Practice Highlights
- Represent sellers and purchasers of real estate, along with other entities, in all areas of real estate transactions
- Serve clients regionally and nationally
- Possess diverse and extensive industry experience
Practice News
Events
Publications
- February 12, 2021Real Estate Alert
Cases & Deals
Real Estate
Every real estate transaction is unique and requires strategic thinking, dedication and creative solutions. The ability of the lawyers in the Real Estate Group to understand the nuances of a transaction, their diverse and extensive industry and legal experience, and fostering a team approach with their clients has garnered the Group a well-deserved reputation for being deal makers whose primary goal is always the success of the client. We believe that getting involved early in the life cycle of a transaction enables us to effectively and efficiently get the transaction done and help our clients achieve their business objectives. Clients rely on our counsel, from transaction structure to documentation through closing and administration.
The hallmark of our practice is the close working relationship we have established with clients and our individualized attention to each of them. We approach each matter as a team, involving partners, associates and staff, and work with all levels of each client’s internal organization. This team approach enables us to handle matters expeditiously and efficiently without sacrificing attention to detail. We get to know each of our clients' businesses from the inside out and, in many cases, have helped our clients formulate their internal policies and procedures. We have also played an integral part in helping our clients develop their training programs and often conduct workshops and seminars for them on various subjects in the real estate arena. Our clients rely on us not only as lawyers documenting a complex transaction, but as advisors on structuring deals and as experienced problem solvers when new or unexpected issues arise. We pride ourselves on our ability to think creatively, to work effectively with opposing counsel and to implement “win-win” situations for clients in difficult transactions.
We represent sellers and purchasers of real estate, commercial landlords and tenants, community associations, title insurance companies, banks, investment funds and others in all aspects of real estate transactions.
We have established a relationship with a network of law firms throughout the country who assist in questions of local law, practice and customs to enhance our ability to serve our clients not only around the region, but around the country. We serve as local counsel for many out-of-state institutions and as their counsel for transactions occurring in the tri-state region. When necessary, we collaborate with lawyers in the firm's various practice groups for assistance in bankruptcy and insolvency issues, tax and regulatory matters, mergers and acquisitions, labor and employment, intellectual property and complex litigation.
With diverse and extensive industry experience, many of our lawyers are invited to speak at industry and association events. We are also members of, and have held leadership positions in, a number of real estate- related associations, including the Mortgage Bankers Association, the CRE Finance Council, the American Land Title Association, the American Resort Development Association and CREW Network.
Mezzanine Finance
We have extensive experience in the origination, acquisition, disposition, restructuring, and enforcement of mezzanine debt and other high yield structures such as “B” notes, subordinate participations, and preferred equity. Having worked extensively with structured investments across all parts of the capital stack in both times of high growth and distress, we have the market perspective and practical experience to get real estate deals done for our clients. We have earned a particularly strong reputation in the area of intercreditor, co-lender and participation agreement structuring, negotiation and enforcement.
Our clients include leading investment funds, life insurance companies and other market participants.
Our lawyers are active in industry conferences, regularly moderating and participating in panel discussions regarding legal trends in the high yield space, including construction mezzanine lending.
General Commercial Real Estate
We represent commercial real estate clients, including owners, sellers, purchasers and developers, as well as community associations, in a broad range of areas. We bring to bear our many years of experience to assist them in a variety of transactions and matters including:
- The purchase and sale of improved and unimproved real estate
- Due diligence and evaluations
- Investigating and assisting in the remediation of environmentally impacted real estate, including taking properties through the “brownfield” process
- Assisting in property management
- Mechanics’ liens, code compliance and construction-related issues
- Assisting condominium, cooperative and planned community associations in all aspects of planning, governance and operations for these communities
- The resolution of title insurance claims
Real Estate Finance
White and Williams’ experienced Real Estate and Institutional Finance team handles transactions financing real estate projects of all types and sizes, from middle market to complex deals in the hundreds of millions of dollars. We counsel our clients, who include banks, life insurance companies and investment funds, through all phases of a transaction, from structuring and term sheet through closing and the life of the loan, on financing transactions including:
- Acquisition and other permanent loans on all property types (including multifamily, retail, office, hotel, timeshare, industrial, warehouse, medical office buildings, dialysis centers, student housing, senior housing, assisted living, casinos
- Construction loans and construction–to-permanent loans
- Ground lease financing
- Syndicated and participated loans
- Mezzanine lending
- CMBS
- Multi-state/multi-property portfolio lending
- Bridge lending
- Private equity
- Joint ventures
- Credit tenant lease financing
- Historic Tax Credits
- New Markets Tax Credit
- Bond financing
- EB-5 lending
- Tract residential real estate development loans
- Resort development and timeshare project loans
Our lawyers have closed loans secured by property located in almost every U.S. state, Mexico, Canada, Aruba and the U.K. White and Williams stays on top of industry developments – market, legal and regulatory. We partner with clients to understand, serve and anticipate their needs, identify and mitigate risks, and close deals quickly and cost-effectively.
Leasing
We represent clients in all types of commercial real estate lease transactions, regionally and nationally, including space leases, “big box” leases, ground leases and build-to-suit leases. The range of clients we represent in these transactions includes:
- Retailers and other tenants in shopping center leases
- Shopping center owners
- Tenants and landlords in warehouse leases
- Real estate owners and investors, as landlords in office leases
- Various businesses, as tenants in office leases
- Lenders and rent receivers as landlords of foreclosed real estate projects of all kinds
We work closely with other members of a client’s team, including brokers, property managers, architects, construction managers and environmental consultants. We also collaborate with lawyers in the Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group to represent landlords or tenants in the disposition of leases in bankruptcy proceedings.
Representative Matters
- Represented national lender in a $184 million commercial/industrial multi-property portfolio loan to a major REIT that included numerous issues in both structuring and for collateral realization
Additional matters related to Real Estate Finance
- Represented a manufacturer in the acquisition and financing of a facility in Philadelphia requiring bank, PIDC and PIDA financing
Additional matters related to General Commercial Real Estate
- Represented a corporate tenant in a lease for 116,000 square feet of space for its headquarters in a major Center City Philadelphia office building
Additional matters related to Leasing
- Represented a life insurance company in origination of $35 million mezzanine loan relating to Class “A” office building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
News
- November 5, 2020
- August 20, 2020
- April 23, 2020
- March 12, 2020
- January 2, 2020
- November 1, 2019
- November 1, 2019
- October 17, 2019
- August 15, 2019
- April 26, 2019
- November 1, 2018
- October 23, 2018
- October 18, 2018
- August 15, 2018
- May 10, 2018
- November 11, 2017
- November 1, 2017
- August 15, 2017
- April 3, 2017
- February 24, 2017
- January 6, 2017
- November 1, 2016
- October 18, 2016
- August 15, 2016
- June 3, 2016Philadelphia Business Journal
- June 1, 2016
- January 14, 2016
- January 13, 2016
- August 17, 2015
- April 6, 2015
- April 9, 2013
- November 19, 2012
- July 18, 2012
- May 30-31, 2012
- November 29-30, 2011
- November 15, 2011
Events
- IMN NYC Distressed CRE Virtual Forum | 2:35 PM - 3:15 PM ESTJanuary 27, 2021
- iGlobal Forum 10th Real Estate Mezzanine Financing Summit (Virtual)July 8, 2020 | 1:45 PM to 2:30 PM
- WebinarJune 11, 2020
- Strafford CLE WebinarMay 12, 2020
- May 12, 2020 | 3:30 - 4:00 PM
- WebinarApril 28, 2020 - 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
- WebinarApril 14, 2020 - 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
- WebinarApril 7, 2020 - 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
- IMN Real Estate Mezzanine Financing & High Yield Debt Forum (New York, NY)November 7, 2019
- IMN Real Estate Mezzanine Financing & High Yield Debt Forum (New York, NY)November 7, 2019
- White and Williams LLP (Philadelphia, PA)October 10, 2019
- American College of Mortgage Attorneys 2019 Annual Meeting (Monterey, California)September 6, 2019
- The 20th Annual U.S. Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing Forum (Newport, RI)June 21, 2019
- iGlobal Forum 9th Real Estate Mezzanine Financing Summit (New York, NY)May 7, 2019
- Strafford CLE WebinarMarch 14, 2019
- Mortgage Bankers Association of New York Breakfast Program (New York, NY)March 5, 2019
- Strafford WebinarFebruary 21, 2019
- IMN Real Estate Mezzanine Financing & High Yield Debt ForumNovember 13, 2018
- Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar & Annual Conference (Atlantic City, NJ)October 12, 2018
- iGlobal Forum 8th Real Estate Mezzanine Financing Summit (New York, NY)June 7, 2018
- CRE Finance Council (New York, NY)May 17, 2018
- IMN Real Estate Mezzanine Financing & High Yield Debt Forum (New York, NY)November 8, 2017
- Philadelphia, PANovember 2, 2017
- Risk Management Association, PhiladelphiaJune 20, 2017
- Philadelphia, PAJanuary 26, 2017
- Association of Corporate Counsel, Westchester/Southern Connecticut ChapterNovember 30, 2016
- Wilton, CTNovember 30, 2016
- IMN Borrower & Investor Forum (New York, NY)November 1, 2016
- IMN Borrower & Investor Forum (New York, NY)November 1, 2016
- The Risk Management Association (Gladwyne, PA)April 22, 2016
- Philadelphia, PAApril 7, 2016
- Philadelphia, PANovember 12, 2015
- IMN Borrower & Investor Forum (New York, NY)November 10, 2015
- Philadelphia, PAApril 23, 2015
- IMN Borrower & Investor Forum (New York, NY)November 10, 2014
- Philadelphia, PAOctober 7, 2014
- Real Estate Mezzanine Financing Summit (New York, NY)May 8, 2014
- IMN U.S. Real Estate Opportunity and Private Fund Investing Forum (New York, NY)May 29, 2013
- iGlobal 4th Real Estate Mezzanine Financing Summit (New York, NY)May 8, 2013
- Philadelphia, PANovember 29, 2012
- IMN Borrower & Investor Forum (New York, NY)November 27-28, 2012
- Camden, NJ; Villanova, PA; Wilmington, DESpring 2012
- Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers (New York, NY)May 30-31, 2012
- Real Estate Preferred Equity and Mezzanine Financing Summit (New York, NY)May 9, 2012
- Overview of Structured Real Estate Investments and "Tranche Warfare"Philadelphia, PAApril 25, 2012
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, PAApril 23, 2012
- Marriott New York Downtown (New York, NY)March 12-13, 2012
Publications
- February 12, 2021Real Estate Alert
- January 2021LexisNexis: A Practical Guidance® Practice Note
- January 19, 2021Real Estate and Finance Alert
- December 23, 2020COVID-19 Alert
- September 8, 2020Real Estate Alert
- September 8, 2020Real Estate Alert
- August 14, 2020Real Estate Alert
- August 3, 2020Real Estate Alert
- July 7, 2020Law360
- July 6, 2020Real Estate Alert
- June 25, 2020Real Estate and Finance and Tax and Estates Alert
- June 17, 2020Law360
- May 19, 2020Real Estate and Finance Alert
- May 15, 2020Real Estate and Finance Alert
- April 24, 2020Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Alert
- April 17, 2020Real Estate Alert
- April 6, 2020Real Estate, Finance and Financial Restructuring Alert
- March 30, 2020Real Estate and Finance Alert
- March 27, 2020Real Estate, Finance and Financial Restructuring Alert
- March 27, 2020Real Estate Alert
- March 26, 2020Real Estate Alert
- March 25, 2020Real Estate Alert
- March 24, 2020Real Estate Alert
- March 23, 2020Real Estate Alert
- September 16, 2019Finance Alert
- August 14, 2019Real Estate Alert
- July 18, 2019Real Estate Alert
- May 9, 2019Taking Care of Business
- April 22, 2019Real Estate Alert
- February 5, 2019Real Estate Alert
- January 16, 2019Real Estate and Finance Alert
- August 7, 2018Real Estate Alert
- April 24, 2018Tax Alert
- Spring 2018Real Estate Finance Journal
- January 3, 2018Taking Care of Business
- November 17, 2017Real Estate and Finance Alert
- October 5, 2017Finance Alert
- October 4, 2017Real Estate and Finance Alert
- September 21, 2017Real Estate Alert
- June 26, 2017Tax Alert
- April 28, 2017Real Estate Alert
- April 25, 2017Real Estate Alert
- March 29, 2017Finance Alert
- December 27, 2016Real Estate Alert
- November 30, 2016Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Alert
- October 25, 2016Real Estate Alert
- September 30, 2016Tax and Real Estate Alert
- May 16, 2016Tax and Finance Alert
- March 23, 2016Finance Alert
- March 22, 2016Tax and Finance Alert
- February 10, 2016Real Estate Alert
- November 17, 2015Finance Alert
- October 20, 2015Finance Alert
- June 23, 2015Finance Alert
- May 6, 2015Real Estate Alert
- March 31, 2015Law360
- March 17, 2015Real Estate and Finance Alert
- July 11, 2014Real Estate and Finance Alert
- April 11, 2014Real Estate and Finance Alert
- January 13, 2014Real Estate Alert
- December 12, 2013Tax Alert
- August 27, 2013Law 360 Rainmaker Series
- August 21, 2013Real Estate and Finance Alert
- June 17, 2013Real Estate, Finance and Bankruptcy Alert
- June 3, 2013Real Estate, Finance and Bankruptcy Alert
- May 22, 2013Real Estate and Finance Alert
- May 1, 2013Real Estate Alert
- March 4, 2013Finance Alert
- January 22, 2013Finance Alert
- January 15, 2013Real Estate and Finance Alert
- December 13, 2012Real Estate and Finance News Alert
- October 10, 2012Real Estate and Finance Alert
- May 11, 2012Real Estate and Finance Alert
- April 4, 2012Real Estate and Finance Alert
- March 9, 2012
Cases & Deals
- October 13, 2020
- August 3, 2019
- July 24, 2019
- April 17, 2019
- August 7, 2018
- August 3, 2018
- January 26, 2018
- November 3, 2016
Practice Contacts
- Nancy Frantz
Chair
215.864.7026 | Email | vCard - Timothy Davis
Partner
215.864.6829 | Email | vCard