Commercial

  • June 24, 2024

    Ex-Chicago Alderman Gets Two Years For Boosting Law Firm

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday sentenced former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years in prison and fined him $2 million for using his official position to steer tax business to his personal law firm, closing what prosecutors called "another sordid chapter" in the city's history of public corruption.

  • June 24, 2024

    IRS Finalizes Limits To Partnership Conservation Easements

    The Internal Revenue Service finalized rules Monday that curb the conservation easement tax deduction claimed by certain partnerships, with some changes to last year's proposed version, such as limiting the opportunity for entities to adjust their tax returns to avoid the new restrictions.

  • June 24, 2024

    Real Estate Co. Fights Back Against $315M Loan Default Suit

    An RXR entity mostly denied loan default claims lodged in New York federal court by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., which sued to foreclose on a midtown Manhattan building after the maturity date on a $315 million loan passed with the debt unpaid.

  • June 24, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    DGW Kramer and Chaves Perlowitz were among the law firms that guided the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, a busy period that saw eight transactions north of $20 million become public.

  • June 24, 2024

    Red Roof Ignored Years Of Trafficking, Victim Tells Ga. Jurors

    The corporate owners of two metro Atlanta Red Roof Inn locations knew about and ignored trafficking at the hotels, a woman who said she had been trafficked at the two hotels and others in the surrounding area for six years told Georgia federal jurors Monday.

  • June 24, 2024

    Morris Manning Elevates Tech Team Leader To Co-Chair

    Morris Manning & Martin LLP has appointed its corporate technology practice founder and leader as the firm's co-chairman, turning to a longtime Atlanta-based partner who has led the practice in closing more than 950 venture capital, growth equity and merger and acquisition deals in the past three years, the firm announced Monday.

  • June 24, 2024

    JV's Self-Storage Portfolio Nets $185M Loan

    Global alternative investment firm Värde Partners provided $185 million in refinancing for a joint venture's portfolio that comprises 20 Class A self-storage facilities, the firm said on Monday.

  • June 24, 2024

    NM Sued Over Sustainable Building Credit Award Process

    A New Mexico apartment complex alleges that the state violated its due process rights after it was denied sustainable building tax credits for most of its units, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

  • June 21, 2024

    Financial Advice Guru Says Timeshare Suit Must Be Arbitrated

    A famous financial advice guru and his company have urged a Washington federal court to pause a proposed timeshare exit fraud class action and send it into arbitration, arguing that several of the named plaintiffs signed related agreements that include arbitration clauses.

  • June 21, 2024

    Feds, Enviros Spar Over Power Line Crossing Through Refuge

    The federal government and sparring environmental groups both called on a Wisconsin federal court to grant them judgment in litigation seeking to upend a land exchange that would allow a high-voltage transmission line to cross part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

  • June 21, 2024

    Property Plays: The Mark Hotel, Oak Row, Bain Capital

    Property Plays is a weekly roundup of the latest loans, leases, sales and projects around the country. Send your tips — all confidential — to realestate@law360.com.

  • June 21, 2024

    Texas Plans $185M Alamo Visitor Center Project

    Texas will spend an estimated $185 million to build the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, according to the official website of the state's Department of Licensing and Regulation.

  • June 21, 2024

    Weil Advises Carlyle's $160M NYC UN Plaza Condo Financing

    Private equity firm Carlyle Group has amended a $160 million mortgage through asset management company AllianceBernstein for an office condominium building in New York City's United Nations Plaza, with help from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, according to property records.

  • June 21, 2024

    GSA To Invest $80M In Efficiency Tech For Federal Buildings

    The General Services Administration plans to spend $80 million bringing new sensors and meters into federal buildings to monitor energy efficiency and air quality, a move the agency says will help it reduce gas emissions.

  • June 21, 2024

    Apple Hospitality REIT Snags Wisconsin Hotel For $79.5M

    Apple Hospitality REIT has picked up a Madison, Wisconsin, hotel for $79.5 million, the Virginia-based real estate investment trust announced Friday.

  • June 21, 2024

    Texas OKs $1.5B For 7 New Psychiatric Hospital Projects

    The Lone Star State is planning seven psychiatric hospital projects that will be funded by $1.5 billion authorized by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state lawmakers in 2023.

  • June 21, 2024

    Scarinci Hollenbeck Adds 6 Real Estate Attys In NJ

    Corporate and commercial law firm Scarinci Hollenbeck LLC has hired six real estate attorneys for its New Jersey offices in Little Falls and Red Bank, the firm said Thursday.

  • June 21, 2024

    Settlement Ends Amazon Warehouse Construction Fight

    A settlement has resolved a dispute between an electric subcontractor and a construction company over the delayed building of an Amazon warehouse in south Georgia, according to a joint motion to dismiss filed Thursday in federal court.

  • June 20, 2024

    Trump Calls For Engoron's Recusal In Civil Fraud Case

    Former President Donald Trump and other defendants fighting a $465 million civil fraud judgment called on New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron to recuse himself Thursday in light of a once-suspended real estate attorney's recent judicial misconduct claims, which have since sparked a judicial investigation.

  • June 20, 2024

    Ford Battery Factory Challenge Unplugged By Mich. Panel

    Michigan appellate judges affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to block Ford Motor Co.'s plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in the state, finding the factory's opponents weren't entitled to a citywide vote on the rezoning of the plant site.

  • June 20, 2024

    Ore. Water Treatment Plant Not On Farmland, Tax Court Says

    Portions of farmland used for a wastewater treatment facility were correctly denied a special farm-use assessment rate, the Oregon Tax Court said, allowing the special rate for other contested areas of the property.

  • June 20, 2024

    Meet The Bridgegate Atty For NJ Power Broker In RICO Case

    Law360 Pulse caught up with Michael Critchley Sr., counsel for recently indicted New Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III, and lawyers who know him about his decadeslong track record of successful legal defenses in high-profile cases and how he’s preparing for his latest challenge.

  • June 20, 2024

    Cadwalader Leads Loan Deals For Luxury Manhattan Hotel

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP guided a $300 million refinancing transaction and a $110 million leasehold mortgage deal for The Mark Hotel in New York, according to official property records released June 20.

  • June 20, 2024

    Shulman Rogers Boosts Real Estate Team With Fried Frank Atty

    Shulman Rogers PA has added a new real estate and commercial leasing shareholder, who has joined the firm from Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, the firm announced Thursday.

  • June 19, 2024

    CBRE Economist Sees 'Extend And Pretend' Through 2025

    Despite a real estate environment heavy with affordability issues, high interest rates and sluggish movement, CBRE global chief economist Richard Barkham at this week's National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Austin forecasted a relatively soft landing.

Expert Analysis

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • Key Provisions In Florida's New Insurer Accountability Act

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    Florida's recent bipartisan Insurer Accountability Act introduces a range of new obligations for insurance companies and regulatory bodies to strengthen consumer protection, and other states may follow suit should it prove successful at ensuring a reliable insurance market, say Jan Larson and Benjamin Malings at Jenner & Block.

  • Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability

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    As projects face loan maturities in a higher interest rate environment, lenders should diligently observe even seemingly innocuous formalities following an event of default in order to minimize potential recourse liability, especially when borrowers have certain covenants, say Ryan Goins and Matthias Kleinsasser at Winstead.

  • The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.

  • Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors

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    With rising interest rates causing many construction projects to be slowed or halted, it's important for general contractors to implement safeguard measures against the risk of significant financial losses caused by owner-driven schedule modifications, says Kevin Riexinger at Gfeller Laurie.

  • Keys To Navigating The Post-Pandemic CRE Market

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the commercial real estate market continues to face repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyers should use office occupancy and leasing volume numbers to anticipate future trends and help guide clients through an uncertain landscape, says Joseph Calvanico at J2C Valuations.

  • To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation

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    Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.

  • How Rate Exportation Is Shifting Amid Regulatory Trends

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    All banks and their partners, including fintechs, that wish to lend to borrowers in multiple states and charge uniform interest rates should heed regulatory developments across the country and determine how best to mitigate risks in their efforts to offer credit to consumers on a nationwide basis, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How The Commercial Real Estate Slump May Weigh On Banks

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    The continuing underperformance of the U.S. commercial real estate market has significant implications for the financial performance and disclosure requirements for various banks, especially regional ones with large debt exposures, say Atanu Saha and Yong Xu at StoneTurn.

  • Negotiating Material Escalation In Construction Contracts

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    As material price escalation clauses have remained popular in construction contracts despite an easing of recent supply chain issues, attorneys representing owners should understand key considerations for negotiating such clauses, and strategies to mitigate potential exploitation by contractors, says H. Arthur Black II at Brooks Pierce.

  • Landlords Should Prep As WeWork Faces Potential Ch. 11

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    After years of financial trouble and the recent announcement that it has substantial doubt that it would be able to continue as a going concern, WeWork may have a bankruptcy filing in its future that would have a significant impact on landlords and other stakeholders who are owed money by the company, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure

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    Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.

  • Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing

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    While net asset value-based lending has existed for years, NAV lending has only started to move into the mainstream recently — likely due to difficult market conditions faced by sponsors including persistent inflation, high interest rates and a lack of exit opportunities, say Matthew Kerfoot and Jinyoung Joo at Proskauer.