Duane Morris guides both landlords and tenants through all aspects of commercial lease transactions. We pride ourselves on facilitating our clients’ business goals and objectives. We find solutions to resolve issues that inevitably occur, rather than creating obstacles and hurdles. Our clients recognize us as creative lawyers who know how to get their deals done, quickly and efficiently.
Leasing Transactions
Duane Morris lawyers have extensive experience across many real estate product types, including office, medical office, industrial/ warehouse and retail. Our retail experience includes in-line shopping centers, open-air “lifestyle” centers, out-parcels, malls of all sizes and free-standing “big box” buildings. Our experience ranges from areas as diverse as data centers to natural resources. Our leasing work includes national leasing portfolios, operating leases, ground leases, corporate headquarter leases, subleases, build-to-suit leases and sale-leaseback transactions, for both landlords and tenants. We also handle leasing-related documentation, such as landlord waivers, construction work letters, subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements and recognition agreements.
Our Approach
We focus on understanding our clients’ needs and goals. With that understanding, we then prepare, negotiate and complete lease transactions on terms that meet those business objectives, within the time-periods established by our clients. Based on many years of experience in the leasing industry, our lawyers provide clients with strategic and business insights and practical advice that help simplify and expedite complex leasing issues. As leasing deals are rarely routine, we draw on our legal skills and strong business acumen to resolve intricate issues involving approvals, permits, construction, operating expenses, energy efficiency, profitability, leverage, REIT accounting, and liability protection. We understand how real estate businesses function and how business people think. We know what lenders will agree to and what makes a tenant lease capable of being financed.
As part of a large international law firm, we frequently draw on our colleagues’ skills in other legal disciplines such as tax, finance, health care and education, depending on the unique circumstances of the transaction.
Our Attorneys
Duane Morris lawyers combine legal skills with practical experience gained as general counsel for national publicly traded real estate companies, registered architects, certified public accountants, urban planners and licensed real estate agents. Our lawyers are not only experienced real estate practitioners, but also active participants in the industry. Duane Morris attorneys are active in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the Real Estate Roundtable, NAIOP, CRE Finance Council, the United States Green Building Council, the Appraisal Institute, community development corporations, and various national and local professional associations and trade organizations. We share our industry knowledge as frequent speakers at national forums for the American Law Institute, the American Bar Association, Stratford Legal, and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Our lawyers also participate in national leasing advisory councils such as Georgetown Law School’s Advanced Leasing Education Council.
Our longstanding record of helping clients complete challenging lease transactions has earned recognition in the industry and by legal publications. Commercial Property Executive has repeatedly ranked Duane Morris as among the top real estate law firms headquartered in the United States. In addition, Duane Morris’s Real Estate Practice Group includes attorneys who have been recognized in Chambers USA, hold the distinguished CRE professional designation from The Counselors of Real Estate, and are Accredited Professionals under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
For More Information
For more information, please contact David B. Yelin or any of the practice members referenced in the Attorney Listing.