Commercial

  • August 26, 2025

    White & Case Guides Hotel REIT's $480M Company Sale

    Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc., guided by White & Case LLP, wants to sell itself for at least $480 million, the luxury hotels- and resorts-focused real estate investment trust announced Tuesday.

  • August 26, 2025

    Feds Look To Dismiss Calif. Tribe's $700M Casino Dispute

    The U.S. Department of the Interior, with the backing of two tribes and the California Gaming Association, is looking to dismiss a lawsuit over its decision to temporarily nix eligibility for a proposed $700 million casino and hotel project, arguing it doesn't constitute a final agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • August 26, 2025

    Ohio House Bills Seek To End Or Limit Property Taxes

    Three bills introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would eliminate property taxes by 2030, allow voters to introduce ballot initiatives to lower property taxes and increase the approval threshold for passage of certain property taxes.

  • August 26, 2025

    Tax Credit Dispute Sparks $1.3M Lawsuit Against Jersey City

    A prominent Garden State developer filed a lawsuit against New Jersey's second-largest city, claiming the city improperly reversed its position on a longstanding tax agreement — demanding nearly $1.3 million in back payments that the developer says it does not owe.

  • August 26, 2025

    NYC Real Estate Week In Review

    Fried Frank, Davis Polk and Seyfarth guided a Manhattan real estate deal north of $1 billion, the first 10-figure New York City deed that's hit records this year and one of three large trades that became public last week.

  • August 26, 2025

    Calif. Senate OKs New Tax Default Property Sales Rules

    California county boards of supervisors would be required to take new steps before approving the sale of a tax-defaulted property under a bill passed by the state Senate. 

  • August 26, 2025

    Medical Cannabis REIT Seeks Escape From Shareholders' Suit

    A cannabis-focused real estate investment trust and its executives told a Maryland federal court to permanently dismiss a proposed securities class action, arguing that most of the "core" accusations about them misleading shareholders "are speculative or factually unsupported."

  • August 26, 2025

    Dick's Sporting Goods Gets $2.4B Foot Locker Deal Cleared

    Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said Tuesday that the waiting period has expired for its planned $2.4 billion purchase of Foot Locker, after it had previously given the Federal Trade Commission additional time to review the deal.

  • August 26, 2025

    Fried Frank Guides NYC Office-To-Hotel Conversion Bid

    An affiliate of Kensico Properties filed an application with the Department of City Planning to convert a New York City office building into a 30-story hotel, guided by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.

  • August 26, 2025

    Buchalter Adds Ex-Carlton Fields Attys To LA Office

    Buchalter has hired two former Carlton Fields attorneys as shareholders for its corporate team in Los Angeles, and one of the announced hires is returning to the firm after almost 30 years.

  • August 25, 2025

    Rite Aid, Lease Buyer Hit Back At Landlord's Sale Objection

    Bankrupt drugstore chain Rite Aid and the discount clothing retailer Ross Dress For Less are pushing back against a landlord who objected to the debtor's sale of 18 store leases to Ross, saying the planned sale is in Rite Aid's best interest.

  • August 25, 2025

    Alaska Looks To Reopen Tribal Gaming Lease Dispute

    Alaska is asking a D.C. federal court to reopen a dispute that rejected an Indigenous tribe's bid to secure the right to open a bingo hall, alleging that the tribe is now claiming governmental powers over the land and treating it as Indian Country under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

  • August 25, 2025

    Atlanta-Area Hotels Failed To Stop Sex Trafficking, Suit Says

    A group of Atlanta-area hotel owners and operators, including Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, were sued in Georgia federal court by a woman who alleged that they did nothing to prevent her from being trafficked for sex as a minor even at their properties though the signs were blatant.

  • August 25, 2025

    Ex-TSA Attorney Among 3 New Lawyers At Kaplan Kirsch

    A former Transportation Security Administration attorney is among three lawyers who recently joined Kaplan Kirsch LLP, a Denver-based law firm that specializes in representing state, local and tribal government agencies on projects such as airport expansions and new rail lines.

  • August 25, 2025

    Vornado To Buy NYC Office Tower, Scraps Residential Plan

    Vornado Realty Trust will pay $218 million to acquire and redevelop a 36-story office condominium into a new office property, canceling the seller's previous plan to convert the property into a residential building, the real estate investment trust announced Monday.

  • August 25, 2025

    Morrison Cohen Hires Ex-K&L Gates Real Estate Partner

    Manhattan-based Morrison Cohen LLP announced Monday the hiring of a former K&L Gates LLP partner for its real estate practice.

  • August 25, 2025

    Texas Bill Would OK Low-Population Voter-Approval Tax Rates

    The Texas voter-approval property tax rate, the maximum rate a local government can adopt without voter approval, would be reduced for smaller taxing authorities under a bill passed in the state Senate and a House committee. 

  • August 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Weighing $47M Award Is Told Due Process At Stake

    A Mexican businessman at the center of an allegedly fraudulent loan scheme underpinning an international tribunal's $47 million award to a Canadian investor is urging the D.C. Circuit to cancel the award, calling the underlying arbitration a "blatant denial" of due process.

  • August 22, 2025

    NYC Mall Lenders, Developer Ax Foreign Investor Suit

    A New York federal judge dismissed foreign investors' suit over the loss of their investment in a New York City mall project, finding they failed to prove their investments were lost because parties allowed their funds to be subordinated to later financing provided by a Goldman Sachs affiliate.

  • August 22, 2025

    AY Strauss Boosts Commercial Real Estate Group With 4 Attys

    A.Y. Strauss announced Friday that it has added two partners, one who comes aboard from Dechert LLP and another who formerly led a practice group at a boutique firm, and two other attorneys to bolster its capacity to handle commercial real estate matters.

  • August 22, 2025

    Rubin And Rudman Adds Environmental Land Use Law Expert

    Rubin and Rudman LLP has hired a partner to the firm's environmental, land use and zoning practice group whose transactional and regulatory compliance focus will complement the firm's bench of environmental land use law and real estate law experts and litigators.

  • August 22, 2025

    Mich. Bills Seek New Tax On Electric Infrastructure Upgrades

    Michigan would exempt replacement electric distribution infrastructure from property tax and instead impose an annual tax on the electric utility that owns the infrastructure under bills introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • August 22, 2025

    Real Estate AI Co. Can't Dodge $100M Share Deal Breach Suit

    A New York federal judge has mostly denied reAlpha Tech Corp.'s bid to toss a Luxembourg-based investment firm's suit seeking to enforce a $100 million share purchase agreement, rejecting reAlpha's arguments seeking to toss the suit's breach of contract and damages claims but dismissing the plaintiff's declaratory judgment claim.

  • August 22, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Weil, Fried Frank

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Thoma Bravo buys human resources software provider Dayforce Inc. in a take-private deal, Lowe's buys Foundation Building Materials, Nexstar Media Group Inc. acquires fellow media company Tegna Inc., and Soho House & Co. Inc. inks a take-private deal with hotel operator MCR.

  • August 22, 2025

    IRS Guidance Sparks Mixed Reaction For Solar, Wind Projects

    The IRS recently narrowed the way large solar and wind energy development projects can set their construction start dates to qualify for certain tax credits, a change offering relief for some developers but new hurdles for others depending on the stage, type and size of the project.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Strategies For De-Escalating Hospitality Industry Disputes

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    As recent uncertainty in the travel business exacerbates the risk of conflict in the hospitality sector, industry in-house counsel and their outside partners should consider proactive strategies aimed at de-escalating disputes, including preserving the record, avoiding boilerplate clauses and considering arbitration, say Randa Adra at Crowell and Stephanie Jean-Jacques at Hyatt.

  • SEC Signals Opening For Private Fund Investment Reform

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    At SEC Speaks in late May, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission made clear that it's considering allowing registered funds of private funds to be offered broadly to true retail investors, meaning existing funds should review their disclosures focusing on conflicts of interest, liquidity and fees, say attorneys at Stradley Ronon.

  • Unicoin Case Reveals SEC's Evolving Enforcement Posture

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent fraud allegations against cryptocurrency company Unicoin send a clear message that while the Trump administration supports digital asset development, it will act decisively against deception, inflated valuations and false assurances, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • Opportunity Zone Revamp Could Improve The Program

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    If adopted, the budget bill's new iteration of the opportunity zone program could renew, refine and enhance the effectiveness and accountability of the original program by including structural reforms, expanded eligibility rules and incentives for rural investment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Review Risk Is Increasing For Foreign Real Estate Developers

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    Federal and state government efforts have been expanding oversight of foreign investment in U.S. real estate, necessitating careful assessment of risk and of the benefits of notifying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Evolving Federal Rules Pose Further Obstacles To NY LLC Act

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    Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent changes to beneficial ownership information reporting under the federal Corporate Transparency Act — dramatically reducing the number of companies required to make disclosures — the utility of New York's LLC Transparency Act becomes less apparent, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Negotiating Triparty Hotel Agreements To Withstand Risk

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    Brewing economic uncertainty in the hospitality industry underscores the importance of subordination, nondisturbance and attornment agreements, and hotel managers should tightly negotiate these agreements to ensure remedies will not disturb key rights, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • CRE Challenges Demand New Lease And Development Plans

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    As developers and landlords face declining occupancy of commercial, industrial and office space post-pandemic, a combination of business and lease considerations may better position stakeholders to protect the value and profitability of their commercial real estate, says Geoffrey Leskie at Segal McCambridge.

  • Ch. 11 Free-And-Clear Sale Ruling Takes Pragmatic Approach

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    A recent ruling from a New York bankruptcy court in which the debtors were allowed to sell interests free and clear regardless of a lienholder's objection signals a practical approach and a recalibration of the balance between debtor flexibility and creditor protections, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • What's At Stake As 9th Circ. Eyes Cultural Resource Damages

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    In Pakootas v. Teck Cominco, the Ninth Circuit is faced with the long-unresolved question of whether cultural resource damages are recoverable as part of natural resource damages under the Superfund law — and the answer will have enormous implications for companies, natural resource trustees and Native American tribes, says Sarah Bell at Farella Braun.

  • 5 Insurance Types For Mitigating Tariff-Related Trade Losses

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    The potential for significant trade-related losses as a result of increased tariffs may cause companies to consider which of their insurance policies, including marine, builders risk, trade credit, and directors and officers, could provide coverage to alleviate the financial impact, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Avoiding Pitfalls Around New Calif. Commercial Lease Law

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    A California law that became effective this year requires commercial landlords to extend certain protections previously afforded to residential tenancies, and a few key provisions of the law especially warrant reexamination of leasing and operational processes, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes

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    In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.