Michael Westover

• Ongoing representation of one of the country’s largest owners and developers of apartment communities in all aspects of its financing activities, including construction loans, permanent loans on individual properties from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other permanent lenders, portfolio credit facilities, and unsecured credit facilities. During 2018, this involved refinancing a significant number of projects throughout the United States, including Fannie Mae and bank credit facilities in excess of $1.2 billion.
• Serve as general outside counsel to a Denver-based multifamily owner/developer in all of its legal matters, including representation in connection with acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, and financings. In recent years, this has included acquisitions and sales in the states of Colorado, Florida, Texas, Oregon and Washington.
• Represented the developer of a 600 unit, Class AAA high-rise apartment project on a $135,000,000 construction/permanent loan facility.
• Acted as lead counsel to a national bank on a $60,000,000 syndicated construction loan for a high-rise mixed use project in Durham, North Carolina.
• Assisted the developer of a mixed use project in downtown Denver in obtaining $110,000,000 in senior and mezzanine financing.
• Represented a large multinational corporation in the acquisition of one of downtown Denver’s largest buildings, for a purchase price in excess of $200,000,000.
• Acted as counsel to the seller of a 300,000 acre ranch located in New Mexico

Fierce competition and breakneck pace characterize most real estate transactions. In this highly charged environment, Otten Johnson’s real estate attorneys are known for their skill, responsiveness and decisiveness. More than 35 years after the firm’s launch, the firm’s Real Estate practice group continues to garner praise for its exceptional intelligence, creativity, experience and deal-making expertise. Time and again, Otten Johnson has earned a number one ranking in real estate law from the authoritative Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers, and was recently cited as Denver’s “premier firm in development work.” Builders, developers, lenders, investors, operators, managers, brokers and title insurers prize Otten Johnson’s innovative, tailored solutions amid intense and fast-moving real estate markets.

Our Real Estate practice group represents clients in many contexts, including:

• acquisition and disposition, both single asset and portfolios
• development and land use approvals
• financing (both lender and borrower representation)
• leasing (both landlord and tenant representation)
• real estate development
• construction and design contracts
• resort and recreational developments
• condominiums and master planned communities
• timeshares and other fractional interest projects
• title insurance
• historic preservation
• foreclosures and loan workouts
• entity selection and formation
• joint ventures
• fund formation
• operational tax matters
• partnership taxation
• commercial property tax assessments and appeals
• 1031 exchanges; both forward and reverse
• conservation easements
• mountain, rural and ranch land real estate transactions
• transferable development rights
• public/private partnerships
• Opportunity Zone investing and fund formation

Praised as both lawyers and teachers, Otten Johnson’s Real Estate attorneys are recognized as go-to authorities on nearly all aspects of real estate law. The members of the Real Estate practice group lecture extensively on real property issues at industry conferences and continuing education seminars. Known for their ability to grasp both the big picture and the intricacies of every deal, Otten Johnson’s real estate attorneys have unrivaled experience and expertise from which every client benefits.

With deep Denver roots and strong relationships across Colorado, we’re the firm people turn to for seasoned legal advice. Our mid-size firm is perfectly sized to give clients the one-on-one attention they expect and backed up by a deep bench that can tackle any legal matter. With experience in seven broad practice areas, we’re also one of the nation’s pre-eminent experts in real estate and land use.

A common-sense approach, coupled with our sense of urgency, keeps projects moving forward. It’s an approach that produces results; in the past 37 years, our work has touched nearly every block of downtown Denver plus a host of projects throughout Colorado and across the country. One thing is sure; if you work with us, things will move along with fewer surprises.

We are a proud member of The Law Firm Alliance (LFA). Founded in 2000, the LFA is an informal network of mid-sized law firms located around the globe, with the greatest concentration in the United States and Canada. LFA brings together the expertise of more than 2,500 attorneys offering a wide range of legal and industry specialties.