Todd E. Lehder is a shareholder, co-chair of the Real Estate practice group and a member of the Management Committee at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.
For more than two decades, his clients have benefited from his diverse experience with acquisitions, sales, development, investment, financing and leasing transactions. Counted among his clients are professional developers, real estate investors, lenders and property management companies as well as borrowers, landlords and tenants.
As a hands-on, thorough and versatile commercial real estate lawyer, Mr. Lehder handles complex commercial real estate transactions, with a concentration on acquisitions and sales, leasing, commercial lending and joint ventures. He built his real estate practice—literally from the ground up—representing individuals and small companies, handling wide-ranging legal issues implicated in an extensive variety of office, industrial, retail, and mixed-use projects. This solid foundation has enabled Mr. Lehder to bring a large breadth of knowledge to his representation of larger commercial clients and institutions while still affording each matter the personal attention that earned the trust of his long-standing clients over many years.
Because of the experience he has gained on all sides of various types of commercial real estate transactions, Mr. Lehder is skilled at formulating creative solutions to the myriad problems that arise in these transactions. He can add value to projects with “outside the box” thinking, without losing focus on the efficient achievement of his client's business objectives.
Mr. Lehder gives back to his community through volunteering and coaching local youth sports. He has been a member of the Fair Haven Zoning Board of Adjustment since 2006 and has served as the Chairman of that Board for over 15 years. Since 2017, Mr. Lehder has been a member of the Fair Haven Planning Board, and he has served as the Chairman of that Board since 2019.
In 2020, Mr. Lehder was selected as a fellow with the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the premier organization of U.S. real estate lawyers. Since 2019, he has been annually named to the Best Lawyers in America list in Real Estate Law. Mr. Lehder was selected to the 2023 edition of Chambers USA, recognized as a Band 3 for New Jersey Real Estate.
Chambers USA® (https://chambers.com/about-us/methodology) is published by Chambers and Partners.
Super Lawyers® (http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process_detail.html) is published by Thomson Reuters.
Best Lawyers in America® (https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology) is published by Best Lawyers.
The American College of Real Estate Lawyers (https://www.acrel.org) is an invitation only membership limited to U.S. real estate lawyers. See the membership selection criteria and requirements at: https://www.acrel.org/page/MemberSelectionGuide.
A description of the selection processes may be accessed via the above links. The aforementioned organizations are private peer review organizations, not court-specific, public certification vehicles. No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Since 2017, Mr. Lehder has served as a Contributing Editor for New Jersey to State-by-State Guide to Commercial Real Estate Leases published by Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. In 2019, he co-authored Consider Practical Realities when Drafting Landlord Remedies in Commercial Leases, an article published in New Jersey Lawyer.
For over ten years, Mr. Lehder has been lecturing for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), presenting and/or moderating in a variety of NJICLE seminars including: Critical Issues in Drafting & Negotiating Office, Retail, Industrial and Ground Leases; From the Ground Up: The Development of A Commercial Real Estate Project; Introduction to Commercial Leasing; and Commercial Real Estate Transactions: From Handshake to Closing. He also speaks at industry events, including as a presenter of the Structuring Expansion and Extension Options in Retail Leases roundtable discussion at the International Conference of Shopping Center - US Shopping Center Law Conference. Mr. Lehder has also lectured on real estate development for Lorman Education Services and has been a featured speaker at various construction and real estate development seminars at the annual Atlantic Builders Convention.
Results achieved in prior matters are not meant to be a guarantee of success as the facts and legal circumstances vary from matter to matter.
- Represented purchaser in the acquisition of a 21-acre mixed use property portfolio including 10 commercial buildings and development sites. Negotiated terms for the acquisition, joint venture and acquisition financing.
- Negotiated a 50,000 sf office lease to relocate a Fortune 500 technology company into a client’s distressed office asset.
- Represented purchaser in the acquisition from a publicly traded company of two Class A office assets in a transaction involving multi bank financing, joint venture agreements, seller lease-back, easements and related agreements.
- Represented purchaser in the acquisition of an 8 parcel portfolio of office and development sites from a national REIT.
- Represented purchaser in the acquisition of a 289 unit apartment complex for $60 million. Negotiated joint venture documents, tenants in common ownership structure and acquisition financing.
- Managed acquisition and financing of a mid-sized multifamily apartment in northern New Jersey acquired from a distressed family partnership.
- Represented seller in the sale of a multi-state portfolio of industrial assets valued in excess of $76 million. Negotiated terms for future property management and a new joint venture between seller and purchaser.
- Managed recapitalization of a large, highly visible office property with a high vacancy rate. Work involved significant negotiation of an intricate lease agreement representing one-third of the building resulting in the transformation of an underperforming asset into a high-value investment for the client.
- Managed mortgage refinancing of a client’s $30 million property portfolio, which often involved hostile negotiation among multiple vendors and joint venture partners.
- Coordinated environmental, business, and real estate issues resulting in a timely closing for the acquisition of a seasonal business marina property that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy while under contract.
- Represented national real estate investment group to solicit bids and successfully sell a large, fully approved brownfield site for residential redevelopment.
- Represented purchaser in the negotiation and structuring of two large deed-in-lieu transactions involving commercial real estate portfolios, each valued in excess of $100 million. These transactions included multiple title transfers in a series of closings over several years to achieve the client’s strategic objectives.
- Represented family partnership forced into receivership during contract negotiations on the sale of a contaminated industrial site for redevelopment.
- Represented purchaser in the acquisition of a 16 commercial and property portfolio out of bankruptcy. Structured the joint venture and drafted all the related partnership documents.
- Served as purchaser’s counsel in successful negotiations with the condominium association, all former unit owners and corresponding lenders resulting in the acquisition of an urban land parcel that had been the site of a residential condominium that was destroyed by fire.
- Represented high net worth real estate investor in the negotiation of an office lease designed around a purchase option allowing the required time to conduct due diligence, arrange financing and acquire the mid-sized, multi-tenant office building from one of the largest real estate investment firms in the region.
- Represented the purchaser of a three property portfolio of 146 residential units from the second largest multifamily owner in the U.S. Drafted corporate documents, negotiated acquisition financing, and negotiated for the contemporaneous sale of the income stream from existing cellular contracts via the granting of rooftop easements.
- Represented landlord in negotiation with a US holding company subsidiary of a Canadian manufacturer for the leasing and build to suit changes to a 450,000 sf industrial building already under construction.
Practices
Education
- J.D., Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, 1997
- B.A., St. Lawrence University, 1994
Admissions
- Maryland, 1997
- New Jersey, 1998
- District of Columbia, 1998
Memberships
- American College of Real Estate Lawyers
- Georgetown University Law Center Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute, Advisory Board
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Monmouth Bar Association
- Middlesex County Bar Association
Recognition
Rankings Disclaimers
Chambers USA® (https://chambers.com/about-us/methodology) is published by Chambers and Partners.
Super Lawyers® (http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process_detail.html) is published by Thomson Reuters.
Best Lawyers in America® (https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology) is published by Best Lawyers.
The American College of Real Estate Lawyers (https://www.acrel.org) is an invitation only membership limited to U.S. real estate lawyers. See the membership selection criteria and requirements at: https://www.acrel.org/page/MemberSelectionGuide.
A description of the selection processes may be accessed via the above links. The aforementioned organizations are private peer review organizations, not court-specific, public certification vehicles. No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.