Commercial
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September 26, 2024
Pa. Supreme Court Upholds Taxes On Like-Kind Exchanges
A group of Pennsylvania real estate partners owe the state personal income tax assessed on their like-kind exchange, Pennsylvania's highest court ruled Thursday, with the majority upholding a lower court finding that the state Department of Revenue correctly issued the assessment.
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September 26, 2024
Colo. Property Tax Deferral Program Could Balloon, Panel Told
Use of a property tax deferral program in Colorado is expected to rise under a recent legislative change opening it to nearly all property owners, the state's treasurer told a legislative commission Thursday, calling the extent of the program's growth difficult to predict.
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September 26, 2024
Feds Send Message To Adams' City Hall: Buckle Up
The seizure of another of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' phones ahead of his corruption indictment Thursday and a prosecutor's cryptic vow to "hold more people accountable" suggest the landmark case may only just be getting started, experts say.
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September 26, 2024
Few Investors Say They Factor ESG In Real Estate Strategies
About a quarter of surveyed fund managers and investment professionals said they considered environmental, social and corporate governance standards in real estate investments, a smaller portion than those who factor ESG in private equity strategies, a new study found.
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September 26, 2024
Calif. Revives Tax Breaks For Manufacture Property
California reinstated a capital investment incentive program that allows local governments to offer partial property tax abatements for qualified manufacturing facilities and expanded the program to include qualifying projects that make lower initial investments under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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September 26, 2024
Law Firm Real Estate Report
The start of autumn brings changing leaves and growing law firms as offices big and small increase their footprints through the country. BigLaw firms, midsize shops and boutiques across the country all found room to grow in September.
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September 26, 2024
Renewable Land Acquires Ohio Solar Farm Serving Amazon
Real estate investment firm Renewable Land Advisers LLC said Sept. 26 that it has acquired a 435-acre property in Putnam County, Ohio, that's occupied by a 50-megawatt solar farm supplying Amazon with clean power.
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September 26, 2024
Meet The Quinn Emanuel Atty Defending NYC Mayor Adams
Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams has tapped Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Alex Spiro to defend him against campaign fraud and bribery charges, putting his fate in the hands of a hotshot attorney known for celebrity clients and courtroom miracles.
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September 26, 2024
NJ Atty Rips AG For 'Grossly Distorted' Power Broker Case
A New Jersey attorney charged in the state's sweeping indictment against power broker George E. Norcross III accused the Attorney General's Office on Thursday of "attempting to criminalize the routine practice of law" with its charges against him.
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September 26, 2024
Firms Say Moving Has More Positive Impact Than Renovating
Roughly 90% of law firms that recently relocated or renovated say the updated digs have been for the better regarding culture and "office energy," and such positive change has been most widely felt among firms that moved, according to a recent report from real estate brokerage firm Savills.
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September 26, 2024
NY Appeals Court Casts Doubt On $489M Trump Judgment
Judges on a New York state appeals court expressed skepticism Thursday of a $489 million civil fraud judgment against Donald Trump, his sons, companies and their executives, raising the prospect that the fine awarded to the attorney general could be reduced or vacated.
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September 26, 2024
Data Center Cos. Snap Up 104 Acres For Va. Campus Build
An affiliate of digital infrastructure investor Chirisa Investments and developer Powerhouse Data Centers said Sept. 26 that they have acquired a 104-acre site in Virginia for a series of data centers designed for artificial intelligence demands.
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September 26, 2024
Adams Accused Of 'Grave' Public Deceit As Feds Unveil Case
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court Thursday with corrupting his office and defrauding the public by accepting foreign campaign contributions in exchange for favorable treatment.
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September 25, 2024
Developer's NorCal Spree Ends With Fraud Claims In Ch. 11
Northern California real estate company LeFever Mattson stockpiled more than $400 million in real estate, including several local landmarks in a small town north of San Francisco. The firm now seeks bankruptcy protection amid claims following an alleged scheme by one executive to pocket millions by selling bunk equity stakes to investors.
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September 25, 2024
Developer Says Minn. City Made Rule To Block Mosque
A developer and its Muslim founders claimed in federal court that Islamophobia motivated Lino Lakes, Minnesota, and several of its lawmakers to approve a moratorium that blocked the construction of a mixed-use development project that featured a mosque.
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September 25, 2024
Not Dying After All: Tips For Maneuvering Mall Overhauls
Real estate companies are spending millions to rejuvenate indoor shopping centers in suburban cities across the U.S., but some developers may not know that revamping a mall comes with unique legal challenges.
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September 25, 2024
Fla., Calif. Seek Insurance Cures On Climate Crisis Frontlines
California and Florida may be on opposite coasts, and opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they're facing a common dilemma: how to address the stress that mounting climate risks have imposed on property insurance and real estate within their borders.
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September 25, 2024
NC Judge Limits $5.6M Hurricane Claims In Part Over Deadline
A North Carolina federal court found that a property owner awarded $5.6 million following hurricane damages could continue its breach of contract case against an insurer for alleged underpayment for 2016 Hurricane Matthew damages, though its claims for 2018 Hurricane Florence damages were time-barred.
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September 25, 2024
NJ Bill Would Hike Threshold For Tax On Property Transfers
New Jersey would raise the threshold for the imposition of a controlling interest transfer tax or an additional fee on transfers of various kinds of real property under a bill introduced in the state Assembly.
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September 25, 2024
Bar Works Crook Gets 7 Years For Role In $57M Global Fraud
A Manhattan federal judge hit an English real estate marketer with a seven-year prison sentence on Wednesday for joining what prosecutors call a global Ponzi scheme that tricked investors into pouring $57 million into the bogus workspace share venture Bar Works.
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September 25, 2024
2 Firms Assist On $289M Central Park Hotel Deal
Gencom bought the Thompson Central Park in Manhattan for more than $288.5 million, with Stearns Weaver assisting on the deed for the hotel and King & Spalding LLP aiding on a $184 million mortgage, according to records released Monday.
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September 24, 2024
Mucinex Maker To Bring $145.6M Facility To North Carolina
Health products company Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC plans to invest $145.59 million to open up a production facility in Wilson County, North Carolina, to produce Mucinex, a popular brand of cough medicine, according to a Tuesday announcement by the state's governor's office.
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September 24, 2024
Feds, Mill Owner Reach $1.4M Deal In Pollution Cleanup Row
A property development group will pay more than $1.4 million to fund a permanent stewardship as part of an agreement with the state of Washington, the federal government and a slew of tribes to resolve allegations that it released hazardous substances into Port Gamble Bay near Seattle for more than a century.
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September 24, 2024
7 Attys In M&A, Real Estate Join Jones Walker In New Orleans
Jones Walker LLP announced that seven attorneys focused on mergers and acquisitions and real estate law from New Orleans firm Fishman Haygood LLP joined the firm's corporate practice.
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September 24, 2024
Commercial Lender Raises $430M From 3 Investors
3650 REIT announced Tuesday that it has secured capital commitments from Temasek, the California State Teachers' Retirement System and an unnamed private wealth firm totaling nearly $430 million.
Expert Analysis
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Rising Interest Rates Bring Risk For Construction Contractors
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.
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Keys To Navigating The Post-Pandemic CRE Market
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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.
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To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
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.
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How Rate Exportation Is Shifting Amid Regulatory Trends
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.
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How The Commercial Real Estate Slump May Weigh On Banks
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.
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Negotiating Material Escalation In Construction Contracts
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.
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Landlords Should Prep As WeWork Faces Potential Ch. 11
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.
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Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
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.
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Key Drivers Behind Widespread Adoption Of NAV Financing
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.
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Conn. Ruling Highlights Keys To Certificate-Of-Need Appeals
The Connecticut Supreme Court's recent decision in High Watch Recovery Center v. Department of Public Health, rejecting rigid application of statutes concerning certificate-of-need procedure, provides important guidance on building an administrative record to support a finding that a case is contested, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'
Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.
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Pickleball Makes Waves In Fla. Real Estate, With Risks In Play
Pickleball's burgeoning popularity in Florida is catalyzing a transformation in the state's commercial real estate market, but investors must take steps to navigate legal challenges related to noise, insurance and community dynamics, says Emmanuelle Litvinov at DarrowEverett.
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4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.