Real Estate and Land Use

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Babst Calland’s Real Estate Services Group provides integrated, full service legal representation in all aspects of commercial real estate law.

For more information:
Marcia Grimes
(412) 394-5418
mgrimes@babstcalland.com

Commercial real estate transactions involve a broad spectrum of legal needs in today’s increasingly complex regulatory and economic climate. Successful completion of real estate transactions requires expertise beyond traditional principles of real estate law. The attorneys at Babst Calland are uniquely qualified to provide this expertise by combining real estate, zoning and land use, construction, commercial and finance law with extensive environmental risk assessment and allocation experience. In representing developers, owners, tenants, buyers, brokers and managers of commercial real estate, Babst Calland’s real estate attorneys combine extensive expertise with a practical approach to yield top-quality and creative legal solutions in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

NATURE OF PRACTICE

Babst Calland’s real estate attorneys are skilled in all facets of the commercial real estate transaction, from structuring the basic transaction (including general business, tax and real property considerations and alternative methods of owning, financing and operating the project) and continuing throughout the project’s life, from acquisition to development and construction financing, equity infusion, construction, leasing and management, permanent financing, refinancing and disposition. By integrating our services, our real estate attorneys regularly work with attorneys from the bankruptcy, construction, corporate, environmental and finance practices when those disciplines are relevant to a particular transaction.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

The real estate attorneys at Babst Calland have decades of experience representing large and small clients in all aspects of commercial real estate, including the following:

• Acquisitions and Dispositions, including industrial facilities, brownfields sites, office buildings, shopping centers, apartment complexes and other properties.
• Development of condominiums, shopping centers, industrial parks, assisted-living facilities, utility and industrial facilities and large mixed-use developments.
• Construction, including construction contracts, developer agreements, design, engineering and architectural agreements, and bonding arrangements.
• Real Estate Finance, including traditional and nontraditional mortgage financing, government financing programs, equity participation loans, synthetic lease and ground lease financing and sale/leaseback transactions.
• Environmental, such as assessing environmental risks, compliance with laws and regulations, negotiating environmental indemnities and navigating governmental brownfields programs.
• Leasing and Property Management, representing both landlords and tenants, including in ground lease, build-to-suit leases, warehouse leases, industrial plant leases, oil and gas leases, mineral leases, shopping center leases and others.
• Brokerage, such as negotiating commission and management agreements.
• Title Insurance, such as issuing title insurance and providing settlement services, and prosecuting or defending title claims.
• Mining, Utilities and Natural Resources, including leases, licenses, rights of way, royalties, conveyances and reservations of oil, gas, coal and other mineral rights and natural resources.
• Condemnation/Eminent Domain, representing both property owners and condemning authorities regarding easements, rights of way and other property interests.
• Condominiums, Cooperatives, etc., creating commercial and residential condominiums, cooperatives, planned unit developments and home owners associations.
• Zoning and Land Use, such as subdivision and land development; building, occupancy and zoning permits; zoning challenges, variances, special exceptions and conditional use application.

COMMITMENT TO THE INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY

The real estate attorneys of Babst Calland are active members and in leadership positions of many industry organizations, including the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), International Right of Way Association (IRWA) and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network. In addition, many of our attorneys speak regularly at industry meetings and conferences. The commitment of Babst Calland’s real estate attorneys to the community is demonstrated by their serving on municipal planning/zoning boards and commissions and by providing pro bono legal services to Habitat for Humanity.

In every undertaking, the real estate attorneys of Babst Calland are committed to the goals of providing premium legal work in a timely and cost-effective manner. We keep abreast of the latest trends and techniques without losing sight of the time-honored tradition of personal service. Our clients have grown to expect the extraordinary, and we have grown accustomed to providing it. The depth and breadth of Babst Calland’s experience relating to various aspects of real estate projects is commensurate with the increasing complexity of the projects themselves.