Our lawyers understand the entrepreneurial, relationship-driven dynamics of the San Antonio and South Texas real estate markets, and have a strong focus on the local issues that impact the cost and timing of real estate development or acquisition projects. Our experience in handling a wide range of local, regional and national work for clients of all sizes enables us to hit the ground running. We use this experience and knowledge to develop and implement the right customized strategy for each project.
Client focus
- Real estate developers and owners
- Landlords and tenants of leased commercial properties
- Lenders and mortgage brokers involved in real estate finance
- Municipalities and land use authorities
- Public authorities, developers and lenders in public-private partnerships (PPPs)
Services to property development and owner clients
Activities. We can handle every facet of commercial real estate deals through the complete lifecycle of each transaction: land use approvals, title and survey work, groundbreaking, construction, leasing, management and sale. Our lawyers work to maximize tax advantages for the project structure and help anticipate and resolve due diligence issues, environmental liability, title, deed and other problems during negotiation.
Projects. Developers and owners rely on us to complete all types of commercial real estate transactions, from condominiums and apartment complexes to commercial office buildings, residential subdivisions, retail shopping centers and industrial developments.
Services to landlord and tenant clients
Both landlords and tenants receive the benefit of Cox Smith's large, varied national leasing practice. Our representation of sophisticated nationwide leasing clients enables us to help effectively structure and document leases and their terms, with protection from default and resolution of conflicts over space remodeling.
Cox Smith also works with landlord/lessors in bankruptcy court, particularly where the debtor attempts to assume and assign the lease to a third party.
Services to real estate finance and investment clients
We work with many commercial banks and mortgage brokers, in all types of construction and permanent loans secured by real property, in amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars. This includes such innovative financing vehicles as convertible loans, multiple loan syndication, and loans backed by credit leases, ground leases and tax-exempt bonds. Our firm negotiates and structures loans and collateral documents, and carries out appropriate due diligence investigation before loan closing.
Services to land use clients
Our real estate lawyers assist both private and municipal clients with land use planning issues in development projects. We use our knowledge of administrative condemnation proceedings and our working relationships with the appointed commissioners in many Texas counties to arrive at land use rights solutions that both landowners and municipal authorities can agree on.
Services to public-private partnership clients
Public law. We handle the public law issues associated private sector participation in the use of public funds for major real estate and construction projects. That includes concerns over governmental immunity, procurement and competition laws, and constitutional debt limitations. Our lawyers work with developing authorities, engineers, title companies, lenders and many other participants in complex public-private projects, ranging from the financing, construction and operation of industrial facilities to hospitals.
Development incentives. We assist clients in developing economic development incentives that combine financing from multiple public and private sources. Businesses and municipalities, as well as state agencies, get our help to create innovative financing approaches that secure incentives tailored to our clients’ unique development needs. |