Real Estate Law
Entity structuring, joint ventures, purchase and sale agreements, leases, and acquisitions. Counsel for developers, investors, and operators, grounded in how the deals actually close.
The Practice
Real estate runs on documents that outlive the deal. The purchase agreement, the joint venture operating agreement, the commercial lease, the construction contract. Each one allocates money, control, and risk for years, and each is usually drafted by someone whose interests run the other way.
Lawyers in this practice handle the transactional and business-side work that gets projects structured, capitalized, and closed. Forming the holding and joint venture entities, drafting and reviewing purchase and sale agreements, papering leases and property management arrangements, and coordinating closings with outside title companies and escrow agents. The work is practical and commercial, built around how developers and investors actually acquire, hold, and dispose of property.
The goal is straightforward. Get the foundational documents and the entity structure right so the asset performs, the partners stay aligned, and you are ready for the next acquisition when it comes.
Why It Matters
Purchase agreements, leases, and management contracts are drafted by the seller, the landlord, or the manager. The other party signs the version handed to them. A careful review surfaces the terms worth negotiating before signature.
How a property is held determines liability exposure, tax treatment, and how partners share returns and control. The right holding and joint venture structure, set up early, isolates the asset and keeps the economics clean.
Bringing in investors means operating agreements, subscription documents, and securities considerations that have to be handled correctly from the start. The paperwork sets expectations and protects the sponsor and the investors alike.
Partner alignment lasts only as long as the operating agreement holds. Capital calls, distributions, decision rights, and exit terms all need to be settled in writing before the money goes in, not after a disagreement.
A commercial lease quietly governs cost, use, maintenance, and renewal for a decade or more. The terms drafted at signing shape the economics of the asset long after the deal closes.
A poorly drafted operating agreement costs the partnership for the life of the deal. A loose purchase agreement creates exposure that surfaces at the worst time. Getting the foundational documents right saves the next several transactions.
Services
Nine service areas covering the transactional and business-side legal work most relevant to developers, investors, and operators. Engagements are scoped to the deal, ongoing counsel is available for clients with active portfolios.
How you hold a property shapes liability, tax, and the relationship among partners. Lawyers form the holding companies, joint ventures, and syndication and fund structures that isolate the asset and match the way the deal is capitalized and operated.
Before the property changes hands, the agreement has to protect your side. Lawyers draft and review purchase and sale agreements, letters of intent, deposit and due diligence contingencies, and coordinate the closing with outside title companies and escrow agents.
Bringing in investors means getting the paperwork right from the start. Lawyers draft operating agreements, subscription documents, and investor materials, structured with the securities considerations in mind and in coordination with your advisors.
A commercial lease governs cost, use, and risk for years. Lawyers draft and review leases on the landlord or tenant side: rent and escalation terms, maintenance and operating responsibilities, build-out, renewal, and the provisions that govern leaving.
The instruments that transfer and encumber property have to be drafted and recorded correctly. Lawyers prepare deeds, easements, and related conveyancing documents, and coordinate with outside title companies so the record holds.
Development projects run on a stack of contracts that allocate cost and risk. Lawyers draft and review owner-side construction agreements, design and engineering contracts, and the change order and indemnification terms that keep a project on solid footing.
Handing operations to a manager means the management agreement sets the terms. Lawyers review and draft property management arrangements: fees, scope, reporting, decision authority, and the terms for ending the relationship cleanly.
Buying or selling at the entity or portfolio level carries its own complexity. Lawyers handle acquisitions, dispositions, and platform deals, including diligence, structuring, and the transaction documents that move multiple assets at once.
Active developers and investors need counsel between deals. Lawyers provide ongoing advisory work, zoning and land use coordination, and entity and tax planning in coordination with your tax advisors, so the structure keeps pace with the portfolio.
Who We Work With
Entity and joint venture structuring, construction contracts, capital raising, and the transaction documents that take a project from site control to completion.
Purchase and sale agreements, investor documents, entity structuring, and the acquisition and disposition work that builds and reshapes a portfolio.
Management agreements, vendor contracts, leases, and the business-side counsel that keeps operations running cleanly across a portfolio.
Fund and entity structuring, capital raising documents, and the transaction counsel that supports acquisitions and dispositions at scale.
Construction and development contracts, entity structuring, and the agreements that allocate cost and risk across a project.
Lease drafting and negotiation, management arrangements, and the ongoing counsel that keeps occupied assets performing.
How It Works
Most engagements start with a single transaction or contract. The relationship grows from there, or doesn't, depending on what you need.
01
Your lawyer learns the property, the deal structure, the partners, and the goals. This is the conversation that shapes the entity and the documents.
45-60 minutes
02
Lawyers review the purchase agreement, lease, or operating agreement on the table, or draft the one you need. Plain-English summary of the risks and the terms worth negotiating.
3-7 business days
03
Lawyers handle the back-and-forth with the other side's counsel, or sit beside you while you negotiate. You keep the relationship; the lawyer holds the legal line.
Varies by deal
04
Final review, signature, coordination with the title company and escrow agent, and the entity filings the transaction requires. Documents land in your MyRelevant portal.
1-3 business days
05
Most real estate clients come back. Lawyers stay on call for the next acquisition, the lease renewal, the joint venture that needs revisiting, and the portfolio expansion down the road.
Ongoing
Client Portal
MyRelevant is the client portal for managing the legal side of a real estate portfolio. Documents in one place, renewal alerts before lease and management terms expire, direct messaging with your lawyer, and the audit trail every owner eventually wishes they had.
Every purchase agreement, lease, and operating agreement in one place. Searchable, dated, and accessible from anywhere.
Automatic alerts before lease terms expire, management contracts auto-renew, or option and notice deadlines arrive.
Send a contract for a quick read without scheduling a meeting. Most reviews come back in two to three business days.
Purchase agreements, operating agreements, and sensitive correspondence stored with the security a real estate portfolio requires.
Message your lawyer directly through the portal — direct answers without waiting on callbacks.
Active acquisitions, pending signatures, and recent closings tracked in one view so nothing falls through.
Frequently Asked
Not directly. The firm does not perform title searches, issue title insurance, or run closings or escrow. Lawyers draft and review the purchase agreements, deeds, leases, and joint venture and entity documents, and coordinate with outside title companies and escrow agents so the transaction holds together.
It depends on the asset, your partners, your liability concerns, and your tax position. Common structures include single-asset LLCs, joint ventures, and fund or holding arrangements. Your lawyer walks through the tradeoffs and sets up the structure that fits the deal.
Yes. Lawyers draft and review joint venture operating agreements covering capital contributions, capital calls, distributions, decision rights, and exit terms. Settling these in writing before the money goes in keeps the partners aligned through the life of the deal.
Yes, on the landlord or tenant side. Leases set rent and escalation, maintenance and operating responsibilities, build-out, renewal, and assignment terms. A careful review surfaces what is worth negotiating before you sign a document that governs the asset for years.
Lawyers draft the operating agreements, subscription documents, and investor materials a capital raise requires, structured with the securities considerations in mind and in coordination with your advisors. Getting the paperwork right at the start protects both the sponsor and the investors.
Lawyers structure transactions and entities with the tax consequences in mind and coordinate with your tax advisor on the planning. The structure is better decided before closing, not after, so the economics are built in from the start.
Yes. Lawyers handle asset and entity-level acquisitions, dispositions, and portfolio and platform transactions, including diligence, structuring, and the documents that move multiple assets at once, all on the transactional and business side.
Related Services
Next Steps
Schedule a confidential consultation. The first call is a conversation about the transaction in front of you, how it's typically structured, and what's worth getting right before you sign.
State Disclosures
Virginia: Legal services in Virginia are provided by independently owned and operated Virginia law firms doing business as Relevant Law. The responsible licensed Virginia lawyer and office address for each Virginia location are listed on that location's office page.
Washington: The Supreme Court of Washington does not recognize specialties in the practice of law, and no representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
Relevant Law offices are independently owned and operated by licensed attorneys.