Neal & Leroy

Practice Area

Real Estate

Neal & Leroy’s real estate attorneys advise on transactions, financing, and development matters for municipalities, developers, and property owners, tenants and landlords. Our team works across zoning, public finance, and tax structures, and clients benefit from a team that understands the whole deal rather than discrete legal issues.

Our Real Estate Practice

How We Approach Real Estate

For more than 80 years, Neal & Leroy has advised developers, property owners, investors, municipalities, and public agencies on complex real estate transactions, financing, development, eminent domain, and disputes. We have represented Landlords and tenants in complex lease transactions. Our practice spans the full lifecycle of a property from acquisition, financing, and development through leasing, disposition, and, when necessary, litigation.

Real estate matters rarely exist in isolation. Development projects often involve land use and zoning, public finance, tax incentives, environmental considerations, and government approvals and entitlements. Our attorneys work across these disciplines as a single team, allowing clients to navigate complex projects with coordinated legal counsel rather than multiple disconnected advisors.

Because our real estate transactions and litigation practices have developed together, we are able to represent clients seamlessly when a transaction becomes a dispute. Whether addressing contract claims, title issues, construction disputes, land use challenges, or other real estate litigation, we bring the same institutional knowledge and strategic perspective developed during the underlying transaction.

We represent clients across both the public and private sectors, tailoring our advice to the unique legal and business considerations of each matter. Developers, investors, Landlords, and property owners rely on us to structure acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and development projects, while municipalities and public bodies turn to us for counsel on land use, public finance, economic development, and other public-sector initiatives.

Many real estate matters we advise on also involve complex financing structures. Our attorneys help developers, property owners, and municipalities navigate public and private funding sources, tax incentives, and other financing tools to help move projects from planning through successful completion.

Neal & Leroy has one of the nation’s largest eminent domain practices. We represent property owners, municipalities, and public entities throughout the condemnation process, from project planning and acquisition strategy through valuation disputes, trial, and appeal.

Our experience extends to historic preservation and landmark properties, where legal issues often intersect with development, financing, and municipal regulation. We have advised numerous municipalities, large and small, on landmark designations and historic districts, represented property owners seeking relief from landmark restrictions, and helped clients secure tax incentives available through historic preservation programs.

OUR REAL ESTATE PRACTICE

  • Historic Preservation
  • Public & Project Finance
  • Public & Sports Facilities Development
  • Tax Increment Financing (TIF) & Community Development
  • Zoning, Development and Land Use
  • Landlord and Tenant Matters – Leasing

Our Work

Representative Matters

A selection of matters handled by our Real Estate team. Client identities are anonymized or withheld where confidentiality applies.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

  • Counsel for Comcast in connection with the development of its Regional Technical Facility.

Eminent Domain

  • Represented public university in acquisition of 100+ properties for major campus expansion project; structured TIF financing for the development; defended university in Federal court against alleged violation of National Historic Preservation Act.

LEASING

  • Neal & Leroy negotiated and drafted the ground lease between the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Fire Soccer team for the Fire’s Practice Training Facility.

PLANNED DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL & LAKEFRONT PROTECTION ORDINANCE COMPLIANCE

  • Counsel for City of Chicago and the Chicago Music and Dance Theater in Planned Development and Lakefront Protection Ordinance Process for Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Planned Unit Developments (PUDs)

  • Represents large format, high tier, mixed-use and commercial developers and asset managers in planned (unit) developments, zoning map amendments, variations, special uses, TIF and affordable housing consulting, and community engagement.

PUBLIC & PROJECT FINANCE

  • $5,000,000 Tax Increment Financing for renovation of 206,000 SF manufacturing building in Peterson/Pulaski Redevelopment Area.

  • $12,000,000 Tax Increment Financing for commercial residential development including Whole Foods Grocery store and 180 residential dwelling units in Hyde Park Community Area.

  • Neal & Leroy guided Cook County’s public-private redevelopment of the 30-acre Cook County Hospital Campus. Neal & Leroy guided Cook County’s public-private redevelopment of the 30-acre Cook County Hospital Campus, including the Stroger Hospital site and the historic Old Cook County Hospital building. Our work spanned the developer selection process, the Redevelopment Agreement and ground lease, historic tax credit approvals, and the Phase I financial closing. The project is under construction.

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Led the legal team in acquiring 600 parcels in connection with the expansion of Chicago O’Hare International Airport and CTA Orange, Brown, and Green line expansion and redevelopment.

REAL ESTATE

  • Represented a nationwide real estate investment firm in asset purchase and sales, leasing, evictions, LLC creation and maintenance, code violations, and municipal compliance.

  • Represents a Chicago convention center in connection with various real estate matters.

  • Drafts contracts, agreements, easement agreements and other documentation on behalf of various clients.

  • Commercial, Retail, Residential, and Industrial Real Estate Transaction Services including purchase and sale contracts for major financial institutions.

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

  • Counsel for developers of electric production and storage facility.

  • Represented private clients on the successful completion of projects pursuant to Redevelopment Agreements.

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT & MUNICIPAL FINANCE

  • Represented numerous Real Estate companies on developing plans and municipal finance including Tax Increment Financing (TIF).

REAL ESTATE LITIGATION

  • Represented clients in post real estate closing lawsuits, homeowner association conflicts, and municipal code violation matters.

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

  • Drafts purchase and sales agreements and prepares closing documents on behalf of clients for real estate transactions.

  • Handled residential real estate transactions for global relocation company including drafting and reviewing contracts and closing documentation.

TRANSACTIONS & FINANCE

  • Neal & Leroy represented the University of Illinois in a P3 transaction to plan, finance, and develop a Campus Instructional Facility for the College of Engineering and a Feed Technology Center for ACES on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Neal & Leroy represented the University of Illinois in a P3 transaction to plan, finance, and develop a Campus Instructional Facility for the College of Engineering and a Feed Technology Center for ACES on the Urbana-Champaign campus, financed with $75 million in Illinois Finance Authority bonds. Neal & Leroy represented the University’s interests throughout the transaction, ensuring the project complied with Illinois law and the University’s procurement and other requirements.

ZONING & LAND USE

  • Represented county in structuring deal to allow private development to rehab historic landmark hospital building.

  • Defended non-profit community medical services agency against injunction and damage claim brought by neighboring property owner claiming zoning and restrictive covenant violations.

  • Represents owner of historic commercial building seeking permission from landmark commission to rehabilitate the property; represents owner in application for real estate assessment tax reduction, historic tax credit and tax increment financing.

  • Represents cannabis business establishments in effectuating zoning map and planned development amendments and/or special uses required for local licensing and operations, pursuant to the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, and provides consultation on related regulatory compliance.

  • Consults with and represents multiple upper tier asset management companies towards the acquisition, permitting and ongoing maintenance of digital billboards and other related commercial signs.

  • Represents local and national retail, restaurant, wellness and hospitality clients toward the procurement of entitlements necessary for operation and occupancy, including special uses, zoning (map and text) amendments, liquor licensing, public place of amusement permits, and general business licensing matters.

  • Represents and helps moderate format residential and mixed-use developers grow their portfolios by and through the effectuation of zoning map amendments, variations, special uses, administrative adjustments, land acquisitions / subdivisions and sophisticated due diligence.

  • Land use counsel for financial institutions in connection with development loan transactions.

  • Land use and zoning counsel for a large affordable housing developer on Chicago’s Southside.

  • Counsel for an outdoor advertising joint venture which was selected by the City of Chicago (“City”) to install digital billboards adjacent to the expressway on certain City owned property throughout the City limits. Specific legal work included advising the client (and the City) on the constitutionality of the program, the legal and political issues involved in site/sign locations, and drafting the sign ordinance including amendments to the City’s zoning ordinance and municipal code necessary to authorize the project with the City.

  • Counsel for the developers and owners of over 25 million square feet of property throughout the City of Chicago, including serving as lead zoning counsel on one of the largest planned developments in the City’s history.

  • Represented Wal-Mart in site development and all entitlement work for the development of properties in Northern Illinois and Indiana.

  • Neal & Leroy served as counsel to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Neal & Leroy served as counsel to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on zoning approvals for a new parking garage and daycare center, land use matters for the Children’s Memorial Hospital facility, related public right-of-way adjustments, and liquor license approvals for its retail spaces.

  • Neal & Leroy is assisting Rush Hospital with the construction of a 12-story medical office building. Neal & Leroy is assisting Rush Hospital with the construction of a 12-story medical office building, including zoning approvals and public right-of-way adjustments for an underground tunnel and pedestrian bridge.

  • Neal & Leroy advises on the land use and development of the Obama Presidential Center. Neal & Leroy advises on the land use and development of the Obama Presidential Center, a three-building campus on 19.3 acres in Jackson Park, including zoning approvals, rights-of-way, and historic preservation compliance.

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