Large Business Enterprise

Westminster Legal Group has extensive experience in representing publicly-traded corporations and lending institutions in dealing with all phases of distressed commercial real estate loans, from portfolio analysis to REO disposition. Our firm represents banks, insurance companies and other institutional lenders, and worked on all property types from single-family suburban land developments to downtown office buildings. We have represented numerous institutional creditors in negotiated restructurings, bankruptcies, foreclosures and receiverships of distressed investments and REO disposition. The firm's legal team has represented numerous institutional mortgagees in enforcing their lien rights in out-of-court restructurings, foreclosures and in Chapter 11 cases.

• Construction & Development

We assist owners and developers of large commercial and industrial projects in negotiating and documenting their architectural services agreements and construction contracts.

• Environmental & Natural Resources

Many real estate matters involve environmental liability, water and air discharge permits, water rights and other natural resources issues. We advise clients in structuring transactions and managing their real property, including a wide variety of commercial, industrial and residential properties, to address these matters.

• Land Use, Development, Easement and Right-of-Ways

Our firm works to secure appropriate zoning entitlements and related permits, easements and right-of-ways for industrial developments, retail centers, office buildings, energy projects and special use facilities.

• Leasing

Our leasing expertise ranges from modest to multi-million dollar transactions for industrial parks and office buildings, shopping centers, general commercial warehousing, energy facilities and multi-use and special use facilities. We represent both landlords and tenants.

• Sales & Acquisitions

We assist our clients in all aspects of purchasing, selling, and financing developed and undeveloped real estate, including land use and zoning reviews, curative title work, transaction and entity documentation.

• Workouts and Bankruptcy

We have been at the forefront of legal developments related to the recent downturn in the real estate market. Our expertise includes workouts, loan restructuring, lease modifications, foreclosures and bankruptcy.

• Our Other Services Include:

Assisting clients to structure, negotiate, conduct due diligence, and close transactions involving the purchase, sale, lease, and financing of real estate.

Enforcing the rights and remedies of parties in default situations, typically involving disputes relating to the purchase, sale, lease, and financing of real estate, covenant interpretation and enforcement, and all types of construction-related matters.

Counseling condominium, cooperative, and homeowner associations, offering this unique client base a full range of services that include contract negotiation and preparation, governance and enforcement matters, loan transactions, bid analysis and other construction matters, labor and general employment issues, general corporate work, and commercial litigation.

Structuring tax advantaged transactions such as like-kind exchanges and acquisitions of land and buildings of all types.

Handling shopping center acquisitions, expansions, leases, sales, and financings, multi-use high rise property, hotels and office parks.

Representing lenders in all aspects of their businesses, from negotiating and documenting construction loans and other loans secured by mortgages upon real estate, the workout of defaulted loans, foreclosures, and bankruptcies.

Counseling regarding environmental matters.

Counseling in areas relating to land development and land use such as annexation, planning approvals, zoning, subdivision, annexation, and condemnation matters, and the preparation of underlying covenants and reciprocal contracts which may be required to create a common interest regime or to cover the sharing of burdens and responsibilities between adjoining land owners.

Assisting clients with arranging incentives for real estate development and improvement.

LITIGATION

We serve as local and national litigation counsel to clients ranging from family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies and local counsel to companies headquartered throughout the world. Our efforts and achievements have fostered long-term client relationships and recognition at the local, state and national level for outstanding litigation achievements.

We determine the client's specific goal, gather the facts, evaluate the legal issues, and then focus our efforts on achieving that goal efficiently. If the objective can be achieved by settlement, we are skilled negotiators within and outside mediation settings. If a matter can be resolved by summary legal disposition, we target that result. If clients wish to avoid courtroom litigation, then we guide the matter through arbitration or other conflict resolution processes.

Our legal team has tried and litigated many cases, both jury and bench, before administrative agencies, and in front of arbitration panels, including the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and private mediators.

• Alternative Dispute Resolution

Our legal team represents clients in arbitration, mediation and other ADR proceedings. 

• Appellate

Our appellate practice includes the representation of clients before federal and state courts as well as agencies throughout the United States.

• Bankruptcy, Insolvency Proceedings and Creditors' Rights

Our experience in bankruptcy and workouts is well-recognized.  We work in a variety of industries, counseling creditors and identifying solutions to their financial issues.

• Class Actions

We have defended clients in numerous class actions at the federal and state levels across the country in these high-stakes disputes.  We are knowledgeable with the intricacies of class actions and are skilled at identifying early opportunities to seek dismissal of such claims.

• Commercial Disputes

Leveraging our experience and litigation skills, Westminster Legal Group LLC represents clients in all types of commercial disputes from basic collections matters to more complex ones such as avoidance and recovery of fraudulent transfers under both the bankruptcy code and state law, Uniform Commercial Code violations and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

• Construction

We have experience representing clients in contract negotiation, counseling, litigation and dispute resolution relating to a wide variety of projects, including office, commercial and residential buildings, manufacturing facilities, laboratories, water distribution systems, schools, libraries, stadiums, convention centers, shopping malls and retail centers, hotels, governmental facilities, roads, bridges, transit stations, and single family residences. 

• Consumer Finance

We have broad experience counseling and defending clients on the various consumer finance related laws in state and federal courts throughout the country, both in individual and class action cases. Our firm provides preventative counseling to clients and advise them on how to avoid litigation in the future. 

• Directors’ and Officers’ Liability

We represent boards and directors and officers (D&O) in liability defense, internal investigations, government investigations and insurance coverage matters. 

• Environmental and Pollution

We litigate environmental matters involving contaminated property, whether initiated by governmental agencies or other third parties under federal and state statutes, regulations and other laws.

• Fiduciary Litigation

Fiduciary litigation often involves complex trust, estate, guardianship and similar matters at both the trial and appellate levels.  We have represented individuals, charitable organizations, banks and trust companies in such matters involving a broad range of fiduciary issues.

• Municipal Litigation

We have successfully obtained administrative and legislative decisions through both litigation and negotiations with local, county, and state governments.

• Real Estate and Land Use/Zoning

We have experience handling virtually all types of real estate disputes and litigation, including proceedings involving condemnation, mechanics’ liens, landlord-tenant disputes, disputes arising in condominium and common interest community associations, contract rescission, environmental problems, construction disputes, zoning issues, actions to quiet title and partition matters.

• Shareholder Disputes

Our team is experienced in resolving disputes among shareholders and protecting our clients’ interests including in privately held businesses. When disputes are unavoidable, we assist clients in resolving issues through mediation, arbitration or litigation.

• Unfair Competition and Restrictive Covenants

We handle the full range of legal issues such as proprietary business information, including trade secret, non-compete, unfair competition, breach of contract, restrictive covenant, and non-solicitation matters for a variety of clients.

We build on our firm’s other practice areas to provide reliable solutions to resolve our clients’ challenges and reach their objectives.