Butzel Long PC
Real Estate Law Practice

A Comprehensive Approach to Real Estate Issues

Real estate development and transactions continue to grow in variety and complexity, involving activities ranging from creation of financial instruments, leases, zoning, condemnation, and tax issues to mineral rights, environmental assessments and permitting. Butzel Long's real property practice group has a nationally recognized depth and breadth of experience and the resources to address all aspects of a real estate issue, regardless of the size or complexity of the transaction.

Butzel Long attorneys have been involved in large real estate developments and transactions that have occurred in the last decade. Our experience ranges from major urban redevelopment projects and downtown office facilities to greenfield development of office, industrial, research and technical centers, retail, hotels and residential properties. We take a cross disciplinary team approach that allows us to handle the most complex real estate related matters with leading lawyers in various practice specialties.

Counsel for Lenders and Investors

Butzel Long represents Fortune 500 companies, major insurance companies, banks, savings and loan associations, the financial subsidiaries of several major automotive corporations, and other institutional lenders in mortgage transactions, and loan and mortgage restructuring. Our experience includes acting as sole counsel for property mortgage and leasing transactions for all branch offices of the largest private mortgage banking firm in the United States. In addition, we represent several major financial institutions as local or regional counsel in commercial lending and workout matters.

Private and Public Development

Our capabilities in real estate development cover virtually every form of commercial and industrial property: large office buildings, shopping centers, commercial and industrial parks, waterfront developments, high-rise residential complexes, and assembly of land parcels. Our experience includes leasing issues, landlord/tenant issues, and contractor disputes. In the area of public finance we have structured mortgage and bond financing for numerous municipal projects including infrastructure improvements, economic development corporations and industrial development organizations.

Renewing the Old

Rehabilitation of existing structures for new uses requires an effective and creative legal structure as much as a good design. One of the largest of many such projects, the River Place Project, was facilitated by our attorneys. Butzel Long served as the legal counsel in the ambitious redevelopment of this aging, 600,000 square foot industrial complex into a multi-use residential, office and urban retail shopping center. Original partners for the project included a private owner, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, the General Retirement Fund of the City of Detroit, City of Detroit representatives and other private investors.

Loan Enforcement, Workouts, Restructuring and Bankruptcy

Butzel Long attorneys have extensive experience in all aspects of loan enforcement including judicial and non-judicial foreclosures, exercise of assignments of rents, seeking and obtaining appointment of receivers and enforcement of loan guaranties. We have represented both lenders and receivers with respect to court-appointed receiverships. Our extensive experience includes alternatives to foreclosure, such as workouts, restructuring and deed-in-lieu of foreclosure arrangements. We have represented secured lenders in connection with borrower bankruptcies, including the negotiation and implementation of cash collateral orders, and have litigated the enforceability of assignments of rents in bankruptcy and motions for relief from the automatic stay.

Environmental Issues

Attorneys from Butzel Long's environmental practice group work with clients to assess and plan for the impact of environmental issues that affect real property transactions. We help buyers obtain geo-technical and prior-use information on properties, assess remediation costs and determine the likelihood of obtaining the necessary permits for the intended use before making commitments. We have represented and counseled various financial institutions concerning contaminated commercial and industrial properties. Our services have included developing corporate environmental and policy statements and procedures for lenders as well as advising them on workouts, mortgage foreclosure decisions, and clean-up strategies for contaminated properties on which they have foreclosed.

Property Assessment, Condemnation and Eminent Domain

Butzel Long attorneys are widely recognized as preeminent in matters of property assessment and challenges, property tax appeals, condemnation proceedings, and eminent domain issues. Condemnation Law is among the most specialized and complex areas of real property law. In one case, we represented a client whose property was condemned at less than fair market value to make way for a massive manufacturing complex. Our successful arguments resulted in the award of tens of millions of dollars in excess of the government's initial offer for the property - one of the largest eminent domain awards ever obtained in Michigan. We also represent many small and mid-sized property and business owners throughout Michigan who are affected by condemnation proceedings.

Selected Services:
* Entity selection and formation
* Acquisition and disposition
* Corporate real estate issues
* Development, architectural and construction contracts
* Land use restrictions
* Financing and syndication
* Tax related issues
* Leasing
* Property transfers
* Planning, zoning and government relations
* Public financed development
* Environmental regulation
* Brownfield redevelopment
* Easements and boundary issues
* Historic preservation issues
* Condominium development and conversion
* Waterfront development
* Condemnation/eminent domain
* Homeowner association issues
* Brokerage and property management
* Foreclosure, workouts and bankruptcy
* Litigation/disputes

Butzel Long PC
150 W Jefferson Ave #100
Detroit MI 48226-4450
Tel: 313 225-7000
Fax: 313 225-7080
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