DCSIMG

Real Estate Law

Whether it's your first home purchase or your fourth, whether you've found a sleek city condo in move-in condition or an adorable but neglected Victorian with great potential, a real estate attorney is the person you turn to to make sure that the transaction goes through and that you land the home of your dreams. But residential real estate is, in fact, only a small part of the real estate field.

Real estate transactions involve hospitals, schools, hotels, and resorts, shopping centers, single family homes, multifamily housing developments, farms, churches, parking lots, and even coal mines. Real estate law concerns every aspect of commercial, industrial, and residential transactions and investments. It involves issues related to the purchase and sale of property, including financing and development; construction contracts; securitized real estate investments; property management and leasing; environmental compliance; and litigation relating to those areas. Real estate lawyers provide their clients with advice concerning all of these matters. They also help their clients navigate through the myriad governmental zoning restrictions and land use regulations necessary in order to move forward with a real estate project.

Real estate lawyers may be called on to represent clients before state and county commissions, city councils, community organizations, or in state or federal court. While some real estate lawyers specialize in litigation involving contractual or regulatory issues, many specialize in real estate transactions or land use. Those who specialize in real estate transactions advise their clients on tax issues, financing issues, and even environmental issues concerning the transaction in question. Attorneys who specialize in land use often focus on the regulatory aspects of real estate projects. They must be familiar with the federal, state, and local regulations that may affect a particular project. They often use their finely developed negotiation skills to negotiate modifications to the project in exchange for regulatory approval. In some cases regulatory disputes are litigated, in which case the land use attorney may represent either the regulating body or the regulating entity.

Reproduced from The Official Guide to Legal Specialties with permission. (c) 2000 Thomson Reuters/West. For additional information on this publication please visit  http://west.thomson.com/products/law-students. Copyright granted via e-mail by Donna Gies, September 16, 2008.