D.C. Practice

Unlike many national law firms with offices in Washington, D.C., Holland & Knight’s DC Practice Team focuses on District of Columbia municipal issues. For 25 years, we have served public and private sector clients, providing legislative and regulatory representation on matters pending before the government of the District of Columbia. These clients have access to the skills and valuable relationships developed by team members.

Our attorneys have represented clients before most major administrative agencies in the District of Columbia, and actively participate in a wide range of business regulation, tax, land-use, construction, contractual, labor, litigation and public finance proceedings and engagements. Our objective is to satisfy all of the legal needs of clients who want to do business in the District.

With a broad-based depth of experience in DC affairs and business, we provide assistance and guidance to businesses, developers and investors seeking to participate in this vigorous economic environment. This includes counsel to clients in all areas of substantive DC law, including commercial and real estate development, administrative law, finance and financing techniques, land-use regulation, government contracts, environmental compliance, taxation, business regulation, housing, employment and labor issues, telecommunications, as well as governmental and regulatory relations.

Related Practice Areas

Legislative, Executive and Administrative. Our attorneys are experienced with legislative representation before the DC City Council on a variety of substantive regulatory and policy issues. We also appear before executive departments to represent clients in matters involving rule-makings, licensing, permit and certificate of authority issuances, administrative hearings and adjudicatory proceedings and government policy resolution. Moreover, we have developed and maintain relationships with many policy-making officials through professional interaction and local community activities. We also understand that in the proper framework, the executive and legislative branches of the District of Columbia government provide significant opportunities for Holland & Knight clients to protect or enhance their public and corporate interests.

Team members represent clients before the most significant District of Columbia agencies, offices and departments. For example, we have had recent and substantial involvement with the Department of Employment Services, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Department of Health, Office of Corporation Counsel, Office of Contracting and Procurement, Office of Local Business Development, Office of Planning, Office of Property Management, Department of Transportation, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Community Development, Housing Authority, Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, Housing Finance Agency, Department of Public Works, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Department of Transportation. In addition, we regularly work on legislative issues before the Council of the District of Columbia, as well as its committees including the Committees on Finance and Revenue, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Government Operations and Human Services.

Real Estate Development. Real estate development is the common denominator that draws together a significant portion of the firm's transactional and litigation practice. Whether you are a buyer, seller, institutional investor, developer, lender, architect, contractor, tenant or landlord, we are committed to providing efficient, experienced and quality legal representation. The depth and scope of our real estate practice provides a wealth of resources to draw upon for financing transactions. Our Real Estate Practice represents clients in acquisitions, development, and the financing of commercial, residential, mixed-use, and public projects. Among our clients are developers of commercial sites, such as shopping centers, office and warehouse buildings, hotels, and restaurants. We regularly negotiate joint ventures and management agreements with international, national, regional, and non-franchise hotel groups. We represent numerous business clients in connection with the purchase and sale of commercial property.

Key Areas. The following are but a few of the areas in which the DC Practice Team provides services to our clients:

• acquisition and sale of commercial properties
• development of commercial projects
• zoning, land use, historic preservation, and comprehensive planning
• environmental regulation
• property tax appeals
• eminent domain/condemnation
• representing owners and managers
• structuring of transactions
• housing and community development practice
• telecommunications
• mortgage lending
• loan workouts
• foreclosure, receiverships, deeds in lieu
• bankruptcy
• tax credit transactions
• tax-exempt bond finance
• fair housing
• construction law

Commercial Leasing

Our Commercial Leasing Practice has extensive and unique experience. Over the past few years, we have represented landlords and tenants in leasing over two million square feet of space in the DC and the larger metropolitan area, ranging from small retail and office tenants to large space consolidations to complex tenant equity participation. As one of the leading transactional real estate firms in the area, Holland & Knight brings a pragmatic business perspective to the lease negotiation process.

We have earned the reputation as the “lawyer’s lawyer” in leasing, having successfully negotiated leases on behalf of several of the area’s most prestigious firms. Our leasing practice is multifaceted, with an emphasis in the following areas:

• building-wide representation
• tenant representation
• the law firm/professional party tenant
• equity participation leases
• asset management for lenders
• retail leasing

GSA Leasing

The leviathan of the Washington, D.C., leasing market, the GSA promises to be a dominant force in DC for the foreseeable future. Holland & Knight’s extensive knowledge and experience in GSA and other government leasing includes the technical government contract aspects of GSA leasing, as well as general transactional experience in structuring, documenting and negotiating leases.

Corporate Finance

We regularly represent financial institutions and other lenders in connection with the negotiation and preparation of documentation for complex secured and unsecured credit transactions. Transactional matters undertaken for major financial institutions include construction and permanent real estate lending, derivative rate swaps, cash flow lending, asset-based lending, loan participations and syndications, intercreditor agreements, mortgage warehousing, letter of credit and banker’s acceptance facilities, credit enhancement facilities, commercial lending forms review and many other complex commercial transactions. In this regard, we have developed sophisticated procedures for structuring loan and credit agreements between domestic and international lenders and borrowers.

Real Estate Finance

We have represented real estate lenders in financing of office buildings, nursing home facilities, video stores, manufacturing facilities, and other commercial, industrial and multifamily residential properties in DC. On behalf of lenders, we have handled construction financings, purchase money loans, refinancings, foreclosures and resales of all types of non-residential properties in the District.

Commercial Finance

Our broad experience is key in the areas of cash flow and asset-based lending. We have handled virtually every facet of commercial lending transactions, including multimillion dollar loans secured by collateral such as inventory and accounts receivable, securities, loan portfolios, aircraft, equipment, machinery, government contracts and other collateral.

Workouts and Recovery

Should it become necessary for a lender to restructure the loan, take possession of collateral used to secure the loan or otherwise enforce collection rights against a borrower, we will use their litigation experience and resources to benefit clients in collection proceedings and other matters involving creditors’ rights and bankruptcy. We have extensive experience negotiating and documenting forbearance, restructure, and workout agreements, which frequently include payment and accrual differentials, profit participation agreements, and alternative collateral agreements for problem loans designed to enhance the potential for full recovery by the lender.

Our experience representing creditors in bankruptcy includes litigation relating to cash collateral, relief from automatic stay, an evaluation of secured claims, estimating contingent claims, approving and modifying post-petition financing arrangements, determining the adequacy of disclosure statements, objecting to confirmation of plans of reorganization, approving asset sales, lender liability and all types of loan-related litigation. We have handled real estate and personal property foreclosures of all types and have coordinated the seizure and liquidation of all types of collateral, including the repossession of commercial aircraft and trucking fleets.