Commercial

  • April 11, 2024

    Dallas Developers Must Each Pay Bond In $400M Foreclosure

    A Texas appeals court on Thursday ordered developers to cough up more money as they appeal a ruling in a roughly $400 million foreclosure case involving an upscale residential tower in Dallas, saying that each of the debtors needed to file a bond as the case works its way through appeals.

  • April 11, 2024

    Odebrecht Exec Details Bribes To Ex-Ecuador Comptroller

    The former director of Odebrecht SA's operations in Ecuador told jurors Thursday that he paid millions in bribes to "Miami" — a code name for Ecuador's former comptroller — related to various infrastructure projects the Brazilian conglomerate was building in the country.

  • April 11, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Nixes Chelsea Hotel Tenant's Rent Suit

    A New York appeals court unanimously backed a lower court's ruling that denied a Chelsea Hotel tenant's bid for rent stabilization for his studio apartment.

  • April 11, 2024

    Investment Firms Beat Target With $950M Logistics Fund

    NorthBridge Partners LLC and Park Madison Partners LLC surpassed their target and raised almost $950 million for a fund focused on infill logistics assets, with an emphasis on coastal markets, the investment firms said.

  • April 11, 2024

    MoFo Advises On $200M Loan Modification For NYC Tower

    Morrison Foerster LLP advised on the modification of a $200 million mortgage borrowed by an affiliate of developer and property manager The Durst Organization from JPMorgan Chase, according to official property records.

  • April 11, 2024

    Maine Eliminates Municipal Property Tax Levy Limits

    Maine will no longer set limits on the amount that local municipalities can increase property taxes by each year as part of a law signed by the state's governor.

  • April 11, 2024

    REIT Buys Hyatt Hotel In Texas For $230M

    Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. will buy the 630-room Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk hotel in San Antonio, Texas, for $230 million, the real estate investment trust announced.

  • April 11, 2024

    Proskauer Adds Kirkland Partner For Tax, Estate Issues

    Proskauer Rose LLP has added to its private client services department a partner from Kirkland & Ellis LLP who specializes in developing domestic and international tax and estate plans for clients with very high net worth, the firm announced.

  • April 11, 2024

    Spencer Fane Expands In Dallas With Pair Of Real Estate Pros

    Spencer Fane LLP has added two new real estate partners to its Dallas office, including a former in-house general counsel at a marina company and a former Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP attorney.

  • April 11, 2024

    Treasury Proposes Steeper Foreign Investment Law Penalties

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a notice Thursday proposing to sharpen its procedures and enforcement practices for reviewing foreign investment deals for national security issues, according to an announcement.

  • April 11, 2024

    Norton Rose Adds Office Space In Historic Chicago District

    Two years after entering the Chicago legal market, Norton Rose Fulbright has expanded its Windy City office, adding approximately 15,000 square feet across two additional floors in the Fulton Market district.

  • April 11, 2024

    Akerman Adds Another Real Estate Litigator In NYC Office

    Akerman LLP has hired a litigator who focuses his practice on a range of real estate matters and is joining the firm's New York City office as a partner, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Texas Panel Seeks Evidence In $1M Real Estate Quagmire

    A Texas appellate panel suggested Wednesday that both sides fighting about a soured real estate financing deal need to do more to make their cases, asking attorneys during oral arguments to point to evidence that either confirms or refutes the existence of a contract.

  • April 10, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Hires 3 Attys For Boston Land Use Team

    Nixon Peabody LLP hired three former Sullivan & Worcester LLP real estate attorneys based in Boston for its permitting and land use team, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Nixon Peabody Builds Practice With Hiring Of Ex-Sports Agent

    Nixon Peabody LLP has added to its corporate practice counsel a former sports agent well-versed in the world of athletics to bolster its entertainment and sports and stadiums teams.

  • April 10, 2024

    Mich. Justices Block Wind Farm's Plan To Expand Near Airport

    The Michigan Supreme Court has upheld a local board's decision to block a commercial wind farm expansion, agreeing with a trial judge that zoning officials had marshaled enough evidence that the windmills posed safety risks to aviators.

  • April 10, 2024

    FBI, GSA Face Criticism Over Response To HQ Site Probe

    Republican lawmakers continued to criticize the FBI and General Services Administration on Wednesday over contentious plans for a new FBI headquarters, citing concerns over the planned site and size of the facility, and the agencies' responses to a related investigation.

  • April 10, 2024

    Botched Herbicide Job Spoiled 'God's Creation,' Ga. Jury Told

    Counsel for a rural Georgia quail hunting operation told an Atlanta federal jury Wednesday that when their client hired a company to thin out the woods on its property with herbicide, it instead brought "death and destruction" to the bucolic retreat.

  • April 10, 2024

    How Bradley Arant Is Keeping Up With Growth In Dallas Shop

    Law360 Pulse spoke with Gene Besen, managing partner of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP's Dallas shop, about how the firm is expanding its footprint there to accommodate the growing operation.

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ, La. Nursing Home Owner Settle FHA Loan Fraud Claims

    A Louisiana nursing home owner reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to end a lawsuit accusing him of misusing funds and assets for his Federal Housing Administration-insured facilities before and after Hurricane Ida.

  • April 10, 2024

    KKR, Inovia Lead Rental Platform Guesty To $130M Series F

    Short-term rental platform Guesty said Erdinast Ben Nathan Toledano & Co. advised as it has raised $130 million in its Series F funding round in a bid to grow its reach, with representatives from new investors KKR and Inovia Capital joining the company's board.

  • April 10, 2024

    Blackwells Unveils Takeover Plans For Hospitality REIT

    Blackwells Capital told Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. investors on Wednesday that its intention to take the reins of the real estate investment trust's board of directors is necessary to stop a manager from "milking" the company for all it's worth.

  • April 10, 2024

    Activist Investor, Retail REIT Trade Barbs Over Board Strategy

    An asset manager and a real estate investment trust exchanged blows in proxy statements over the last week, with the activist investor urging shareholders to dump board members it says are conflicted and the shopping center REIT claiming the firm wishes to sell or liquidate the company.

  • April 10, 2024

    Real Estate Fund Raising Still Muted With $14B Bagged In Q1

    The biggest funds to close in the first three months of 2024 showed that investors are banking on multifamily, industrial and hospitality assets to net returns as the commercial real estate industry continues to hiccup, while capital raising overall is down compared to prior quarters.

  • April 10, 2024

    Eversheds Sutherland Gains Baker Hughes RE Ace In Houston

    Eversheds Sutherland announced Wednesday that it had added a counsel to its real estate practice in Houston who joined after more than a quarter-century working in-house for energy technology company Baker Hughes.

Expert Analysis

  • 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

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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.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • 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.

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

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    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

  • 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.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

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    Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

  • 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.