Real Estate Law
Transactions
The Firm has extensive experience in a wide variety of real estate transactions representing purchasers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, landlords and tenants. We represent developers, owners, investors and traditional and non-traditional financing sources. Our attorneys have been involved with many different types of new and existing commercial projects including office buildings, medical buildings, shopping centers, hotels, multi-family apartment projects, single-family residential subdivisions, and condominiums. Representation of clients in the real estate area includes handling of contract, construction, financing, leasing and other matters.
We have represented many clients in the development of real estate projects. This representation includes negotiation of the acquisition agreement; review of title commitments, surveys and other due diligence information; negotiation of acquisition, ownership, financing and closing documents; and closing of the transaction. Handling of the closing may be done by our Firm's title insurance company, Chicago Title Insurance Company. Representation of the client may also include negotiation of construction contracts for the project's development. Alternatively, we may be involved with a seller of commercial real estate development such as an apartment building or a shopping center. Our representation would include contract negotiations, resolution of title issues and preparation of closing documents. We might also be asked to assist the client with the reinvestment of the sales proceeds in a tax-free exchange.
Our lawyers have devoted substantial time to the handling of leasing matters, both for landlords and for tenants. Our clients' wide array of real estate holdings present opportunities to work with the client in various situations to develop practical solutions in lease negotiations. The Firm's experience in the commercial leasing area includes, from the landlord's perspective, representation of medical office developers and financial institutions, and from the tenant's perspective, representation of multi-floor tenants, technology companies, physicians and law firms.
We have significant experience representing real estate investors. This representation includes development due diligence, condominiumizing of buildings, the financing, acquisition and sale of single-family lots, agricultural tracts of land and commercial tracts and the arrangement and negotiation of conservation easements. We also represent various condominium associations handling of matters related to the homeowners' association and restrictive covenants. The Firm also represents homeowners' buying, selling and constructing custom homes for $1,000,000 or more.
Zoning
The Firm's attorneys have broad experience in representing commercial and residential owners in matters affecting their use and development of their properties. This experience includes working with federal, state and local governments and agencies. The Firm's attorneys have handled matters for clients in cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Flower Mound, Irving, Arlington, Denton, Rockwall and Austin. The Firm has worked with municipalities and their planning departments and zoning commissions, with county commissioners, agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Texas Turnpike Authority. The Firm's attorneys are knowledgeable about, and experienced in, platting and subdivision; planned use development; master planning; mixed use planning and development; variances; specific use permits; and zoning amendments. Clients' transactions have included acquisitions of a private airport, and acquisition of land for highway construction. Recently, the Firm's attorneys assisted a client in successfully obtaining unique zoning for a large tract of land for a project within a pedestrian-oriented, vertical and horizontal mixed use environment. In this project, the Firm's attorneys also worked with the client's architects, engineers and other construction professionals to ensure that the zoning would permit development in accordance with the client's master plan and aesthetic vision.