Real Estate
Becker has an experienced, sophisticated real estate practice. The firm provides advice to developers, landlords, tenants, investors, and property owners on every aspect of real estate financing, real estate acquisition and leasing, real estate development, redevelopment, and real estate investment, from project conception, capitalization, and acquisition and financing through construction, completion and ultimate sale.
Among our areas of concentration are:
Real Estate Acquisition and Sale
Real Estate Equity Investments and Joint Ventures
The attorneys in this Practice also play a major role in the firm's Business Services Group.
The Business Services model features the following:
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Bundled Mission-Critical Services
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Single Point-of-Contact
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Efficient Project Management
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Trusted Business Advisement
Real Estate Acquisition and Sale
Our attorneys regularly counsel developers on how to best structure ownership of the various assets involved in development and redevelopment projects. We help implement the selected ownership structure - forming the limited liability corporations, limited partnerships and other entities required to own, develop and manage the project. We assist property owners in transactions involving the sale and purchase of interests in commercial, industrial, retail, mixed-use and multi-family properties. Our attorneys provide clients with advice concerning all aspects of property acquisition, and we provide assistance conducting due diligence - interfacing with other professionals, such as planners, engineers, title company officers, environmental consultants, and architects. We aid clients in negotiating and tailoring acquisition agreements with the appropriate contingencies based upon the circumstances prescribed in each particular acquisition.
Because of the combined strength of our real estate attorneys and corporate bankruptcy attorneys, we are uniquely adept in the acquisition of property and beneficial property rights from financially distressed property owners and in the restructuring of distressed real estate.
Real Estate Finance
Becker’s attorneys are premier in assisting property owners in all aspects of negotiating financing terms and close of secured and unsecured loans for all aspects of real estate, from land acquisition loans to construction loans to permanent funding. We work with clients in obtaining loans from traditional sources, such as banks and other lending institutions, and in the obtaining of non-traditional loans, such as in the securing of bridge financing from private equity groups and private placements. We assist developers and other clients in loan workouts relative to real estate development projects. We work with title insurers and other parties in resolving title issues that may prevent lenders from financing real property.
Real Estate Equity Investments and Joint Ventures
Becker’s corporate attorneys are experienced in representing investment banks, investment funds, and real estate developers in structuring real estate investments into a variety of different ownership vehicles including joint venture, limited liability companies and partnership vehicles, which allow direct investment of funds into single purpose or multiple purpose projects. Our work includes the formation of the entities necessary to implement the appropriate ownership vehicle. We structure transactions to assure compliance by investors, such as pension funds and tax-exempt investors with ERISA and other applicable laws.
Our attorneys have represented clients, such as hedge funds, in the structuring and close of hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate investments, including those with domestic presence and offshore feeder funds.
Real Estate Litigation
Our real estate litigation department helps clients successfully and efficiently navigate a wide range of issues, whether they stem from title defects, commercial lease disputes, land use issues, construction defects and disputes, transactional disputes, brokerage matters, and other real-estate related commercial and business disputes. Collectively, our real estate litigation attorneys have more than 50 years of experience on both the legal and business fronts of the industry. Some of our attorneys come from construction, development, and real estate transactional backgrounds, and the relationships all of our attorneys have developed in the industry (with lenders, accountants, design professionals, etc.) allow our department to add value to a client’s representation that goes beyond simply “working the problem at hand.” Our forward-thinking platform is geared toward assessing the unique characteristics of each real estate dispute and developing plans of action to either quickly and efficiently resolve the dispute, or, in those rare instances where a dispute cannot be resolved, to aggressively position it for a successful outcome in litigation.
Commercial Leasing
Becker’s real estate attorneys have represented landlords, developers, tenants, and subtenants in negotiating and drafting lease agreements, sublease agreements, ground leases and easement documents. That experience spans representation of clients in numerous industries, including retail, restaurants, professionals, healthcare, and many others in various settings - urban, suburban, waterfront, shopping centers, office parks and mixed-use projects. Our attorneys are as adept at economically handling negotiations associated with leasing 5,000 square feet of space as they are at tackling the complexities of large leasing transactions.