Ropes & Gray LLP: Real Estate

Real Estate

The Real Estate Practice of Ropes & Gray serves a broad spectrum of client needs relating to acquisition, development, investment, financing, and divestiture projects. Our lawyers provide real estate counsel both domestically and internationally.

An integral part of our Real Estate Practice serves the needs of businesses and institutions investing in and developing real estate for their own use, including the development, acquisition, management, and leasing of large office buildings or other major facilities, from site acquisition and permitting through financing. We also have responsibility for the real estate aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

Our Real Estate Practice provides practical and innovative solutions for investment funds and financial institutions that participate in the real estate industry as partners, investors, and lenders. We have represented U.S. and foreign developers in connection with major New England projects and are counsel for several leading Boston real estate companies. We also counsel banks, insurance companies, and other construction and permanent lenders in connection with real estate financings.

Our work for institutional clients and tax-exempt entities and endowments such as schools and colleges, hospitals, pension funds, and governmental agencies involves close collaboration with our tax, bond, health care, public law, ERISA, and education law groups. We are experienced in designing joint venture, partnership, leasing, and loan arrangements to avoid unrelated business taxable income while taking maximum direct and indirect advantage of available tax benefits, governmental reimbursement programs, and tax-exempt financing methods.

How We Help Our Clients

Represented a major continuing care retirement community in the development of a 482-unit property on a hospital campus, including coordination of all state and local permitting and construction and easement arrangements between the retirement community and two adjacent development projects.
On behalf of a northeastern college, we advised the client in permitting and environmental compliance and redevelopment of the entire campus. We also negotiated two long-term ground leases with a major pharmaceutical company for the development of a 300,000 square-foot and a 150,000 square-foot research facility on the campus.
Currently representing a major northeastern college in connection with the redevelopment of an existing dormitory and with the construction of a new gymnasium and student recreation center to be financed through a tax-exempt bond offering.
Represented hedge fund investing in a joint venture to develop a 415,000 square-foot office building in Washington, D.C., including the negotiation and documentation of a construction loan facility of approximately $150,000,000.
Represented a medical society in the acquisition and development of property in a suburban office park, including the construction and financing of a new 200,000 square-foot headquarters building.
Represented a Fortune 500 company in the development and financing of its headquarters building.
Represented a NASDAQ company in the long-term lease and development of a 450,000 square-foot Web site hosting facility.
Advised Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit institutions on remediation of significant waste disposal sites.
Negotiated leases for 12 anchor stores, a warehouse, and corporate offices of the seller as part of a proposed purchase of a retail store chain; also, performed real estate diligence on these sites, including evaluation of industrial park restrictions and further expansion constraints; and drafted a tax incremental financing agreement.
Structured mezzanine financing for a university endowment investing in a partnership roll-up of investments in office buildings in greater Washington, D.C.
Represented a major financial institution in negotiating the real estate collateral security package for the restructuring of a $470,000,000 credit facility to a large oil distribution company, including engaging and supervising local attorneys in 20 states.
Currently representing a New England-based developer in connection with its potential acquisition of a contaminated site for development of an 18-hole championship golf course, and several major residential towers, at a high-profile location near New York City.
Currently representing a major New England-based developer in connection with its proposed acquisition of a 50% interest in a resort and retirement development in Tucson, Arizona, including the expansion of an 18-hole golf course by nine holes, and the development of a 575 room resort hotel.
Represented independent REIT in connection with the sale of two office parks in North Carolina and Florida under two separate but integrated sales contracts to a major real estate investor.
Represented client in acquisition of distressed mortgage loan secured by a large office tower in Montreal, including the transfer of the loan to a tax advantaged entity and the foreclosure and sale of the tower.
Represented client in structuring direct overseas investment in real estate projects in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.
Represented owners in major renovation and construction projects, including design construction and project management agreements, during 2000-2001 with a value totaling in excess of $150,000,000.
Represented a major pension fund with respect to direct investments in industrial, shopping center, and residential properties.

Our Clients

Our clients include:

Investment fund sponsors (taxable and tax exempt);
Developers, real estate consulting firms, and brokerage firms;
Non-profit institutions using real estate in the conduct of their principal businesses; and
Individuals and families seeking sophisticated real estate planning.

Real Estate