Commercial

  • May 09, 2025

    Vanbarton Plans Resi Conversion Of NYC Catholic Office

    Real estate firm Vanbarton Group has submitted plans for a residential conversion of the Archdiocese of New York's former Midtown East headquarters building, according to documents filed this week.

  • May 09, 2025

    Invcesco REIT Closes First CRE-CLO Fund With $1.2B

    An Invesco real estate investment trust said Friday that it closed its first commercial real estate collateralized loan obligation at $1.2 billion, secured by a mix of multifamily and industrial loans.

  • May 09, 2025

    Seritage Shareholder Sues Over $325M Portfolio Value Loss

    The current and former leadership of Seritage Growth Properties was hit with a derivative shareholder suit in New York federal court, alleging the real estate company's executives caused Seritage's stock value to drop by failing to fix deficient financial reporting and devaluing its portfolio by $325 million.

  • May 09, 2025

    NY Developer Cops To Stealing $13M From Investors

    A real estate developer pled guilty in New York federal court Friday to using sham projects to solicit $13 million from investors to make up for a downturn in legitimate business.

  • May 09, 2025

    Lucosky Brookman Faces Malpractice Suit Over NYC Site Sale

    Lucosky Brookman LLP, a boutique corporate finance and securities firm, was hit with a malpractice suit in New Jersey state court by a former client alleging the firm failed to warn it about a decades-old agreement that would restrict its ability to build on a New York City site.

  • May 09, 2025

    Shutts & Bowen Eyes Sanctions Over Country Club Sale Suit

    Florida firm Shutts & Bowen LLP is continuing its pushback against a real estate corporation's malpractice lawsuit alleging it sank the sale of a country club, this time serving a motion for sanctions in the state court.

  • May 09, 2025

    Condo Counsel Disqualified In Suit Against Miami Hotel Owner

    A Miami judge disqualified a law firm from representing a condo association in claims against a hotel owned by Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega due to the firm's work for the hotel on an unrelated case.

  • May 09, 2025

    Minn. Court Increases Prior Valuation Of Parking Lot By $900K

    The Minnesota Tax Court increased the market valuation of a parking lot by $900,000 after reopening the record and adjusting the reversion rate to reflect the record, resulting in a slightly higher valuation. 

  • May 09, 2025

    CoStar To Buy Australian PropTech Co. In $1.9B Deal

    Commercial real estate analytics provider CoStar Group announced its plans to buy Australian proptech company Domain Holdings Australia Ltd., wrapping up a deal guided by Gilbert + Tobin that values the company at nearly 3 billion Australian dollars ($1.9 billion) in total.

  • May 08, 2025

    Ex-Brookfield Leader Says He Was Fired For Whistleblowing

    A former managing partner at Brookfield Asset Management lobbed wrongful termination and defamation claims at his former employer Thursday, claiming that he was fired for refusing to accept a bribe and for filing a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • May 08, 2025

    CEO Stole Funds To Fuel 'Gambling Habit', Investor Says

    An investor in a cybersecurity company has claimed in a new suit that the company's CEO defrauded the investor out of more than $2.8 million through falsified budgets and other means, all to support a "lavish" lifestyle and "severe gambling habit."

  • May 08, 2025

    Pa. Diner Can't Get Tax Sale Axed Over Price Hike, Panel Says

    A diner in a resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains can't duck a tax sale over the final sale price of the diner property being higher than originally advertised, a state appellate panel said in a precedential ruling Thursday.

  • May 08, 2025

    Bain, Oliver Street Pick Up $208M Industrial Portfolio

    A joint venture between Bain Capital Real Estate and Oliver Street Capital completed a $208 million "private, off-market" deal to acquire a portfolio of Northern New Jersey industrial properties, according to a May 8 announcement.

  • May 08, 2025

    Miami Atty Joins Arbitration Place After US Expansion

    A Miami attorney has joined the roster of decision-makers at Arbitration Place tasked with helping settle international legal disputes out of court following the company's recent expansion to the U.S.

  • May 08, 2025

    Coverage Uncertain For LA Fire Soil Remediation, Pros Say 

    Dangerous toxins are being detected in the soil around homes affected by the Los Angeles fires, but experts say that insurance coverage for soil remediation would likely be limited, even if certain policies or provisions could offer some compensation.

  • May 08, 2025

    NC Ophthalmologist Owes Ex-Partner Office Building Cash

    The North Carolina Business Court has ruled that an ophthalmologist who agreed to buy out his former business partner's share of their practice must pay the former partner 36% of the value of their office building under the terms of their confidential settlement agreement.

  • May 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Judge Frowns On New Arguments In Easement Case

    An Eleventh Circuit judge disapproved of a Georgia partnership raising new arguments on appeal as it pursues a tax deduction for a conservation easement donation, saying Thursday that perhaps "we wouldn't be here" if the partnership had argued the points before the lower court.

  • May 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Says Developer's I-20 Truck Stop Suit Out Of Gas

    The Eleventh Circuit has backed a district court's dismissal of a property owner's suit challenging a metro Atlanta county ordinance that for years blocked him from developing his land into a QuikTrip gas station, ruling the county had a "rational basis" for its effective ban on new truck stops.

  • May 08, 2025

    Industrial Vacancies Expected To Peak In 2025, Colliers Says

    Vacancies for U.S. industrial properties are anticipated to hit their peak by the end of the year due to "a significantly reduced construction pipeline," according to a new report from Colliers.

  • May 08, 2025

    Katten Adds CMBS Pro From Cadwalader

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced that a new partner has joined the firm's structured finance and securitization practice from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP, noting that she will expand the firm's commercial mortgage-backed securities capabilities.

  • May 08, 2025

    2nd Circ. Revives Arbitration In Hurricane Damage Suit

    The Second Circuit on Thursday revived a bid by surplus insurers seeking to arbitrate claims over hurricane-related property damage in Louisiana, in a ruling that overturns its own precedent on the interpretation of a treaty governing international arbitration.

  • May 08, 2025

    Morgan Lewis Guides $320M Neighborhood Retail Fund

    Investment manager Nuveen Real Estate said May 8 it has raised $320 million in a fund advised by Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP aimed at grocery-anchored, necessity-based neighborhood retail properties.

  • May 08, 2025

    Tenn. Hotel Operators To Stop Collecting Tax After 30 Days

    Tennessee will require hotel operators to stop collecting occupancy taxes from people who stay for more than 30 days under a bill signed by the governor.

  • May 07, 2025

    Sidley-Led Insurer Aspen Leads 2 IPOs Raising $508M Total

    Private equity-backed specialty insurer Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., represented by Sidley Austin LLP, on Wednesday raised $397.5 million after pricing an upsized initial public offering, leading one of two insurance listings that netted $507.5 million combined as more companies tiptoe back into the IPO market. 

  • May 07, 2025

    Fla. Lawmakers Tackle Real Estate Issues, But Is It Enough?

    Real estate matters were once again top of mind during the Florida Legislature's 2025 session, but in a year marked by political tensions, it remains to be seen how successfully lawmakers resolved some major questions.

Expert Analysis

  • Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability

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    As projects face loan maturities in a higher interest rate environment, lenders should diligently observe even seemingly innocuous formalities following an event of default in order to minimize potential recourse liability, especially when borrowers have certain covenants, say Ryan Goins and Matthias Kleinsasser at Winstead.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors

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    With rising interest rates causing many construction projects to be slowed or halted, it's important for general contractors to implement safeguard measures against the risk of significant financial losses caused by owner-driven schedule modifications, says Kevin Riexinger at Gfeller Laurie.

  • Keys To Navigating The Post-Pandemic CRE Market

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the commercial real estate market continues to face repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyers should use office occupancy and leasing volume numbers to anticipate future trends and help guide clients through an uncertain landscape, says Joseph Calvanico at J2C Valuations.

  • How Rate Exportation Is Shifting Amid Regulatory Trends

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    All banks and their partners, including fintechs, that wish to lend to borrowers in multiple states and charge uniform interest rates should heed regulatory developments across the country and determine how best to mitigate risks in their efforts to offer credit to consumers on a nationwide basis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How The Commercial Real Estate Slump May Weigh On Banks

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    The continuing underperformance of the U.S. commercial real estate market has significant implications for the financial performance and disclosure requirements for various banks, especially regional ones with large debt exposures, say Atanu Saha and Yong Xu at StoneTurn.

  • Negotiating Material Escalation In Construction Contracts

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    As material price escalation clauses have remained popular in construction contracts despite an easing of recent supply chain issues, attorneys representing owners should understand key considerations for negotiating such clauses, and strategies to mitigate potential exploitation by contractors, says H. Arthur Black II at Brooks Pierce.

  • Landlords Should Prep As WeWork Faces Potential Ch. 11

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    After years of financial trouble and the recent announcement that it has substantial doubt that it would be able to continue as a going concern, WeWork may have a bankruptcy filing in its future that would have a significant impact on landlords and other stakeholders who are owed money by the company, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing

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    While net asset value-based lending has existed for years, NAV lending has only started to move into the mainstream recently — likely due to difficult market conditions faced by sponsors including persistent inflation, high interest rates and a lack of exit opportunities, say Matthew Kerfoot and Jinyoung Joo at Proskauer.

  • Conn. Ruling Highlights Keys To Certificate-Of-Need Appeals

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    The Connecticut Supreme Court's recent decision in High Watch Recovery Center v. Department of Public Health, rejecting rigid application of statutes concerning certificate-of-need procedure, provides important guidance on building an administrative record to support a finding that a case is contested, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.

  • Pickleball Makes Waves In Fla. Real Estate, With Risks In Play

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    Pickleball's burgeoning popularity in Florida is catalyzing a transformation in the state's commercial real estate market, but investors must take steps to navigate legal challenges related to noise, insurance and community dynamics, says Emmanuelle Litvinov at DarrowEverett.

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • What Calif. Pot Permit Ruling Means For Enviro Compliance

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    While a California appeals court's recent decision in Lucas v. City of Pomona affirms the city's use of a statutory exemption for its commercial cannabis overlay permit program, the ruling does not mean that all applicants seeking similar approvals are exempted from state environmental compliance obligations, say Whitney Hodges and Barbara Machado at Sheppard Mullin.