Commercial Real Estate Leasing

Overview

Cox Castle's commercial leasing experts have unparalleled experience in all facets of office, industrial, retail, mixed-use, build-to-suit, and ground leasing throughout the country. We are recognized as one of the industry’s foremost commercial leasing practices in the western U.S.

Our attorneys handle all aspects of the landlord/tenant relationship, including structuring, negotiating and documenting all types of leases and ancillary documentation related to commercial leasing and asset and property management. Our business-oriented approach weaves our clients’ business considerations into deal strategies. We have both depth of knowledge and experience to handle routine and complex transactions in a timely, thorough, and effective manner.

Office Leasing

We regularly represent landlords and tenants in matters related to office space leasing, encompassing millions of square feet of space annually throughout California, the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, and elsewhere throughout the United States. Our practice covers every type and size of commercial lease, from small offices to major corporate headquarters, as well as projects involving additional uses like restaurants, health clubs and support retail or lifestyle amenities in a mixed-use environment. In addition, we review office leases in connection with our representation of lenders and purchasers of major office buildings and projects, having reviewed, analyzed, and developed lease documentation for more than 40 million square feet of office and mixed-use product.

Industrial Leasing

We serve as counsel to major industrial developers and industrial corporate tenant users in leases ranging from small, single users to multi-million-square-foot commitments. We have negotiated and drafted leases on behalf of landlords and tenants for millions of square feet of industrial space in single- and multi-tenant industrial projects, including warehouse and distribution/logistics centers, cold storage facilities, and data centers. We appreciate and are fluent in issues particular to the industrial arena, which often include hazardous materials, back-up, and specialty equipment, along with maintenance, repair, and replacement issues.

Retail and Mixed-Use Project Leasing

We have extensive and unique experience negotiating and documenting all types of retail and mixed-use retail leases. We have successfully completed countless transactions with many national and regional operator tenants, including nearly all big-box, major power center, and neighborhood center tenants, as well as most regional mall and entertainment/lifestyle center tenants, including health club, restaurant, cinema, and other specialty operators. Our familiarity with these national and regional tenants, and our understanding of the fundamental needs of clients that operate in the retail world, allows us to complete retail and mixed-use leasing transactions in a manner unparalleled in its thoroughness, expediency, and cost-efficiency.

Ground Leasing

Our attorneys are experts in structuring sophisticated ground leases, which are increasingly used as an alternative structure to the sale, acquisition, or traditional financing of commercial real estate. A ground lease can provide stable, long-term income for the ground lessor, while retaining value upon expiration of the term of the ground lease. Conversely, a ground lease can avoid the transactional cost of land acquisition by the ground lessee while acting as a financing tool in its capital stack.

Our attorneys have deep knowledge and understanding of the nuances and complexities inherent to ground leases and how they differ from conventional commercial leases. Tapping into our significant real estate and finance experience, we structure and position ground leases so they can be insured by a title company, sold to qualified buyers upon disposition or assignment, and financed by all available capital sources.

We stay abreast and on the cutting edge of lender and rating agency requirements and trends, developing our subject matter expertise by negotiating directly with lenders and other investors in ground lease transactions. Our attorneys are particularly skilled at negotiating long-term development ground leases for our clients for individual projects and large-scale master plans, as well as public-private developments with ground lease components opposite public agencies and similar institutions, including public hospital and university systems, and cities, counties, and other governmental agencies with large land holdings.