Commercial

  • October 02, 2024

    Climate Risk Is Turning The Tide In Buyer, Investor Behavior

    Climate risk isn't yet the kind of consideration that would make or break the average property deal. But as it becomes less of an abstract concept and more of a concrete part of due diligence, it's on the verge of causing major ripples throughout the real estate industry.

  • October 02, 2024

    US Seeks To Drop $1M Tax Suit Against Sleep Clinic Founder

    The U.S. government seeks to drop its case against a sleep clinic founder and his wife, whom it had accused of hiding assets, after the couple agreed to pay their tax liabilities in full, according to a filing in California federal court Wednesday.

  • October 02, 2024

    NYC Mayor Adams May Face More Charges, Feds Say

    Prosecutors told a Manhattan federal judge Wednesday it was "possible" they would charge New York City Mayor Eric Adams with additional crimes in his corruption case, indicating they have evidence he told witnesses to lie to the FBI.

  • October 02, 2024

    Ohio Tax Board Boosts Parcels' Value To Purchase Price

    Two Ohio parcels should be valued at their purchase price, a state tax board said, rejecting a local board's finding that their value should be lower because the buyer paid a premium and demolished several structures on the properties.

  • October 01, 2024

    NJ Hotels Beat Room Price-Fixing Suit For Good

    Another algorithmic antitrust suit is off the table after a New Jersey federal judge said Monday that a room-rate proposed class action against Atlantic City casino-hotels has the same failings that doomed a case over room prices on the Las Vegas Strip.

  • October 01, 2024

    Investment Firm Raises $4.7B For Bonds, Real Estate Loans

    Monarch Alternative Capital LP announced Monday that it raised $4.7 billion for the completion of its sixth closed-end fund, surpassing the opportunistic credit and real estate firm's goal and the amount raised for the previous fund.

  • October 01, 2024

    Crowne Plaza Gets Out Of Ohio Sex Trafficking Liability Suit

    An Ohio federal magistrate judge released Crowne Plaza LLC from an anonymous plaintiff's lawsuit seeking to hold lodging entities liable for sex trafficking injuries, after the survivor said the hotel chain's presence in the case "adds nothing" to her chances of winning damages.

  • October 01, 2024

    Sacramento's Biggest Tower Sells Locally For $117M

    Singapore-based real estate investment trust Manulife US said it has sold Sacramento's tallest building to a local firm for $117 million in a deal to pay off debt due next year.

  • October 01, 2024

    Treasury Plans Final Direct Pay Partnership Regs By Year-End

    The U.S. Treasury Department is eyeing the end of the year to finalize regulations for development projects to elect out of their partnership tax status to qualify for a direct cash payment of their clean energy tax credits, an official said Tuesday.

  • October 01, 2024

    When The Client Is The Mayor, The Usual Rules Don't Apply

    Representing a public official, whether the mayor of New York City, a state legislator or a city council member, poses unique challenges for even the most experienced lawyers, who often find themselves torn between fighting battles in the press and protecting their client in court.

  • October 01, 2024

    Adams Says Feds Sought To 'Tarnish' Him With Leaks

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a Manhattan federal judge Tuesday to sanction Southern District prosecutors for allegedly leaking the details of a criminal investigation for nearly a year leading up to his corruption indictment, saying negative press has hurt his standing with the public and undermined his right to a fair trial.

  • October 01, 2024

    Latham Reps CPP Investments In $15B Equinix Data Center JV

    Latham & Watkins advised Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in a joint venture with digital infrastructure developer Equinix Inc. and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC that could invest $15 billion to build data centers. 

  • September 30, 2024

    Chubb Units Avoid Nearly All Claims In Water Damage Suit

    A Connecticut federal court on Monday tossed nearly all coverage claims a commercial real estate company and its owner lodged against Chubb companies over plumbing issues at their headquarters, finding two of the defendant Chubb companies weren't parties to the policy at issue.

  • September 30, 2024

    Licensed DC Pot Shops Take Aim At Illicit Stores

    A new lawsuit in D.C. federal court is taking aim at allegedly "unlicensed and illegal cannabis dispensaries" in the district, saying the unregulated market is squeezing out legal businesses.

  • September 30, 2024

    New Calif. Law Limits Warehouse Builds, Experts Say

    With Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature Sunday, California has enacted broad restrictions on warehouse development that could pack new projects into commercial areas away from homes, schools and parks, frustrating both business and environmental groups.

  • September 30, 2024

    Retail REIT Sells 11 Properties For $610M To Bolster Spinoff

    SITE Centers Corp. sold 11 retail properties for $610.1 million, a deal the retail-focused real estate investment trust will use to stock the balance sheet of its convenience assets-focused unit ahead of a spinoff, the REIT said Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Akerman Guides Developer's $165M Fla. Land Purchase

    Akerman LLP advised developer GT USA on the company's $165 million purchase of over 2,300 acres of Lake County, Florida, land, the law firm announced on Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Urged To Revisit Retroactive FARA Registration

    The U.S. Department of Justice is pressing the D.C. Circuit to reconsider a ruling that barred the federal government from suing to compel former foreign agents to register their onetime foreign influence efforts, arguing that the precedent behind the ruling wrongly hamstrings the DOJ's ability to enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

  • September 30, 2024

    4 Firms Guide Verizon's $3.3B Wireless Comms Towers Sale

    Verizon has sold 6,339 wireless communications towers to a communications-focused real estate investment trust for $3.3 billion in a deal guided by Jones Day, Greenberg Traurig, Simpson Thacher and Mayer Brown, Verizon announced Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    A boutique Manhattan real estate firm handled two of the four largest New York City deals that hit public records last week, a slow period that saw only four transactions north of $20 million become public.

  • September 30, 2024

    Adams Asks To Toss Bribery Charge, Citing Top Court Ruling

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams moved swiftly to dismiss the bribery charge from his federal indictment on Monday, arguing that evidence of Turkish officials' gifts to curry favor with him fails to meet a high legal standard laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 27, 2024

    New Orleans Inspector Indicted For Bribing Top City Official

    A New Orleans resident and his home inspection company were indicted in Louisiana federal court Friday on charges that he operated a yearslong scheme of taking bribes to let unlicensed electricians work on hundreds of homes and bribing top city officials to look the other way.

  • September 27, 2024

    NYC Affiliates Of Troubled Miami Office Owner File Ch. 11

    Two entities related to The Gateway at Wynwood, an office building in a hip Miami neighborhood whose owner went bankrupt in July, are now themselves seeking Chapter 11 protection in New York, each claiming a bit over $52 million in liabilities.

  • September 27, 2024

    Feds Subpoena NYC Mayor's Top Aide, DA Seizes Phone

    A senior aide and confidante of New York City Mayor Eric Adams had her phone and records seized by state prosecutors and was separately subpoenaed by federal agents on Friday, the same day Adams was arraigned on federal corruption charges.

  • September 27, 2024

    Hurricane Helene Losses Could Exceed $5B: Market Analyst

    The losses from Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that slammed into Florida's panhandle Thursday evening, could exceed $5 billion and challenge insurers dealing with high reinsurance costs, according to an early estimate from the insurer credit rating company AM Best.

Expert Analysis

  • Best Practices For Lenders To Limit Recourse Liability

    Author Photo

    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
    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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
    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Conn. Ruling Highlights Keys To Certificate-Of-Need Appeals

    Author Photo

    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.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'

    Author Photo

    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.