Our firm has worked across a wide range of commercial office projects – from adaptive reuse of historic structures to ground-up development, speculative suite build-outs, and tenant improvement work.
We have represented real estate developers, property owners, general contractors, architects, interior designers, lighting consultants, and other professionals engaged in the design and construction of office buildings in urban, suburban, and mixed-use contexts. Our work covers contract negotiation, project delivery strategy, general counsel services, dispute resolution, mechanics lien enforcement, and risk management throughout the life cycle of these projects.
Complex Renovations and High-Value Office Projects
We have guided owners through some of the most challenging and complex commercial office renovations, including a $10 million conversion of 80,000 square feet of former retail space into loft offices, retail, and rooftop amenity space – completed amidst a major dispute that required strategic restructuring of a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract and multi-party negotiations with subcontractors, lenders, title insurers, and tenants.
In another matter, we represented the owner of a substantial historic building in negotiating a phased, $8 million GMP agreement to support a multi-stage renovation that included demolition, exterior restoration, and a final interior build-out phase valued at more than $6.5 million.
Headquarters and Tenant Build-Out Projects
We have also negotiated construction agreements for headquarters-level projects, such as a $2.5 million tenant build-out for a developer in a prominent mixed-use development, and a $1.4 million contract for the build-out of a private investment firm’s upscale headquarters.
On the design side, we have negotiated significant contracts on significant projects – like a three-story, 83,000 square foot Class-A office building with design services fees exceeding $900,000 – and contracts for lobby redevelopments, administrative building renovations, and office projects involving furniture, furnishings, and equipment (FF&E), green roofs, atriums, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems.
AIA Contract Experience and Custom Agreements
In the commercial office and corporate context, we often work with American Institute of Architects (AIA) contract forms, including:
We have also used:
We routinely prepare custom riders and tailored agreements to fit the needs of office sector clients.
Supporting Architects, Consultants, and Property Managers
Our clients have included private foundations, property managers, architects, and consultants engaged by owners or developers. In one matter, we helped an architect navigate a subconsultant agreement under AIA Document C401-2017, Agreement Between Architect and Consultant, defining scope and flow-down risks within a larger project team. In another, we structured a time-and-materials agreement for an architect working with a court-appointed receiver managing two distressed properties over a three-year period.
General Counsel and Risk Management
Our general counsel services have supported commercial office clients through challenges ranging from allegations of defective HVAC system design to threats of foreclosure. We have counseled an architect facing a lawsuit tied to a mortgage secured by multiple properties and multiple guarantors. In another matter, we acted swiftly to address false, defamatory allegations made against our developer client – leveraging mechanical plans, as-built documentation, and legal strategy to secure a prompt retraction and avoid litigation.
Dispute Resolution and Mechanics Lien Enforcement
Dispute resolution in the commercial office context often requires equal parts technical depth and strategic flexibility. In one case, we achieved a 96% reduction of a contested mechanics lien through targeted litigation and negotiation, preserving our contractor client’s relationship with a prominent project owner and protecting the surety that bonded off the mechanics lien. In another, we resolved a significant contract dispute tied to inflated change orders and untimely delay notices – helping our client complete a tenant improvement project without resorting to formal litigation.
We have prosecuted mechanics lien claims on behalf of architects and contractors in the commercial office sector, including a $123,000 mechanics lien against a multi-tenant commercial property that required careful allocation among legal parcels and stakeholder interests. While such matters are smaller in scale relative to the multimillion-dollar disputes we routinely handle, they still demand strategic attention – particularly when complicated by changes in ownership or overlapping encumbrances.
Comprehensive Commercial Office Guidance
Our experience with commercial office buildings reflects both the complexity and the nuance of these projects. Whether it is a phased renovation under lender scrutiny, a design-build fit-out with limited negotiating flexibility, or a full-building repositioning requiring coordination with tenants, title companies, and contractors – we have seen how to structure contracts, manage risk, and support clients through all phases of development, design, construction, and delivery.
Contact us to discuss how our experience with commercial office projects can help structure contracts, manage risk, and resolve disputes efficiently.
