Real Estate

Clients know they can trust the attorneys that comprise the Butzel Real Estate Practice Department to provide a broad range of capabilities and deep experience when they need it. Real estate developments and transactions continue to grow in variety and complexity and often require the creation of sophisticated financial instruments and leases and can include navigating intricate zoning, condemnation, and tax issues, mineral rights concerns, environmental assessments, and permitting requirements. Our industry-leading attorneys possess a nationally-recognized depth and breadth of experience and the resources to address all aspects of real estate matters, regardless of the size or complexity of the transaction. We have the legal acumen to traverse the public dollars arena-efficiently and effectively.

We have represented clients in numerous substantial real estate developments and transactions occurring over the last decade. The Butzel Real Estate team has experience handling virtually every type of project. Our experience ranges from major urban redevelopment and downtown office facilities projects to greenfield development of office, industrial, research and technical centers, retail centers, hotels, residential properties, development of community projects, to spearheading tax increment finance and signature incentive programs. As a large firm, we’re able to provide our clients with the advantage of a cross-disciplinary team approach in handling the most complex real estate-related matters. Our real estate team frequently collaborates with the attorneys in various of our practice specialties across the firm.

Our attorneys regularly share their knowledge with clients and others to provide updates in the law and other news pertinent to the real estate industry via Butzel Client Alerts and through a variety of speaking engagements. We’re proud that the firm and individual members of our Real Estate team have been named among Michigan’s leading real estate law firms and lawyers by respected legal industry publications.

Representative services include:

• 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 of offices, retail stores, restaurants, warehouses, and full buildings on behalf of landlords or tenants throughout the country
• Planning, zoning, and government relations
• Publicly 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