"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
- Provide legal counsel in an ongoing representation of affiliated joint ventures and development projects throughout Ohio for a privately owned development and construction company and its affiliated companies that currently manage nearly 50 active projects across the country. Calfee provides legal counsel involving the development of a former governmental facility and adjoining property to a nearly 200-acre, mixed-use development in the Midwest. The client is relocating its corporate headquarters, and we represented the client with construction loan financing to facilitate such development while continuing to assist the client on overall site matters, including the drafting and negotiation of the development agreement amendment, drafting and negotiation of financing documents, public finance documents and other site assemblage matters. Calfee was also instrumental in assisting this client in obtaining Transformational Mixed-Use Development (TMUD) tax credits for the development. Additionally, our firm’s ongoing representation for this client includes overall site development work and coordination with a publicly traded, Fortune 500 company that acquired property from the joint venture client to develop its state-of-the-art national research and development in 2020. Calfee assisted the client in purchasing vacant land for an industrial development, which included the negotiation and preparation of the definitive purchase agreement, deed, and due diligence review (title, survey, zoning, and environmental). (2023-2025)
- Represented a publicly traded, Fortune 500 multinational manufacturing 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, zoning analysis for owned real properties located in the Southwestern U.S., and lease analysis involving properties throughout the United States. We recently finalized the terms of a long-term lease of a large industrial facility in the Midwest for a planned expansion of operations there. 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 and their affiliated entities in various lease amendments, lease reviews, and other corporate real estate counsel in the United States and Canada. (2025)
- Represent a leading mining and mineral 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. (2025)
- Represented a leading mining and mineral provider and its various subsidiaries in connection with the acquisition of over 1,600 acres of land and sand mining operations in the U.S. This transaction was a competitive bid process and our real estate team led all aspects of the significant real estate components of this transaction, including the negotiation of the definitive asset purchase agreement, leases, licenses, tri-party agreements, and other ancillary agreements. Our team also represented the client at the Board of Zoning Appeals to obtain a conditional use permit for its mining operations as well as complicated and numerous lot split plats matters. (2024)
- Served as lead counsel for a New York City-based real estate developer client on the acquisition and financing of three industrial tenant-occupied facilities in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. Our role included the negotiation of definitive purchase agreements, lease agreements, deeds, loan agreements, deeds of trust, mortgages and other ancillary documents, as well as all diligence material reviews (title, survey, zoning, environmental and property condition reports). This client was concluding a 1031 exchange and used such funding proceeds to purchase two industrial tenant-occupied facilities in the Midwest and one industrial tenant-occupied facility in the Southeast. (2024)
- Assisted with the negotiation of a critical and long-term lease agreement in the Midwest as part of an overall corporate acquisition of a beverage group manufacturing client. This acquisition was critical in the client’s overall growth plan in the country and added a critical operations facility to its portfolio of existing locations. (2024)
- Represented a privately owned, multibillion-dollar company in connection with an asset acquisition that included significant real estate holdings in the Southeastern U.S. Our real estate team negotiated a definitive asset purchase agreement and ancillary documents as well as title, survey, environmental, property condition, and zoning review. (2024)
- Represented a realty group in connection with its high-profile sale of over 75 acres of land in the Midwest to a county in connection with the purchasing county’s proposed jail complex development. Calfee represented the seller in all aspects of the sale of this property, including the negotiation of the purchase agreement, deed, easements agreements, and other ancillary documents as well as assisting with lot split and other permitting matters. (2024)
- Represented a leading mining and mineral provider and its various subsidiaries on an important laboratory space lease in the Southeastern U.S. that is integral to its continued expansion plans. Our representation included lease negotiations and permitting matters. (2024)
- Represented a privately owned development and construction company and its affiliated companies in the purchase of vacant land in the Southeastern U.S. for an industrial development project that included negotiation of the purchase agreement, deed, ancillary documents, and due diligence review (title, survey, zoning, and environmental). (2024)
- Handled, from beginning to end, the negotiation of the lease for a publicly traded, Fortune 500 global consumer product company's relocation of its corporate headquarters in Southeastern U.S., the largest lease signed in this metropolitan area in more than five years. (2024)
- Assisted a publicly traded, Fortune 500 multinational manufacturing company client, with the negotiation of 13 real property leases, subleases, and license agreements from August 2023 through July 2024, together with the donation of land to a local park district. The leases were for two of the client’s retail platforms. Also serve 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. (2024)
- Handled all real estate matters relating to the membership interest purchase of a bulk transportation and warehousing company for a transportation and logistics company client with hundreds of locations in North America. This transaction was of significant importance to the client, since it allowed our client to expand its growing business. The client also acquired pursuant to separate real property purchase agreements, two additional properties in Michigan. (2024)
- Handled real property matters associated with the acquisition of approximately 65 acres of real property and mineral interests in Ohio for a multibillion-dollar global industrial supply company client headquartered in Southeastern U.S. The transaction involved the Ohio county's Economic Development & Finance Alliance and included Tax Increment Financing from the city. (2024)
- Handled an asset purchase by a manufacturing and distribution company client, including lease review, assignment and consent matters relating to seven leased facilities located in the Western and Southwestern U.S. (four states); the transaction represented a large expansion to our client's existing manufacturing products business. (2023)
- Handled a client’s sale of a luxury automobile dealership, which was a significant divestiture for the client, including the real estate, which it had owned in excess of 20 years. (2023)
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
