Expert Counsel, Optimal Results
With more than 40 years of experience in real estate law, our Real Estate and Land Use group provides full-service representation and expert counsel to best serve our clients’ unique needs and circumstances. Our Real Estate Land Use group prides itself on the wide breadth of issues and situations in which counseling and advice have been provided, from interfamilial transfers of the homestead residence to aiding a family member in need of assistance to multiparty regulatory approval, acquisition, financing, and development of mixed use projects of significant value. In contrast to the prevailing trend of relying exclusively on email to conduct business, which often has the negative effect of distancing the attorney and staff from their client, our group extends personalized service to our clients in the traditional manner of in-person meetings. The following are examples of the matters for which this group provides representation and advice in real estate law in Boca Raton and beyond, from addressing the day-to-day concerns to resolving clients’ most challenging issues.
Residential Transactions
FAU Research Development Park
Our group remains firmly committed to dedicating a significant portion of its resources to the representation of individuals and families in the South Florida area relative to the sale, acquisition, and financing of single family residences, condominiums, and cooperative units. In keeping with this objective, the group provides advice and representation in the process of negotiating and preparing purchase and sale agreements, closing services, functioning as the closing agent, and issuing title insurance.
The group interacts with buyers, sellers, condominium, cooperative, and homeowner’s associations, real estate brokers, taxing authorities, mortgage lenders, both first and second, and all other entities in order to coordinate an efficient and successful residential closing.
Construction and Development
Since the dawn of the 20th century, South Florida has experienced the exciting and frustrating dynamics of economic development. The leading element in the upward cycles has been real estate development. This has resulted in our group providing increased counsel and advice to some of the most significant developers and institutional lenders in the South Florida area. Clients have relied upon the expertise and extensive experience of Real Estate attorneys to aid them in the achievement of their strategic goals in regard to:
- Land acquisition;
- Entity structuring;
- Equity investment;
- Financing;
- Land use and regulatory approvals;
- Contracts with general contractors and related professionals. such as architects and engineers; and
- The closing of end unit sales.
Leasing
Our group has devoted significant time to the representation of clients in lease transactions involving both landlords and tenants throughout the South Florida area. These projects have involved ground lease situations and office, retail, and industrial properties. Very specialized knowledge of real estate law in Boca Raton and South Florida has been gained in relation to the structuring, development, and leasing of university affiliated research and development parks through our regulatory representation of:
- The Master Developer of the Florida Atlantic University Research and Development Park in both Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach and
- The Treasure Coast Education Research and Development Authority in Fort Pierce, Florida, which is the governmental entity developing a university affiliated research and development park on the Fort Pierce campus of the University of Florida and adjacent property of St. Lucie County, Florida.
In both instances, the structure involves a lease from the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to the Authority, a sublease by the governing Chapter 159 Authority to the Master Developer, subleases to various subdevelopers, and ultimately to the various end users and space tenants. These transactions and the financing at every level have afforded a unique exposure coupled with the corresponding skill set to address each aspect of these uncommon lease transactions.
Condominiums, Planned Unit Developments and Mixed Use Projects
One of the marked features of the South Florida community since the founding of the firm has been the ubiquitous presence of residential condominium regimes. The history of our group has paralleled this development. We have extensive experience in the development and establishment of condominium regimes, the turnover of the association, and unit closings. Similar experience has been gained relative to Planned Unit Developments and Mixed Use Projects, which often involve the condominiumization of all or portions of the projects.
Financing
As an incident of the extensive involvement in the real property practice of South Florida, our group provides representation and advice on an ongoing basis to borrowers, guarantors, and lenders in real property-related financing transactions of a commercial nature, involving:
- Conventional mortgage loans;
- Equity financing;
- Mezzanine loans;
- Construction mortgage loans;
- Refinancing;
- Assumptions; and
- Commercial mortgage-backed securities transactions.
Defaulted Loans and Distressed Property
With the relatively recent worldwide economic collapse, the attention of our group was once again focused upon defaulted loans and the consequences thereof: workouts, distress projects, restructuring, receiverships, foreclosures, and the challenges and opportunities presented by these conditions. Utilizing the considerable real estate experience and legal talent refined during the three most recent “busts” in the South Florida real estate market, our group is able to think quickly and derive creative solutions to the issues and obstacles that may be present.
Through this expansive knowledge of real estate law in Boca Raton and the surrounding South Florida community, we are able to assess situations, address the imperatives and objectives of all parties involved, and achieve a desirable outcome for clients.
