Commercial Real Estate Counsel
John is a member of the firm’s Real Estate, Land Use and Construction Law Practice Group and Business Law Practice Group. He counsels his clients in all areas of real estate development, construction law, and commercial and construction financing: including, property acquisitions and dispositions; commercial, retail, and office leasing; zoning; and land use law; and creditors’ rights. He provides both preventive and remedial legal counsel to financial institutions, real estate developers, REITS, architects, engineers, hotel owners, construction companies, design builders, commercial lessors and tenants, and title insurance companies. John also has significant experience in environmental matters and brownfields redevelopment.
John Assists Clients With
- Construction and Commercial Financing
- Commercial Leasing
- Condominium Development and Association Management Issues
- Planning, Zoning and Land Use Law
- Environmental Law and Brownfields Redevelopment
- Creditors’ Rights
Experience/Representative Client Work
- Represented a health care provider on the acquisition development and construction of several medical centers with hospitals, clinics, medical office buildings, and ancillary buildings.
- Served as local counsel for an international construction and engineering firm for the development of a $2.2 billion power plant.
- Represented a commercial bank on the syndication, acquisition, and closing of a $71 million construction loan for a 17 story class A office building.
- Represented a commercial bank on a $16 million refinance of a hotel and restaurant loan.
- Represented a commercial seller on the $3.3 million sale and exchange of a multi-tenant retail shopping center.
- Represents a school district as special real estate counsel on all of its acquisitions and dispositions of school facilities and sites.
- Local counsel for national drug store retailer on leasing and municipal permitting for store site locations.
- Served as special real estate counsel for the development of a $107 million newspaper production facility for the owners of the Journal Sentinel, Inc., obtaining a Voluntary Party Remediation and Exemption From Liability status for the newspaper company. This helped break the cycle of disinvestment in West Milwaukee by allowing the newspaper company to build a new facility in one of the first reclaimed brownfields in the State of Wisconsin.
- Represented Fortune 500 records management firm as local counsel for lease negotiations and disputes.
- Served as counsel for the architectural and engineering design team for the Wisconsin Center.
- Represented a national real estate syndication and management firm in its multi-state acquisitions, financings, and sales of multi-family apartments, office buildings, shopping centers, and other commercial properties.
- Represented a national construction contractor on contract disputes relating to the $3 billion Denver Airport facility.
- Represented a publicly-held hotel and restaurant company in its acquisition of a 1,300-acre resort hotel and conference center in Southeastern Wisconsin and serves as special counsel on municipal land use matters.
Representative Clients
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- Bechtel Corporation
- Iron Mountain Information Management, Inc.
- MSI General Corporation
- Total Mechanical, Inc.
- Journal Sentinel, Inc.
- HOK Construction Services, Inc.
- First Business Bank, Milwaukee
- Brixmor Property Group
- Marcus Corporation
- Waukesha County
- Heuler Tile Company
Professional Associations and Affiliations
- Member, American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Milwaukee Bar Association
- Member, State Bar of Wisconsin
- Member, Waukesha County Bar Association
Articles/Presentations
- Speaker, O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong and Laing, 2011 Hot Topics for In-House Counsel seminar, “Working with In-House Counsel: The Unauthorized Practice of Law in Wisconsin.”
- John has lectured to professional groups on commercial loan workouts, lender liability claims, and brownfields developments.
Community Involvement
- Director of Divine Savior Holy Angels High School
- Director and President of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin
- Director and President of the Brookfield Rotary Club
- Director and President of the Elm Grove Community Foundation
- Director of Westmoor Country Club
- Sisters of the Divine Savior Sponsorship Board of Directors
