Although I have been in commercial real estate brokerage for a long time, I have also been a licensed real estate attorney since 1985. During my 23 year career, I spent nine years as the senior-most leasing attorney for a multi-billion dollar, publicly traded real estate investment trust. I've done hundreds of lease documents in over twenty states. In that time, I've seen tenants lose huge amounts of money because they didn't spend a fraction of that amount in the early stages getting a leasing attorney to review and negotiate their lease document. Clients used to come to me and say "I'm in a tough spot with my lease and I need for you to get me out of it". Time and time again I would look at the lease and note that the problem that they were having was something that I would have known to address up front if they had come to me before the lease was signed. However, lawyers are not magicians. Once a document is signed, the parties are expected to live under the lease language. Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, lease documents are not "full of loopholes". I urge all leasing brokers to try to get their clients to hire leasing attorneys at the time that they are negotiating the lease. It often saves them a lot of money in the long run.
By the way, this is not a self-serving business generation article. I don't even actively practice law any more.
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