Overview
Ms. Arends assists and advises business clients with general business planning, entity formation and maintenance, mergers, acquisitions, commercial lending, woman-owned/minority-owned/disadvantaged business certification, risk management issues, and general business contracts. She also advises business clients on a variety of real estate transactions, including acquisition, disposition, development, and leasing of multi-family residential, retail, office, and industrial properties throughout the United States. She represents borrowers and lenders in multi-million dollar real estate financing transactions. Ms. Arends has been recognized for her expertise in navigating notable “deals of the year” on multiple occasions over the course of her remarkable career.
Some of the most meaningful matters Ms. Arends has handled involve assisting nonprofit organizations. She has helped an organization with the intricacies involved in the construction of a health care center in Detroit that provides physical and mental health care and dental care for some of Detroit’s most disadvantaged residents, and has assisted another nonprofit organization that provides housing to refugees from 20 different countries to navigate business dealings essential to the entity’s operations. Ms. Arends also assists many clients in an external general counsel role.
Geaneen Arends is a Shareholder practicing in Butzel's Detroit office. She is a Vice President of Butzel and serves on the firm's Board of Directors. She also serves as Chair of Butzel's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is the immediate past Chair of the firm’s Corporate and Real Estate Practice Departments.
Prior to joining Butzel, Ms. Arends was in-house counsel for a real estate investment and property management firm and previously practiced in the real estate groups of two prominent Detroit law firms.
Primary Practice Areas
All Related Practice Areas
- Acquisition & Disposition
- Business
- Commercial Lending
- Corporate and Finance
- Education Industry Team
- Election Law
- Federal Government Affairs
- Financial Services
- Government Relations and Regulatory Specialty Team
- Land Development
- Leasing
- Lending
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Minority Business Enterprise Specialty Team
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Outside General Counsel Services
- Real Estate
- State and Local Government Relations
- Title Insurance
- Womens Leadership Committee
Credentials
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D.
Michigan State University, B.A., History
Admissions
- Michigan
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Memberships
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Detroit Bar Association, Fellow
- Detroit Economic Club, Gold Member
- Detroit Legal News Co. (DTRL) U.S.: OTC, Board of Directors
- Detroit Public Television, Member - Executive Committee, Secretary - Board of Trustees
- Detroit Regional Chamber, Leadership Detroit, Alumna Class XXVII
- Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Classical Roots Steering Committee
- Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Real Property Law Advisory Board Member
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Board of Directors
- State Bar of Michigan, Business Law and Real Property Law Sections
Awards & Recognitions
Awards & Recognitions
Crain’s Detroit Business - 2024 Notable Black Business Leaders
The Best Lawyers in America® - Real Estate Law, 2025
Corp! Magazine – Diversity Business Leader Honoree, 2021
Crain's Detroit Business - Notable Executives in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 2021
Crain's Detroit Business - Notable Woman Attorney, 2017
M&A Advisor - Cross-Border M&A Deal of the Year (over $50MM – $100MM), 2016
Association for Corporate Growth, Detroit - All Star Deal of the Year Over $50 Million, 2015
Michigan Lawyers Weekly - Women in the Law, 2014
DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit - Nonprofits/Charities Law, 2014; Corporate Law, 2018, 2022, 2023; Real Estate Law, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020-2023; Mergers & Acquisitions Law, 2018, 2020