Our firm has a comprehensive real estate practice, concentrating on representation of developers, lenders and contractors in the Southeast. We are involved regularly in pre-development issues, such as negotiating and structuring ownership entities, tax planning, property due diligence (including title examination and certification), environmental matters, and land use planning and regulation (including zoning and subdivision regulation). Together with attorneys in our private equity and joint venture practice groups, we have formed real estate funds and advised clients on securities law issues related to real estate development projects.
Additionally, we have experience in all aspects of the development process, including preparing contracts for the design and construction of buildings, negotiating and closing private or government-supported project financing, negotiating and preparing leases, and handling project disposition. We have worked on a wide range of commercial projects, from center-city office towers to regional malls to residential condominiums. Our experience in representing landlords gives us a useful perspective when advising tenants in the negotiation of commercial leases.
We regularly represent real estate lenders, including banks and insurance companies, in the preparation of loan documents and the closing of real estate and construction loans. We also have significant experience representing borrowers and lenders in restructuring and workout transactions.
Our firm structure gives clients seamless and cost-effective access to legal experience in all areas affecting the development and operation of their real estate projects. For example, we draw on our colleagues with experience in corporate, tax, finance, bankruptcy and litigation matters when working with clients to acquire, or dispose of, distressed debt and distressed real estate assets.
Our real estate practice group and its individual attorneys are recognized as top practitioners in the field by publications such as Chambers USA, Woodward/White, Inc., Business North Carolina and North Carolina Super Lawyers. Brent A. Torstrick, William K. Packard and Robert W. Allen are North Carolina Board Certified Specialists in Real Property Law-Business, Commercial and Industrial Transactions.
Some of the substantive practice areas in which we regularly offer advice and counsel to our real estate clients are:
- Acquisitions and Dispositions
- Commercial Leasing
- Condemnation
- Conservation Easements
- Development and Construction
- Furniture Showroom Facilities
- Industrial Facilities
- Hotel and Resort Projects
- Office Towers and Suburban Office Projects
- Residential Master-Planned Communities
- Condominiums
- Retail Shopping Centers and Power Centers
- Like-Kind Exchanges and Tenancy-in-Common (TIC) Transactions
- Property Management
- Property Tax Appeals
- Public/Private Partnerships
- Real Estate Financing
- CMBS/Structured Finance
- Credit Tenant Lease Financing
- Mezzanine Financing
- Sale Leaseback and Synthetic Lease Transactions
- Traditional Acquisition, Development, Construction and Permanent Financing
- Residential, Commercial and Mixed-Use Condominiums
- Sustainable Development (“Green” Projects)
- Workouts and Restructuring