Real Estate

May 02, 2024
Nixon Peabody Adds Two Community Finance Attys In DC

Nixon Peabody LLP has hired two partners, who will focus their practices on helping nonprofits and other clients understand and obtain tax credits for a range of community development projects, to its community development finance practice in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Thursday.
May 02, 2024
New DC Stadium A Step Closer With RFK Demolition Approved

RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., has been cleared for demolition by the National Park Service, another step forward in the city's attempt to build a new stadium to lure back the NFL's Washington Commanders.
May 01, 2024
Ex-State Dept. Adviser To Co-Lead Klasko's Investor Visa Team

A former U.S. Department of State attorney-adviser has left government service to co-lead Klasko Immigration Law Partners' EB-5 regional center and developer practice, the firm recently announced.
May 01, 2024
Judges Say Homeowners' Fight Over Airport Not Grounded Yet

A Washington couple violated their homeowners' association covenants by running a wing-walking flight school out of their home, but it is unclear if they ran afoul of community rules by using an association-owned airstrip for their business, according to a state appeals court opinion reversing a restriction on the couple's use of the airstrip.
May 01, 2024
T-Mobile Gets Tax Reimbursement Suit Tossed For Good

T-Mobile has convinced a New Jersey federal court to toss for good a suit brought by a middleman seeking to collect tax reimbursements the mobile behemoth had supposedly promised a landlord after it didn't fix the deficiencies in its suit the third go round.
May 01, 2024
Colo. House OKs Tax Credits For Middle-Income Housing

The Colorado House approved a pilot program Wednesday to provide a tax credit to developers of housing aimed at middle-income residents
May 01, 2024
DC Circ. Scrutinizes Social Welfare In Tribe's Land Trust Bid

The D.C. Circuit on Wednesday grappled with whether a Native American tribe's bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture would promote tribe members' social welfare, as one judge sounded wary of such a move's repercussions.
May 01, 2024
More Withdraw From Conn. Atty Hacked Payment Lawsuits

A series of withdrawals has cut into a voluminous pile of lawsuits surrounding a real estate attorney's wiring of money to the wrong people in connection with several real estate sales, with First American Title among the parties that filed recent withdrawal notices in the myriad matters.
May 01, 2024
NJ Atty Fights 'Hare-Brained' Malpractice Claims In RE Dispute

A suspended New Jersey attorney is seeking summary judgment and sanctions for a "hare-brained" attempt by Chaitman LLP to mount a third-party complaint holding him liable for allegedly providing bad legal advice that prompted a malpractice case between Chaitman and former clients.
May 01, 2024
DLA Piper Adds Ex-Sidley Atty To New Funds Team

DLA Piper on Tuesday announced another addition to its newly formed stand-alone investment funds group, this time a former Sidley Austin LLP partner focused on advising private funds sponsors.
May 01, 2024
Tax Credit Transfer Regs Show IRS Caution In Rulemaking

The IRS and Treasury's final rules on the sale and transfer of green energy credits maintained a strict reading of the statute while making few changes, a sign of caution by regulators amid judicial scrutiny of the government's rulemaking authority.
April 30, 2024
2nd Circ. Revives Commerzbank RMBS Suit Against US Bank

The Second Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a nearly decade-old Commerzbank AG lawsuit brought against U.S. Bank NA over its role as a trustee on a slew of pre-2008 crisis RMBS trusts, sending some of the German bank's previously dismissed claims back to district court for a "closer inspection."
April 30, 2024
Feds Say Treaties Don't Protect Utah Tribe In Land Row

Efforts by a Utah tribe to restore public lands to a trust status that would prevent federal officials from illegally accessing the property are based on a false premise, the United States said, arguing that two 19th century laws support its bid to dismiss the case.
April 30, 2024
Attys Barred From Practicing Over Ch. 13 Real Estate Scams

Enforcement actions against two consumer bankruptcy attorneys who admitted they hid their involvement in schemes to acquire their clients' homes during Chapter 13 proceedings have resulted in sanctions barring them from practicing in certain districts, the U.S. Department of Justice's Trustee Program announced Tuesday.
April 30, 2024
PolyMet Must Give Up More Info In Mining Land Swap Suit

A federal judge has declined to sanction a Minnesota mining company in a discovery challenge by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa but ordered it to produce certain previously withheld information in the tribe's bid to undo a land swap for copper and nickel mining.
April 30, 2024
Minn. Tribes Seek Support For Five 'Land Return' Bills

More than 20 Minnesota-based groups have urged state lawmakers to vote in favor of five "land return" bills that would give back state-owned lands to Native American tribes, saying the measures support the legal return of Indigenous lands along with their continued use by the public.
April 30, 2024
Ex-Enforcers Back CoStar At 9th Circ. Against Antitrust Claims

Several former antitrust enforcers told the Ninth Circuit that a lower court was right to toss a rival's claims that CoStar monopolizes commercial real estate information markets despite concerns from the Federal Trade Commission about the allegations.
April 30, 2024
Conn. Mortgage Co. Settles Data Breach Claims

A mortgage company settled a consolidated data breach class action that accused the company in Connecticut federal court of being liable for a November 2023 data breach that compromised its customers' personal information.
April 30, 2024
NY Bank Investors Spar Over Bid To Merge, Pause Suits

New York Community Bancorp Inc. shareholders traded barbs in filings this week over whether a New York federal judge should allow an individual shareholder to intervene in the larger group's attempt to consolidate and stay their derivative shareholder suits against the bank.
April 30, 2024
5th Circ. Backs La. Enviro Dept. In Gas Facility Permit Dispute

A Fifth Circuit panel upheld the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's permitting decision for a liquefied natural gas export facility, rejecting concerns raised by the Sierra Club that the facility's emissions will surpass national ambient air quality standards.
April 30, 2024
Hospital Says IP Spat Shouldn't Delay Children's Center Build

A Michigan hospital system has asked a judge to deny an attempt to block construction of a children's rehabilitation hospital, saying it did not copy its former architect's design and has made significant design pivots since terminating the firm's contract.
April 30, 2024
Mich. Judge Admits Error In Cutting Predatory Lending Claims

A Michigan federal judge admitted she was wrong to toss fair housing claims alleging a group of real estate companies ran a bulk home buying program that preyed on Black buyers, reviving the claims and reversing a decision to cut a defendant from the case.
April 30, 2024
Goodwin Private Funds Partner Joins Fried Frank In NY

Fried Frank has announced it hired a New York-based asset management attorney who spent more than a decade at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and was most recently a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.
April 30, 2024
Wash. Panel Reverses Hartford Unit Fire Coverage Ruling

A Washington state appeals court reversed a trial court's ruling that a Hartford unit's policy included coverage for an electrical panel that caused a restaurant fire, instead finding that whether the electrical panel was in the care of the restaurant or its landlord remains disputed.
April 30, 2024
NYC Judge Upholds Hotel Taxes On Apartment Subleases

A company that leased residential apartments in New York City is liable for more than $200,000 in disputed hotel taxes on short-term subleases of the units, an administrative law judge found.

Expert Analysis

4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
Environmental Justice: A 2023 Recap And 2024 Forecast

A 2023 executive order directing each federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission, as well as the many lawsuits and enforcement actions last year, demonstrates that EJ will increasingly surface in all areas of law and regulation, from technically challenging to seemingly ordinary permitting and construction matters, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative

Amid rising interest rates and unpredictable market conditions, sale-leasebacks can be a useful investment option for both buyers and sellers, though their potential drawbacks demand careful consideration, says Chanel Di Blasi at Crosbie Gliner.
5 Recent Developments Family Offices Are Watching In 2024

Although family offices have long been exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and reporting requirements governing U.S. investment advisers and asset managers, recent amendments to federal rules will have an impact on how family offices invest and operate in 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
A Challenging CRE Environment Holds Opportunities In 2024

As the commercial real estate market faces reduced occupancy levels and rising financing costs, the new landscape will be favorable to those who can leverage capital, strategic vision and expertise to meet challenges like taking on distressed properties and converting office space to residential use, say Nesa Amamoo and Vered Rabia at Skadden.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
5 Most Notable Class Action Standing Cases Of 2023

Key appellate class action decisions this past year continued the trend of a more demanding approach to the threshold issue of standing during each phase of litigation, say attorneys at MoFo.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
A Difficult Year For CRE, But Future May Be Brighter

2023 was a challenging year for the commercial real estate industry, marked by significant uncertainty, but market pressure and signs of rising interest rates provide some reasons to be cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as pandemic headwinds and gridlock fade away, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.