Real Estate Law

Simple or complex real estate issues can arise at any time. Our firm has a long and distinguished history of representing clients in real estate matters dating back to our founding in 1931. Today, we remain one of Northeast Ohio’s premier firms handling real estate matters.

Land Use and Zoning

We have been at the forefront of municipal and zoning issues ever since such regulations were first adopted in the area. We have litigated such matters from the local courts to the United States Supreme Court. We have extensive experience making presentations to local administrative agencies on behalf of our clients, and we also engage in mediating zoning and appropriation cases between governmental agencies, developers and landowners.

Environmental Matters

We counsel clients on the environmental issues present in the development, sale, lease, and acquisition of real estate. This includes:

Helping clients with developing natural resources
Managing risks
Obtaining necessary wetland and stream impact permits
Complying with surface water management, air, and water regulations
Dealing with Voluntary Action Programs
Obtaining grants to pay for demolition and remediation of brownfield sites.

We also aid clients in extending sanitary sewers and water mains to developing areas, including appearing before health districts and health boards regarding on-site sewage systems.

Development and Construction

Our extensive experience includes representing developers in all aspects of their real estate projects, such as:

Commercial and residential development
Construction litigation for governmental agencies
Private developer, in arbitration and court proceedings
Utility and conservation easement and appropriation matters with public and private entities.

We also assist and advise our clients on Tax Incremental Financing, Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grants, Jobs Ohio grants and loans, Community Reinvestment Area development projects and other incentivized development.

Condominium and Homeowner Law

We provide comprehensive legal counsel to our clients, both developers and homeowners’ associations, on a range of condominium and association issues.

When we represent developers, we guide them through the complex legal requirements that govern the establishment, maintenance, and eventual turnover of condominium and homeowner associations, whether for mixed use, subdivisions, cluster developments or condominiums. We work with developers to prepare and implement governing documents that maintain the desirability and quality of the development while also providing the framework necessary to allow for the successful completion of the development project. We also provide the guidance necessary for the proper management of the association and transition of control from the developer to the association members.

Our experience in creating and establishing associations gives us a unique insight into association law and allows us to effectively represent master associations for mixed use developments, and homeowner and condominium associations.

We work with association boards to help them interpret and enforce their governing documents and assist with the amendment of documents that are outdated or in need of revision. We assist associations in the collection of delinquent fees and assessments by providing cost-effective collection services and practical advice on the best ways to collect from delinquent owners. We also provide guidance on operational issues, including the enforcement of rules and regulations, corporate compliance, and association meetings.

Oil & Gas Law

Our attorneys have represented landowners and oil and gas service businesses for decades. Historically, an oil and gas lease is often the most important and valuable document for a landowner. Because of our firm’s experience, our attorneys are at the forefront of Ohio’s current Utica Shale boom. We help clients seize this opportunity and maximize their land’s financial potential.

We help landowners, associations, and developers who wish to negotiate an oil and gas lease, purchase lease rights, forfeit an expired recorded lease to clear their land’s title, or challenge an existing oil and gas lease’s validity when the lessee does not explore or develop additional wells on the leased property.

We also help clients with:

Purchasing lease rights back from the lessee, often acquiring the well equipment for the landowner’s benefit
Assisting with well ownership transfers
Obtaining well owner registration from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas Resources
Filing of the required bonding or similar security
Receiving what they deserve for the extraction of valuable minerals from their land

We also help clients avoid mandatory pooling of their property with other surrounding lands when they do not want to participate in such development, or negotiate a better benefit package than would result from a mandatory pooling order from the Ohio Oil & Gas Commission.

We combine our technical and environmental proficiency in these burgeoning operations with our deep understanding of the business side in the energy industry to help you achieve your personal or business goals.