Commercial

  • May 12, 2025

    Akin Adds Ex-Mayer Brown Real Estate Funds, M&A Partners

    Former Mayer Brown LLP partners Wendy Dodson Gallegos and Jason Wagenmaker have moved to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to advise the firm's real estate fund formation and mergers and acquisitions practices, according to a Monday announcement. 

  • May 12, 2025

    Bradley Arant Faces DQ Bid In Georgia Mall Rent Dispute

    A mall has urged a Georgia federal judge to disqualify Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP from representing a tenant in an unpaid rent dispute, arguing that the law firm has a conflict of interest because it has represented the mall's sister corporation in similar litigation.

  • May 12, 2025

    Blackstone, King Street-Backed Firm Close $925M Debt Fund

    Colovore, an artificial intelligence data center operator backed by investment firm King Street Capital Management, said Monday that it has raised $925 million in financing from Blackstone funds for new development projects.

  • May 12, 2025

    Blackstone Gets More Time For Warehouse REIT Offer

    Britain's mergers and acquisitions watchdog has handed the U.S. private equity shop Blackstone more time to make a firm offer for Warehouse REIT, the U.K. company said Monday, after Blackstone reduced its £489 million ($646 million) price tag for the real estate investor.

  • May 09, 2025

    NY Developer Denied More Time To Pay SEC $229M Settlement

    A New York federal judge denied a motion by a real estate developer and his wife to extend the deadline for a $229.6 million payment required under a consent judgment with the SEC to settle claims they had schemed to raise money from hundreds of Chinese investors using false statements.

  • May 09, 2025

    New Orleans Wants Out Of Airbnb's Short-Term Rentals Suit

    New Orleans urged a Louisiana federal court on Friday to toss a suit brought by Airbnb Inc. and multiple property owners challenging several of the city's short-term rental ordinances.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments

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    The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.

  • Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy

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    In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

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    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.

  • Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • What The 2023 Bank Failures Taught Us, And What's To Come

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    As 2023 draws to a close, it's apparent that the bank failures this past spring sparked a seismic shift in the regulatory and supervisory landscape for banking organizations, and the consequences are still continuing to be felt throughout the financial sector as we head into 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Difficult Year For CRE, But Future May Be Brighter

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    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.

  • 3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

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    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.

  • What WeWork's Ch. 11 Filing Means For Landlords

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    WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey has the potential to be one of the most consequential cases in the real estate industry in many years, and presents a number of issues for landlords, including unexpired leases, assumption, assignment and more, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • The 4 Top Philadelphia Commerce Court Opinions Of 2023

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    Four 2023 rulings from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas — including decisions on judicial privilege, stay requests, sheriff's sales and the appointment of a receiver — highlight the court's commitment to stringent standards and address evolving challenges in commercial litigation, say Jonathan Hugg and Sarah Boutros at Eckert Seamans.

  • A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 2023 High Court Rulings

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    In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued four bankruptcy law opinions — an extraordinary number — and a close look at these cases signals that changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code will have to come from Congress, not the courts, says Phillip Shefferly at the University of Michigan Law School.

  • 5 Traps To Avoid When Selling CRE In Las Vegas Area

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    When dealing with commercial real estate in Clark County, Nevada — which includes the Las Vegas metro area — even sophisticated sellers may be ensnared by a myriad of tricky issues, ranging from transfer tax nuances to arbitration laws, says Chris Walther at Fennemore Craig.