Aaron May represents owners, developers, investors and lenders in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions. His experience includes a broad range of real estate matters, including:
- Acquisition and sale of office, retail and industrial properties
- Financing
- Office and retail leasing
- Telecommunications
- Land use and development
Aaron has helped clients acquire, finance and lease various types of commercial properties on a national level, including office, industrial, retail, mixed-use and residential projects. He has been involved in hundreds of leasing transactions, ranging from ground leases for developments across the country to multimillion-dollar deals for space in major downtown office buildings. Aaron also advises investors with transactions involving triple-net commercial properties, from negotiating and documenting the initial acquisition to effectuating the disposition through an IRS Code Section1031 “like-kind” exchange. Additionally, Aaron has experience advising telecom companies on a variety of matters, including master site agreements, cell site acquisitions, leasing, amendments and risk assessment. Recent professional highlights include:
- Represented real estate investor in $23 million sale of office building through an IRS Code Section1031 “like-kind” exchange and corresponding acquisition of 230,000 square foot industrial building, including negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, financing documents and related long-term, triple-net lease.
- Represented real estate investor in acquisition of property subject to long-term, triple-net office and retail leases, including negotiation of the purchase and sale agreement, lease amendments and acquisition loan documents, and review of corresponding subdivision documents.
- Represented telecommunications company in multi-site, sale-leaseback transaction, including drafting and negotiating sale documents and corresponding leaseback agreements.
- Represented real estate investor in acquisition of $18 million medical office building and assumption of existing senior and subordinated debt.
- Represented mid-sized lender in several commercial mortgage and construction loan transactions.
Aaron is an active member in ULI Chicago and the Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association. He is also a member of the American and Chicago Bar Associations.
Credentials
Education
- University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, J.D., Dean’s List; Editor in Chief, The Journal of Computer and Information Law, 2013
- University of Illinois at Chicago, B.S., Finance, 2008
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- Urban Land Institute (ULI)
- Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association
Key Cases or Transactions
- Represented real estate investor in $23 million sale of office building through an IRS Code Section1031 “like-kind” exchange and corresponding acquisition of 230,000 square foot industrial building, including negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, financing documents and related long-term, triple-net lease.
- Represented real estate investor in acquisition of property subject to long-term, triple-net office and retail leases, including negotiation of the purchase and sale agreement, lease amendments and acquisition loan documents, and review of corresponding subdivision documents.
- Represented telecommunications company in multi-site, sale-leaseback transaction, including drafting and negotiating sale documents and corresponding leaseback agreements.
- Represented real estate investor in acquisition of $18 million medical office building and assumption of existing senior and subordinated debt.
- Represented mid-sized lender in several commercial mortgage and construction loan transactions.
- Represented real estate investor in the restructuring of a lease to reduce a national retailer’s leased premises, the subsequent lease transaction with another national retailer to lease the vacated space and the ultimate disposition of the restructured property through an IRS Code Section 1031 “like kind” exchange.
- Represented real estate investor in the acquisition of a $13 million multi-property gas station portfolio, including the negotiation of a master lease and corresponding acquisition loan.