Commercial

  • February 12, 2025

    Emerging Hot Spots In Real Estate Practices

    New real estate practice areas are emerging as the commercial real estate lending landscape shifts, office landlords look to repurpose their buildings, distress plays out and a race to build data centers shows no sign of slowing.

  • February 11, 2025

    Calif.'s Insurance Safety Net Gets $1B Infusion For Fire Claims

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has signed off on $1 billion in additional funding for California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to ensure the plan can keep paying consumer claims to survivors of the Southern California wildfires, according to an order issued Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Split 6th Circ. Backs Ex-Cincinnati Politician's Conviction

    A split Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday that, although a close case, there was enough evidence to convict a former Cincinnati council member of bribery and attempted extortion in connection with a sports betting development project spearheaded by a former Cincinnati Bengals player.

  • February 11, 2025

    NY Judge Sides With Attorney In Golf Malpractice Row

    A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended summary judgment in favor of an attorney in a legal malpractice lawsuit in which he is accused of causing the plaintiffs to lose an Arizona golf course property because he failed to file the proper bankruptcy paperwork.

  • February 11, 2025

    Fla. Senate Committee Advances Resilient Building Tax Credit

    A Florida Senate committee unanimously voted on Tuesday to advance bills to create a resilient building tax credit program, develop guidelines for green and gray infrastructure to address rising sea levels and require public hearings for state park land management plans.

  • February 11, 2025

    Houston CBRE Broker Says He Was Fired For Complaints

    A Houston real estate broker asked a state court to force his company to arbitrate his claims of employment discrimination and retaliation, claiming that he was fired after complaining of company actions that included a COVID-19 vaccine mandate and poor treatment of female employees.

  • February 11, 2025

    Vornado Sees Landlord's Market For NYC Office

    Vornado Realty Trust, in a year-end call with analysts, said New York City office market conditions could lead to a "spike" in rents, while political conditions may have spurred the company to scrub mentions of diversity and inclusion from its annual filing.

  • February 11, 2025

    Florida Industrial Park Fully Leased With Latest Signing

    Colliers said Tuesday that the 132-acre Interstate Crossroads Logistics Center became fully leased after the project broke ground in 2021.

  • February 11, 2025

    JLL Closes $1.1B Refinance Of Midtown Office Tower

    JLL's Capital Markets team lined up a $1.125 billion refinancing on behalf of the owner and property and asset manager of a 42-story, 1.2 million-square-foot Midtown Manhattan office tower, JLL announced Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Colo. Bill Would Offer Spread-Out Property Tax Payment Plan

    Colorado would allow residential and commercial property owners to pay taxes in four installments, rather than two, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 11, 2025

    NJ Bill Seeks Tax Credits For Housing At Abandoned Sites

    New Jersey would create corporate and gross income tax credits for completed residential housing projects at abandoned commercial building sites under a bill introduced in the state Senate.

  • February 11, 2025

    NY Bill Would Direct New Tax Revenue To Property Tax Cuts

    New York state would require money derived from new or increased taxes to be used to reduce local property taxes under a bill introduced in the Senate.

  • February 11, 2025

    Investor Oaktree Closes $16B Distressed Debt Fund

    Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management on Tuesday said it had closed a $16 billion distressed-debt fund aimed at providing capital to companies in a variety of industries, with Kirkland & Ellis advising. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Liquidating REIT Sells Denver Plaza For $132.5M

    Equity Commonwealth sold off its last office property, a 709,402-square-foot Denver office plaza, for $132.5 million to an unnamed buyer as it wraps up liquidation, the Chicago-based real estate investment trust announced.

  • February 11, 2025

    Colliers Expects Bumpy 2025 Recovery For Office Market

    Commercial broker Colliers said the U.S. office sector ended 2024 with signs of stability stemming from demand for top-quality space, even as falling rents at lower-tier buildings could spell an uneven recovery.

  • February 11, 2025

    NYC Mayor Says Bribery Case Is Over, Despite Silent Docket

    Amid an absence of activity on the court docket, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared Tuesday that the federal bribery case against him "will no longer continue," following reports of a U.S. Department of Justice memo directing prosecutors to drop the case.

  • February 11, 2025

    Bannon Cops To Fraud Scheme In Border Wall Case

    Donald Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, pled guilty Tuesday to a single felony fraud scheme charge in New York state court as part of a deal with Manhattan prosecutors to avoid jail time in his "We Build The Wall" charity fraud case.

  • February 10, 2025

    Calif. Ruling Holds Wildfire Debris Not A Coverable Loss

    Two California homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris that infiltrated their home, a state appeals panel ruled, saying there was no evidence the debris caused the kind of loss or damage required for coverage.

  • February 10, 2025

    Morgan Stanley Exec Sees US Real Estate Poised For Upturn

    There is a lot of volatility and uncertainty in the world today, but a number of conditions point to the U.S. real estate market still being well-positioned to forge a recovery over the next few years, a leader of Morgan Stanley's real estate investment arm told attendees at a recent conference in Miami.

  • February 10, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Says DOI Gives It No Protection In Casino Row

    The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria told a California federal judge that the U.S. Department of the Interior filed an incomplete status report about how it will monitor another tribe's project plans for the construction of a casino, saying the report fails to protect FIGR.

  • February 10, 2025

    Ill. House Bill Seeks Study Of Eliminating Property Tax System

    Illinois would direct its Department of Revenue and the governor's Office and Management and Budget to determine the possibility of eliminating the state's property tax system and replacing the revenue with income tax receipts under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • February 10, 2025

    Simpson Thacher Brings On Registered Funds Partner In NY

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has hired a New York-based partner in its registered funds practice to focus on real estate and capital markets, the firm said Monday.

  • February 10, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig, Kirkland Guide $195M Hotel, Condo Loan

    Property owner, operator and developer GFI Capital Resources Group Inc. borrowed a $195 million mortgage loan for its downtown Manhattan hotel and condominium building in a deal guided by Greenberg Traurig LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • February 10, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Greenberg Traurig, McDermott Will & Emery and Pryor Cashman are among the law firms that landed work on the largest New York City real estate deals that hit public records last week, with an SL Green Realty Manhattan transaction leading the way.

  • February 10, 2025

    Latham, Hogan Lovells Advise Hyatt's $2.6B Playa Hotels Buy

    Latham & Watkins LLP guided Hyatt Hotels Corp. on a $2.6 billion acquisition announced Monday of Playa Hotels & Resorts NV — which operates resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica — and worked with Hogan Lovells on the deal.

Expert Analysis

  • NY CRE Lenders Need Clarity On Foreclosure Standing

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    Recent contradictory New York case law regarding issues of standing in commercial real estate litigation creates confusion for borrowers and lenders alike, and should be addressed by courts in advance of the anticipated onslaught of commercial mortgage-backed securities foreclosures, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.

  • Adjusting Deals To Reflect Shifts In The CRE Market

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    As the commercial real estate market strengthens and moves out from a challenging time, industry participants should consider any concessions made due to recent trends and update transaction documents accordingly before entering into new deals, says Alexander Davis at Mayer Brown.

  • 4 International Arbitration Trends To Monitor In 2024

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    Global growth slowed substantially in 2023, and may continue into 2024 due to geopolitical instability, which could fuel four key trends in international arbitration in the coming year, including investor-state and commercial arbitration, an increase in arbitration out of China, and more, say Gregory Litt and Sharmistha Chakrabarti at Skadden.

  • How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments

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    The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.

  • Key Issues When Navigating A Tenant's Bankruptcy

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    In light of recent Chapter 11 filings by Rite Aid and WeWork — companies with thousands of commercial leases — practitioners should review issues that can arise when bankruptcy is used to exit a lease, including the consequences of lease rejection and the statutory cap on landlord damage claims for a rejected lease, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

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    In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Sale-Leasebacks May Provide A Safe Financing Alternative

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    Amid rising interest rates and unpredictable market conditions, sale-leasebacks can be a useful investment option for both buyers and sellers, though their potential drawbacks demand careful consideration, says Chanel Di Blasi at Crosbie Gliner.

  • 5 Recent Developments Family Offices Are Watching In 2024

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    Although family offices have long been exempt from many of the more onerous regulations and reporting requirements governing U.S. investment advisers and asset managers, recent amendments to federal rules will have an impact on how family offices invest and operate in 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Challenging CRE Environment Holds Opportunities In 2024

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    As the commercial real estate market faces reduced occupancy levels and rising financing costs, the new landscape will be favorable to those who can leverage capital, strategic vision and expertise to meet challenges like taking on distressed properties and converting office space to residential use, say Nesa Amamoo and Vered Rabia at Skadden.

  • What The 2023 Bank Failures Taught Us, And What's To Come

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    As 2023 draws to a close, it's apparent that the bank failures this past spring sparked a seismic shift in the regulatory and supervisory landscape for banking organizations, and the consequences are still continuing to be felt throughout the financial sector as we head into 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Difficult Year For CRE, But Future May Be Brighter

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    2023 was a challenging year for the commercial real estate industry, marked by significant uncertainty, but market pressure and signs of rising interest rates provide some reasons to be cautiously optimistic for the year ahead as pandemic headwinds and gridlock fade away, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

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    As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What WeWork's Ch. 11 Filing Means For Landlords

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    WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey has the potential to be one of the most consequential cases in the real estate industry in many years, and presents a number of issues for landlords, including unexpired leases, assumption, assignment and more, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.