider with retail leases around the country.
  • Tenant’s Counsel to a Fortune 25 financial institution in connection with a commercial lease and construction build-out of a call center space having approximately 130,000 square feet. Project included acting as counsel in connection with client’s Cook County 7(b) Incentive Application and construction compliance issues related to a Redevelopment Agreement between client and City of Chicago.
  • Represent international Fortune 50 company with office leases, including build out, expansion, termination, subleasing/assignment, and amendments.
  • National Tenant’s Counsel for a Fortune 25 Insurance Company in connection with numerous leasing and construction build-out of commercial office spaces throughout the U.S. Projects currently include approximately over 3M square feet of office space.
  • Represent international laboratory company with office and industrial leases, build out, expansion, termination, and amendments.
  • Landlord’s Counsel to the City of Chicago in connection with the negotiation of a Redevelopment and Concession Management Agreement with Westfield in connection with Terminal 5 of O’Hare International Airport.
  • Represent non-profit organizations with office leasing, including build-out and tenant improvement agreements.
  • Tenant’s Counsel to the Chicago Housing Authority in connection with the leasing of its new headquarters to be located at the CNA Building, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Represent landlords of newly constructed and existing buildings with office, retail, and industrial leases, including build out, expansion and contraction, early termination negotiations, subleasing/assignment, and amendments.
  • Tenant’s Counsel to an international not-for-profit corporation in connection with the Green leasing of its headquarters located at 101 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois. The new space is seeking LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Our LEED AP designation and experience have been value-add to our client.
  • Tenant’s Counsel to Concession Tenants in connection with the retail leasing of commercial spaces located at Boston’s Logan Airport, and Chicago’s Midway Airport, O’Hare International Airport, Navy Pier, and Northwestern Station, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Represent brewery and restaurant clients with negotiating leases for existing and new construction.

Construction & Development, Including Incentives

  • Counsel to landlords and tenants with lease build-out construction agreements for both new and existing leases.
  • Represented a public owner/transit agency in a very complicated land exchange, and joint development of a mixed use transportation, retail, and office complex including a 28-story headquarters tower and multi-modal transportation facility. Exclusive right to negotiate, development agreement, reciprocal easement and operating agreement, access and easement agreements, master construction contract, construction management agreement, and other documents were drafted and negotiated.
  • Counsel to developers of mixed-use building, including negotiation of construction agreements for tenant spaces which included local university, and non-profits.
  • Developer’s Counsel to a national not-for-profit organ procurement organization in connection with the acquisition, construction, and leasing of a commercial office building. The Project required the negotiation a Grant Agreement between the client and the City of Chicago Department of Planning utilizing Community Block Grant Development CARES Act funds and the leasing and construction of a new educational facility to be occupied by Chicago State University.
  • Outside General Counsel for a minority-woman owned concrete construction company. Projects include the Obama Public Center.
  • Developer’s Counsel in connection with the redevelopment, including demolition, zoning, infrastructure, and construction, of approximately 100 acres of land currently known as the ABLA Homes public housing development, located in Chicago, Illinois. The project involved (i) state, local, and federal government regulation, including zoning and land use; (ii) financing, including the use of public/private funds, tax increment financing (TIF), HOPE VI/Public housing capital funds, public housing operating subsidiaries, affordable housing development subsidies, and infrastructure resources; and (iii) real estate development, including issues of condominium law and land acquisition and condemnation strategies.

Land Use & Zoning

  • Represent national owner of multifamily housing developments with local zoning and land use applications for properties.
  • Owner’s counsel for numerous zoning and variance applications related to special land uses throughout the State of Michigan.
  • Owner’s counsel for potential special land use project by lessee.

Public Private Partnerships

  • Lead Real Estate Counsel to the City of Chicago Department of Finance in connection with the privatization of the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Project consisted of the privatization of a public asset to a private consortium via a Concession Lease Agreement having a 99-year Term. The Lease Agreement provides the Concessionaire (Tenant) with rights to all toll revenue and all rents payable by certain other businesses located on the Skyway Toll Bridge during the Term. The rent in the amount of $1.83B was paid in a single upfront payment at closing.
  • Lead Real Estate Counsel to the City of Chicago Department of Finance in connection with the privatization of the four publicly held underground parking garage structures, located on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue underneath Chicago’s highly acclaimed Millennium Park. The Project consists of the privatization of the public assets to a privately held company via a Concession Lease Agreement having a 99-year Term. The Lease Agreement provides the Concessionaire (Tenant) with the rights to all revenues from parking during the Term. The rent in the amount of $563M is to be paid in a single upfront payment at closing.
  • Lead Real Estate Counsel to the City of Chicago Department of Finance in connection with the privatization of Midway International Airport. The Project consists of the privatization of the largest FAA approved airport in the nation to a privately held company via a Concession Lease Agreement having a 75-year Term. The Lease Agreement would provide the Concessionaire (Tenant) with the rights to all revenues from Midway Airport during the Term. The rent in the amount of $2.8B is to be paid in a single upfront payment at closing.

Attorneys