Real Estate Law
This course examines real estate law concepts and practices associated with the development, acquisition, and operations of real estate projects. We review the major stages of commercial real estate projects through the lens of legal documents for securing site control, sourcing and raising equity, agreements for design and construction, obtaining governmental permits, securing construction financing, leasing, and realizing capital returns from refinance and/or sale. The course also examines the goals and effects of public laws regulating real estate, as well as steps which may be taken in the legal arena when a deal goes sideways, such as bankruptcy or litigation.
The course includes a mix of lectures, class discussion, written exercises, and discussions with real estate professionals involved in major projects in the greater Boston area.
The course goal is to enable students to get deep inside common real estate transactions and understand thoroughly their legal documentation, to gain familiarity with how legal issues are commonly negotiated and resolved, and to recognize how to manage the risk/reward calculation.