Real Estate and Real Estate Finance

Jeffrey A. Mitchell, Esq. has joined Oldaker Law Group, LLP after spending the last 10 years at a firm with one of the largest real estate practices in the world, bringing with him his complex, multi-jurisdictional real estate expertise. Mr. Mitchell brings 15 years of large law firm experience with him to Oldaker Law Group, LLP in commercial real estate transactions, representing owners, developers, lenders, investors, non-profit institutions and governmental entities in the development, financing, acquisition, disposition and leasing of real estate.

Our real estate practice combines a practical business-oriented approach with creative structuring to each assignment and, above all, the capability to apply expert legal analysis, advice and drafting. Creative thought in developing and delivering alternatives, solutions and results is the bedrock of this practice. We employ various methods to meet our clients' objectives, including working with legal professionals of other disciplines and outside professionals to coordinate an approach that is complete and consistent with the most current legal standards and more economically efficient than can be achieved by today's large law firms. We also offer our clients something new and different today's legal industry standard: general counseling type services aimed at assisting our clients in understanding and managing its outside counsel to lower legal fees and overall transaction costs on its real estate deals.

In today's complex economic, business and regulatory environment that has made real estate transactions dependent on many other legal disciplines, including litigation, we have forged relationships with many of the best attorneys in their respective disciplines to work with the client to ensure a full-service approach.

ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS

Our real estate lawyers represent developers, financial institutions, hedge funds, institutional investors, municipal, federal and foreign governments, and other investors in the purchase and sale of office buildings, shopping centers, multifamily residential properties, hotels and resorts, industrial sites and other commercial properties, as well as purchases and sales of equity interests and other investments in joint ventures, REITs, investment funds and other entities that own real estate.

We also negotiate property and asset management agreements and brokerage and leasing agreements, and advise our clients on the most beneficial ways to structure their transactions. Many of these transactions involve seller financing, leasebacks and like-kind exchanges. In addition, we represent a number of clients in the bulk acquisition and disposition of real estate assets and mortgage loans throughout the United States.

REAL ESTATE FINANCING

Our real estate finance practice includes lawyers with extensive experience representing lenders (including investment banks, domestic and foreign financial institutions, hedge funds and venture capitalists) and borrowers (including owners, developers, joint ventures and REITs) in making and borrowing loans intended for immediate or near-term securitization, as well as loans to be held to maturity, syndicated or sold, either individually or in a portfolio. The loans include construction loans, term loans, secured and unsecured revolving credit facilities, bridge financings, mezzanine loans, subordinate and preferred equity financings, sale-leasebacks and leasehold financings. We also have extensive experience in loan splits and A/B loans and have represented originators and purchasers of commercial mortgage loans encumbering properties located throughout the United. The firm has experience working on loan transactions secured by every type of real estate asset, including office buildings, shopping centers, apartment buildings, warehouses and hotels. In addition to our experience representing lenders in these transactions, we also represent borrowers in a variety of sophisticated real estate financing structures.

MEZZANINE LOANS, PREFERRED EQUITY AND JUNIOR PARTICIPATION TRANSACTIONS

In addition to our secured finance practice, our lawyers have developed a substantial practice in mezzanine loans, preferred equity, joint ventures and junior participations, representing both borrowers and lenders in complex mezzanine and equity-type transactions.

WORKOUTS AND RESTRUCTURINGS

Our real estate lawyer have represented both borrowers and lenders in the distressed debt area, including defensive strategies, forbearance agreements and innovative strategies in remedies, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure and restructurings.

LEASING

Our lawyers represent owners and tenants in structuring, drafting and negotiating all manner of leases and subleases (and master leases), including ground leases, synthetic leases, build-to-suits and financing leases. These leases involve office buildings, industrial facilities, corporate headquarters, department stores, shopping centers, restaurants, other retail leases and a variety of other commercial lease transactions and lease-backs.

CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

Our construction and real estate development experience includes the representation of a variety of clients in connection with commercial, industrial, warehouse, retail, office, residential, mixed-use and other development projects. We represent our clients in all aspects of the design, construction and development process. This representation includes land acquisition, zoning and subdivision matters, negotiation and documentation of development agreements (including agreements with municipalities and other units of government), construction contracts, architect's agreements, joint venture agreements, management agreements, brokerage agreements, leases, reciprocal easement agreements, financing and other agreements related to the development of real estate.

LAND USE AND ZONING IN WASHINGTON DC

Our firm's land use and local government practice has had extensive experience assisting clients in working through the complexities of the local regulatory process. We counsel clients on the applicability of municipal zoning ordinances as they impact proposed property purchases, sales and leases, as well as proposed development plans, devising strategies which lead to the quickest and most cost effective manner of gaining the needed approvals or entitlements, or minimizing the need for local regulatory approvals. In those instances where it is not possible to structure a transaction or development plan within the parameters of permitted activities, we engage in the various procedures necessary to undertake the transaction or begin development: planned developments, rezonings, special use applications, variation requests and appeals from the decisions of local zoning administrators. Our lawyers have assisted clients in obtaining benefits under various federal, state and local economic development and tax incentive programs available to encourage development.

Professionals