Overview

Burns & Levinson represents clients throughout New England and the country to implement innovative and efficient solutions to complex real estate situations.  Burns understands the unique challenges and opportunities real estate presents to commercial, government, institutional, and private clients and we work with them to develop specific strategies tailored to their particular goals and objectives. 

Our real estate clients include real estate developers, charitable and education institutions, tenants, and public agencies involved in a wide range of projects such as office buildings, educational campuses, public works, industrial parks, manufacturing sites, retail centers, energy generating facilities, affordable housing, and multi-family residential buildings.  We work with our clients throughout the entire process—from developing the right real estate asset strategy through project permitting and delivery. 

Because complex real estate transactions require the support of a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, our real estate attorneys routinely work with their colleagues throughout the firm to address finance, tax, litigation and corporate matters that arise on sophisticated real estate matters.  We often advise clients on the structuring of real estate transactions for estate and business succession planning purposes, to maximize tax benefits, and for other business purposes, including the selection of appropriate ownership entities.  Our real estate attorneys work closely with their counterparts in the Trusts & Estates Practice to structure and implement the most efficient plans to manage clients’ real estate holdings. 

Experience
  • Counsel to the State of Rhode Island and higher education authority in negotiation of a long term development lease to transform former power generating facility into high-tech advanced nursing education center
  • Local real estate counsel to global real estate investment fund in connection with the acquisition of major commercial properties in the city of Boston
  • Counsel to a major equipment manufacturer and commercial investor in development of off-shore wind energy and gas-fired production facilities
  • Counsel to national brownfield developer in remediation and adaptive-reuse of former historic industrial buildings
  • Counsel to New York-based real estate development company in connection with environmental compliance, permitting, and leasing related to Massachusetts retail portfolio
  • Counsel to national hotel developer in obtaining municipal tax stabilization agreement to support construction of a hotel
  • Counsel to national investors and developers in environmental remediation, coastal permitting and adaptive reuse of former fuel storage facilities for residential and mixed use development
  • Counsel to purchaser in construction, financing and environmental issues in connection with mixed-use new development project  
  • Currently representing a number of cannabis-related client ventures in acquisitions, leasing and permitting of various Registered Marijuana Dispensaries and Cultivation Centers throughout the United States
  • Served as legal counsel to Rockport Music on all real estate acquisition, permitting and development matters related to the construction of the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts
  • Counsel to auto retailer in connection with the permitting of a new dealership facility in the city of Boston
  • Advised owner in negotiation with major retailer to lease 115,000 square foot retail property
  • Represented owner in structuring lease of 50,000 square foot office building to health insurance provider
  • Represented property owner in connection with portfolio of retail space leases to various national wireless providers
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