Elizabeth Zoller Golish

Lisa has represented landlords and tenants in office, industrial, and retail lease negotiations, and purchasers and sellers in real property acquisitions. She has served as counsel to borrowers and lenders in secured financing transactions involving corporate, nonprofit, and health care sector borrowers. She also represents clients in municipal matters, including lot split and zoning issues.

Lisa helps clients complete transactions involving single or multiple site real properties as well as those transactions in which she manages the real property components of corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, public finance, and larger commercial finance credit facilities.

She has assisted a variety of client types including corporations, private equity companies, nonprofit organizations, and institutions.

Since 2022, Lisa has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA in Real Estate, Band 4 in Ohio. Lisa is described by clients as "Great to work with. She is always eager to assist and provides timely documents and counsel. Lisa works hard to get the desired results." Chambers researchers stated, "Lisa offers her clients the benefit of extensive expertise in real estate transactions, including acquisitions and development deals."

Lisa has spoken at seminars presented by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

She worked as an associate senior planner for the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and then practiced law with the historical Cleveland firm Kahn Kleinman LPA before joining Calfee in 2006. Lisa is a member of Calfee's Associate Committee.

Honors & Recognitions

• Chambers USA, Real Estate Law, Band 4, Ohio (2022-2024)
• The Best Lawyers in America^®, Real Estate Law (2020-2025)

Education

J.D., cum laude, Cleveland State University College of Law, CALI Award for Legal Writing, CALI Award for Zoning and Land Use Law, Law Review Articles Editor, 2001

B.S., The Ohio State University, 1992

Experience

• Representing 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.
• 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 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 the 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.
• 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 a 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.
• Represented a religious order in connection with design, zoning, and restrictive covenant review required in relation to a redevelopment project.
• Represented a manufacturer of air handling and ventilation units in the sale-leaseback of 180,000 square foot office, manufacturing, and warehouse facility. Later represented the same manufacturer in connection with sublease and sub-sublease of the same facility.
• Represented a lender in construction financing for historic property having residential and commercial uses, which transaction also involved the issuance of historic tax credits.
• Served as real estate counsel for a private equity firm in the asset purchase of a target company engaged in three different business platforms operating out of different locations. Later represented the acquired company in the stock purchase and related financing of the target company engaged in the development, manufacturing, and selling of specialized industrial, commercial, and military components and tools.
• Represented a local private energy provider with respect to two bond issuances and related real property concerns.
• Represented a snack food manufacturer with respect to real estate concerns in connection with a bond issuance that funded additions to be made to a recently constructed manufacturing facility. Previously represented this snack food manufacturer with the acquisition and development of the same facility.
• Represented a classic motorcycle dealership group in connection with lease negotiation for three different locations in Ohio.
• Served as local counsel in connection with the $2.65 billion stock acquisition of a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Ohio.

Professional & Community

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
• Commercial Real Estate Women, Cleveland Chapter, Former Member
• Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Former Trustee