Real Estate

Chaffe McCall ’s real estate section establishes a unique working relationship with our clients by learning the ins and outs of their businesses, and acting as a partner in every endeavor.

 

Chaffe McCall Partnership

Our partnership is not just responding to requests for help, but actively coordinating our resources to meet our clients specific goals.  Our real estate practice is multifaceted and supports the full spectrum of our real estate section.  We represent borrowers and lenders in the financing of all types of real estate assets throughout the Gulf South.  Our clients are involved in

  • acquisition
  • development
  • construction
  • mezzanine and permanent loans
  • project financings

They include real estate developers, REITS, pension funds, project sponsors, national retailers and investment companies who invest in raw land, retail and commercial projects, as well as commercial lending institutions of all types.

We take a team approach on many financing transactions, combining the expertise of real estate and financing specialists to produce efficient and timely outcomes.  Our clients have grown to appreciate this approach and have commented on many occasions how they have benefited from our comprehensive handling of their financing needs.  Chambers USA noted that the section “excels at getting planning applications and deals together very quickly.” This approach allows us to offer proactive presentation on everything from a single asset transaction to very complex transactions with multiple parties over wide geographic areas.  We offer a results-oriented, time-sensitive service our clients appreciate and can count on.

Chaffe McCall’s real estate group has experience in acquiring properties to be assembled for unified development.  We assist our clients throughout the zoning, permitting and licensing process.  Through our title insurance agency, Greater Gulf Title Insurance Agency, Inc., we are able to arrange title binders and deliver title policies quickly when needed.

In addition to traditional financings, Chaffe McCall’s real estate group also has extensive experience in tax credit enhancement of real estate development financings.  Our practice includes representing parties involved in the rehabilitation of historic structures that generate federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits, as well as facade donations and tax abatements.  We also represent clients in transactions involving federal new markets tax credits, Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds, and other incentives, including PILOT and TIFF structures.

We also have broad experience in complex real estate loan foreclosures, workouts and re-structurings and regularly collaborate with other practice areas in litigation and bankruptcy matters involving real estate assets or issues.  The finance group also actively participates in M&A transactions that have a real estate component.

Chaffe McCall’s Real Estate attorneys excel at the fundamentals of the business, assisting clients with:

  • buying
  • selling
  • developing
  • operating properties.

But we’re not satisfied with covering the usual bases.  Our attorneys represent clients and handle matters in all areas where real estate may be involved.

Instability in the financial markets combined with the global economic downturn have presented parties involved in today’s real estate market with the challenges of dealing with the gauntlet of limited financing options, stricter lending standards, and substantially depressed real estate valuations.  With this backdrop, it is essential to have legal counsel possessing the breadth and depth of knowledge and experience necessary to address the fallout issues that are sure to follow.

At Chaffe McCall, real estate, finance, bankruptcy, litigation, and tax attorneys partner with clients to develop a thorough consideration of all options and strategies available to reach efficient and cost-effective solutions to a wide range of problems that may arise as a result of the financial crisis and economic downturn.  With offices in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and Houston, Chaffe McCall is well known to the courts and financial and real estate market participants in the region.  We can provide the local presence that is so often essential in addressing clients’ issues. The breadth and depth of our experience, combined with our “partnering” approach to providing legal services, give us the unique ability to

  • analyze the possible risks and rewards before investments are made or loans are closed and then
  • offer comprehensive representation to financial institutions, investment funds, and developers in real estate transactions, loans, workouts, foreclosures, and bankruptcies.

 

Team Recognition

Chaffe McCall’s real estate section has also garnered international recognition.   It has been chosen by Corporate International Magazine as the “Best Law Firm in Louisiana for Real Estate Work.”  The head of the business section, E. Howell Crosby, was named a Louisiana Super Lawyer by Law & Politics and was selected as one of the top 10 Lawyers in the State of Louisiana.  Howell was also one of only six Louisiana lawyers included in the International Who’s Who of Real Estate Lawyers, which identifies private practice lawyers with a proven track record in providing advice to clients – including tenants, investors and developers – on all aspects of buying, selling, leasing, developing, and managing real estate.   Howell is also the Past President and a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys.

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