Real Estate
Womble Carlyle's Real Estate Practice Group consists of more than 40 attorneys in offices located throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Our attorneys provide advice and counsel to the clients of Womble Carlyle on all types of commercial projects and transactions; from acquisition and sale of existing improved properties to development, construction, operation, and management of complex multi-use projects; from relatively straightforward retail shopping center leases to complex large-scale ground leases and ground lease financings; and from assemblage and development of master-planned residential, golf, and other resort communities to acquisition and sale of industrial property portfolios.
We have represented our clients in the successful acquisition, financing, development, and sale of all types of unimproved land and improved properties for residential and commercial use, including large land assemblages, major office buildings and office parks, shopping malls and centers, luxury hotels and resorts, condominiums and multifamily housing projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Our real estate attorneys have served as lead counsel for thousands of projects and, through this experience, have developed a thorough understanding of the forces at work in large-scale real estate transactions, including the needs and interests of each participant and the demands made upon each. Knowing each transaction is unique, our attorneys focus on finding creative and innovative responses to any unusual requirements or opportunities our clients face.
Our attorneys are asked to advise on all phases of a transaction, including structuring and negotiating the deal, performing or coordinating due diligence reviews, generating documentation, and overseeing the closing. Beyond this, we typically continue to provide services to our clients after closing, on matters such as construction, development, management, leasing, refinancing, and sale. Our clients see and benefit from the leadership, experience, and business judgment that Womble Carlyle’s attorneys bring to their real estate and related business transactions. The Real Estate Practice Group includes many attorneys with additional degrees and experience in business, engineering, accounting, and architecture. To bring additional experience to its legal and business orientation, our real estate attorneys work closely with attorneys in the Firm’s bankruptcy, tax, technology and commerce, environmental, litigation, and employee benefits practice groups.
Major real estate developers and builders, many of whom are active throughout the nation, are longstanding clients of Womble Carlyle. We structure, document, and implement creative financing arrangements for developers, using a variety of vehicles such as limited liability companies, joint ventures, syndicated partnerships, ground leases, sale/leasebacks and participating loans, securitized debt offerings, and real estate investment trusts.
Some of the services offered by our real estate attorneys are listed below:
- Developing basic business strategies and objectives
- Advising clients on acquisition, development, operation, and disposition of major real estate projects
- Structuring ownership and financing transactions using vehicles such as limited liability companies, partnerships, joint ventures, and ground leases
- Reviewing and analyzing construction contracts, architectural and engineering contracts, and owner and contractor claims
- Analyzing, performing and assisting in due diligence, negotiating, documenting, and closing acquisitions and sales of improved and unimproved property
- Refinancing and restructuring of non-performing financing obligations
- Negotiating and drafting development agreements, management agreements, condominium documents, easements, restrictive covenants and other agreements related to the development of real estate
