Our experience includes condemnation, zoning, institutional finance matters, residential and commercial real estate finance and real estate-related litigation.  The Firm’s approach in real estate transactions emphasizes coordination with other professionals, both within and outside the Firm (including lawyers and other professionals specializing in governmental relations, architects, engineers and consultants), in order to achieve the objectives of our clients. Our attorneys have represented public and private entities, as well as local and national organizations and agencies, including corporations, partnerships, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, operators, developers and individuals in the business of developing, owning, managing and operating real estate assets.

Firm lawyers represent clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate transactions, including acquisition, financing, and development.  We have represented lenders, borrowers and purchasers in commercial real estate ventures.  The real estate projects in which we have participated include retail, office, residential and mixed-use developments.  Representation includes negotiation and preparation of commercial lease agreements (for lessors and lessees), construction contracts, creative real estate financing, foreclosures and administrative zoning proceedings, including the representation of developers before municipal agencies.

We have been involved in an array of sophisticated development transactions which include private and public investment in secured and unsecured debt, acquisition financings, credit enhancement, leveraged and synthetic equipment leasing, equity securities, structured debt financing and project financing for transit equipment.   

Beginning in 2000 until January 2004, the Firm was retained as co-counsel by Bi-State Development Agency of the Missouri-Illinois Metropolitan District d/b/a Metro to perform a real estate due diligence inquiry of the right-of-way property assets comprising its 34.4-mile light rail line in Missouri and Illinois and light rail vehicle maintenance facility (the “29th Street LRV Maintenance Facility”) in Illinois. The Firm completed a thorough due diligence review on the properties comprising the 29th Street LRV Maintenance Facility and on the portion of the MetroLink line from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.  In addition to preparing detailed reports describing the title status of the individual property parcels examined by the Firm, we prepared appendices listing the underlying documents evidencing exceptions to title in the properties, Land Maps identifying the physical location of the reviewed right-of-way properties and Land Map Matrixes identifying acquisition documents and the title status of the right-of-way properties.