"Calfee takes a practical approach and works to find a solution. I have had a great experience with the team. They offer invaluable assistance."
Client quote, Chambers USA
Overview
Calfee’s Real Estate attorneys represent business entities, developers, investors, joint ventures, syndicators, institutional lenders, and individuals in connection with matters related to the acquisition, disposition, construction, development, leasing, financing, and zoning of real property assets.
We represent sophisticated business entities engaged in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures of corporate real estate investments and assets. In addition to conventional real property transactions, our practice encompasses the formation of investment entities, joint ventures and tax-advantaged investment arrangements, tax-deferred exchanges, and the representation of clients in complex, multi-site, and multi-state transactions. Many of our project engagements are structured as private/public partnerships.
Noteworthy
Chambers USA Leading Law Firm Rankings
For 12 years, Calfee has been recognized as a Leading Law Firm for Real Estate Law by Chambers USA, most recently in Band 3 in Ohio (2024).
Chambers USA researchers noted that Calfee's Real Estate team is known for their "experienced bench of transactional experts that attracts an impressive roster of lenders, developers, and companies, as well as public sector entities. Frequently acts on the sale, acquisition, and financing of property across a range of asset classes, as well as offering extensive leasing capabilities. Complements its transactional practice with dedicated zoning and land use know-how, allowing for a full-service approach to complex development projects."
Clients interviewed by Chambers USA said that the team provides "efficient, practical, and timely advice. Calfee can grasp a challenging situation and have a great way of simplifying complex issues. The team at Calfee always provides sound counsel and makes even the most complex matters easier to understand and work through. They provided very detailed answers with a quick turnaround. They always walked through the reasons and ramifications. Their knowledge of the law and experience gave us confidence. They take the time to learn our business, in order to focus on what is key and what is not. The team works very well together, and there is great support provided across and within practice areas. Each attorney is responsive and very knowledgeable. It's a power bench. Calfee is delivering the same results as other bigger firms we work with but at a much more manageable cost."
Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Rankings
Calfee was selected for inclusion in the 2025 "Best Law Firms" rankings in Real Estate Law (National Tier 3, Regional Tier 1 Cleveland).
Professionals
Professionals
Experience
Experience
- Serving as lead counsel to a private university in connection with its transformational gateway development project. The university's mixed-use, multi-stage development includes student residences, offices, and retail uses. Current work includes acquiring key frontage properties in a 1031-structured transaction and all related diligence including environmental covenants. Calfee is working with the client to facilitate permitting and approvals, contracts with project service providers, and analysis of retail leases and tenant relocations.
- Calfee has grown our representation of a publicly traded, Fortune 500 consumer goods company in a portfolio of leasing, subleasing, divestitures, and joint venture transactions across the country. Specifically, we have represented the client on divestitures in two states and leasing and subleasing transactions in five additional states as well as with a joint venture agreement.
- Serving as lead counsel to a West Coast real estate investment company client in its sale of a multi-story office building located in a Central Ohio business park.
- Representing a publicly traded manufacturing company in connection with multiple acquisitions and divestitures of real estate optimizing its portfolio of owned and leased properties for its U.S. operations. Calfee performed all property diligence and negotiated and documented the purchase agreements to acquire manufacturing and office properties in Ohio in 2022, and Calfee is working on a site acquisition in North Carolina.
- Serving as lead real estate counsel to a gaming and hospitality client. Calfee provides real estate portfolio services to the client relating to its historical office tower in the Midwest. Specifically, we negotiated and documented the client’s engagement with an international real estate company for leasing/marketing services and property management services. We represented the client as the landlord in connection with leases of office space by two unrelated Fortune 1000 companies.
- In 2023, Calfee’s Real Estate Group assisted a professional services agency client with five locations in the USA with the review, diligence, and Landlord consents for seven leased properties located in on the East Coast and West Coast of the U.S. The client acquired the equity interests of a manufacturer, which leases large warehouse facilities in four states.
- A dealership closed its multi-million-dollar credit facility and paid off all of its outstanding debt to this client, an American multinational financial services company. Calfee’s Real Estate team assisted with the preparation of Satisfactions of Mortgages and Deeds of Trust, and Terminations of Subordination, Non-Disclosure, and Attornment Agreements for 55 retail locations and the dealership’s headquarters. Calfee also coordinated the recording of the Satisfactions and Terminations of the Subordination, Non-Disturbance, and Attornment Agreements. The 2022 closing of the credit facility represented a major transaction for the client's local office, and Calfee was able to provide significant assistance in releasing the real estate encumbered under the credit agreement.
- Assisted a publicly traded, Fortune 500, global manufacturing company with the negotiation of 15 real property leases from August 2022 through July 2023, together with the sale and purchase of certain real properties located in Ohio. The leases were for two of the client’s retail platforms and for the lease of rail tracks with a national rail line. Calfee also served as real property counsel on day-to-day real property matters for overflow work provided by the client, including without limitation, drafting and review of easement agreements, lease amendments, and the preparation of lease termination agreements. Calfee serves as regular outside counsel to the client for general servicing of real property needs.
- Handled real property matters associated with the stock sale by an employee stock ownership trust of all of the outstanding shares of the firm's client company, a multifamily residential plumbing service. The real estate matters involved the review of leases for nine leased locations located in California in anticipation of the change in control of tenants, including without limitation identification of landlord consent requirements and preparation/negotiation of related consent agreements.
- Assisting a long-term global media company client with the relocation of its headquarters. We negotiated and closed the sale of the client’s headquarters, which included the negotiation of a post-closing lease pursuant to which the client currently occupies the same property for a nominal rent. Calfee is currently negotiating a lease for real property that will take the place of its current temporary headquarters.
- Worked with a private, member-owned sport and social club client on the 2023 negotiation and consummation of a purchase agreement that resulted in the assignment to a third-party investor of the client’s interests in three separate Option, Lease, Easement and License Agreements historically entered into with three different cell phone providers having communications equipment and antennae located on and surrounding the client’s water tower. An additional easement agreement memorializing the arrangement between the parties was also negotiated and recorded at closing.
- Represented a family wealth management firm’s 2022 sale of the equity interest in an operating limited liability company, finalization of the construction of a manufacturing facility, and a sale/leaseback involving a third-party institutional real estate corporation. Calfee’s work included the negotiation and drafting of real property purchase agreements, a membership interest purchase agreement, and various closing documents on both the corporate divestiture and sale/leaseback as well as navigating the finalization of the construction of the manufacturing facility.
- Providing legal counsel in an ongoing representation of affiliated joint ventures and development projects throughout Ohio for a development and construction company. Calfee provides legal counsel in an ongoing representation of an affiliated joint venture involving the development of a former governmental facility and adjoining property to an 150+-acre, mixed-use development. As part of our ongoing representation, we have assisted this client with acquiring and financing the parcels in this development involving multi-family housing as well as the relocation of this client’s corporate headquarters to this development. This representation includes the drafting and negotiation of the development agreement amendment, drafting and negotiation of financing documents, public finance documents, residential leases, and other site assemblage matters. Additionally, our firm’s ongoing representation for this client includes overall site development work and coordination with a publicly traded Fortune 500 company, which acquired the property from the joint venture.
- Representing a publicly traded, Fortune 1000 company and its affiliated companies on the real estate aspects of various corporate and real estate acquisitions, divestitures, and leasing matters. Calfee’s work includes due diligence review, title, survey, property condition evaluations, easement agreements, and zoning analysis for owned real properties located in the U.S. Southeast and West Coast, and lease analysis involving properties throughout the United States. We also are negotiating new lease agreements and lease amendments for other related facilities as well as stock purchase agreements, membership interest agreements, and asset purchase agreements. We have represented the client and its subsidiaries in connection with several corporate transactions involving negotiating new leases and assignments of leases. We have represented a subsidiary company and their affiliated entities on a ground lease as well as various lease amendments, lease reviews, and other corporate real estate counsel in the United States and Canada.
- Representing a leading natural resources provider and its various subsidiaries on all aspects of real estate transactions throughout the United States, serving as their go-to “in-house” counsel on a variety of transactions. This ongoing representation includes advising the client on strategic business matters as well as drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, easements, licenses, access agreements, transloading agreements, occupancy agreements, non-disclosure agreements, brokerage listing agreements, due diligence reviews, real estate title and survey reviews, zoning and permitting analyses, and drafting closing documents.
- Representing a Midwest HVAC company portfolio company and its affiliated private equity firm on the sale/leaseback of properties located in two states to a real estate corporation. This representation included drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, escrow agreements, closing documents, guaranties, and other ancillary documents. This representation also included assignments of various tax incentive agreements.
- Handled the real estate aspects of several corporate transactions involving a significant private equity client and their platform subsidiaries. We drafted and negotiated stock purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements, and lease agreements.
Services
Services
Acquisition and Divestiture
- Real Estate purchases and sales
- Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate real estate transactions
- Joint Ventures
- Tax-deferred exchanges
- Sale/leaseback transactions
- Structuring acquisition entities
- Title, survey and site diligence
- Environmental risk management
- Environmental due diligence/compliance
Project Development
- Site control and acquisition agreements
- Construction and architectural contracting
- REAs, CCRs
- Public/private development projects
- Condominiums and co-operatives
- Tax abatement and governmental participation
- Conservation easements
Real Estate Finance
- Construction, permanent and mezzanine financing
- Ground lease financing
- Leveraged lease/loan transactions
- Bonds and structured financing
- Tax increment financing
- Equity syndication/participation
- Multi-state and international financing
Leasing
- Commercial, office, industrial, retail
- Ground leases
- Air rights
- Submerged land
Land Use / Zoning
- Planned unit/master development programs
- Building and zoning code compliance
- Annexation and eminent domain
- Zoning and entitlements
Real Estate Tax and Investments
- Joint ventures
- Real estate tax appeals
- Real estate tax litigation
News & Events
News
Blog Posts
