The experience and perspective of the Real Estate Practice Group is extensive and diverse. We represent individuals, business entities, non profit organizations, utilities, and developers in a varied field of real estate enterprises, including large industrial and commercial projects, utility and power transmission facilities, residential and commercial subdivisions and condominiums, leasing, acquisition and sales, dockominiums, planned and mixed use development, common interest ownership, recreational resorts (including timeshares), timberland acquisitions and holdings, conservation easements, and coastal and wetland development.
Julianne C. Ray and David C. Johnson are listed in the The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law. Gordon Scannell is recommended for Real Estate in Chambers USA. Gordon Scannell has been an active Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers since 2004, and has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal for Real Estate. Gordon Scannell is co-author of Maine Real Estate Law and Practice 2nd ed. (2007).
SERVICES PROVIDED
Our Real Estate Practice Group handles all phases of real estate acquisition, development, leases, and sales. We:
- Draft and negotiate purchase and sale agreements for commercial and residential properties;
- Assist with due diligence in acquiring property;
- Coordinate and conduct closings, including drafting deeds and all related conveyance documents;
- Assist with land use permitting, working with teams of surveyors, planners, engineers, and other consultants to prepare and advocate for development projects;
- Negotiate and draft leases for both landlords and tenants;
- Negotiate and draft loan documentation for real estate – based loan transactions;
- Prepare “specialized” real estate documentation, including condominium, homeowner association and timeshare documents, and all types of easements;
- Handle 1031 like-kind exchanges; and,
- Assist with simple and complex financing.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
Examples of matters we have recently handled include:
- Ongoing representation of a multinational corporation engaged in the acquisition, development and leasing of service stations, convenience stores and related distribution facilities throughout northern New England;
- Acquisition, permitting, development and leasing of an approximately 5,000 acre mixed-use development incorporating a multitude of business, agricultural, and recreational uses;
- Reorganization and recomposition the debt of numerous real estate limited partnerships owning a wide variety of commercial facilities;
- Acquisition and ownership for a single client of over 500,000 acres of timberland in northern New England representing an ongoing investment of over 250 million dollars;
- Purchase of timber interests in northern New England for a foreign forest products company;
- Acquisition, leasing, management and sale of major holdings in the downtown and Greater Portland office markets, including commercial condominium units and ground-leased buildings as well as more traditional forms of ownership; and
- Refinance a non-profit client’s HUD mortgage to permit needed renovations to the project building.
