Overview

Chuck is a pragmatic, solution-oriented real estate attorney whose clients rely upon to handle their most complex and high-priority transactions. He is analytical, strategic, and creative. Chuck is a skilled negotiator, with a deep understanding of his clients’ goals and the experience and business acumen necessary to help them achieve those goals.

As a partner in BFKN’s Real Estate Group, Chuck’s practice focuses primarily on real estate finance, and the acquisition and disposition of real estate assets. While Chuck works extensively within the retail sector, he also has broad experience with transactions involving office, multifamily, campus housing, industrial, and hospitality properties located throughout the United States. His clients include publicly-traded and privately held real estate operating companies and investment firms, opportunity funds, investment managers, REITs, and real estate developers.

Chuck has represented borrowers in connection with a multitude of real estate-based finance transactions, including mortgage, mezzanine, and construction loans originated by domestic and foreign life companies, balance sheet lenders (stand-alone and syndicate), and CMBS originators. In addition, he regularly represents both purchasers and sellers of real estate assets.

Prior to rejoining BFKN in 2012, Chuck was Vice President and Senior Associate General Counsel at General Growth Properties (GGP), where he headed the Capital Markets legal practice group. Chuck represented GGP in connection with dozens of mortgage and mezzanine loans, with average loan proceeds in excess of $100 million and total proceeds exceeding $10 billion. During his 6-year tenure at GGP, through a unique cross-departmental experience, Chuck gained an in-depth understanding of the retail industry, handling not only property and corporate-level financings, but also new developments, redevelopments, acquisitions, dispositions, anchor transactions, joint venture transactions, and big-box and theater leases. During GGP's bankruptcy, Chuck played an integral role in the negotiation and documentation of the consensual restructuring of nearly $15 billion of secured debt. Chuck’s in-house experience at GGP provided invaluable insight into the client-side of business operations that is essential to aligning complex real estate transactions with the desired business goals of his clients.

Credentials

Admissions

  • State of Illinois

Education

  • University of Illinois, J.D., magna cum laude, 2002
  • The George Washington University, M.A., with distinction, 1998
  • University of Illinois, B.A., 1994

Experience

Borrower Representation

  • Represented publicly-traded REIT in the separate mortgage and, in many cases, mezzanine financings of more than 20 regional and super-regional malls located throughout the United States with total loan proceeds exceeding $5 billion, including two transactions structured as single asset securitizations involving properties located near Houston, Texas ($550 million) and in Las Vegas, Nevada ($975 million).
  • Represented private investor in $160 million mortgage and mezzanine financing of luxury retail asset located on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California.
  • Represented private investment firm in $140 million mortgage and EB-5 construction financing for the development of an indoor waterpark resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
  • Represented privately held real estate operating company in separate mortgage financings of more than 20 grocery-anchored shopping centers in California, Washington, and Oregon.

Buyer Representation

  • Represented various publicly-traded REITs in separate acquisitions of more than 25 open-air shopping centers located throughout the U.S.
  • Represented opportunistic real estate investment firm in separate acquisitions and related secured financings of several outlet malls located throughout the U.S. 
  • Represented privately held investor in acquisition of regional mall in Orange County, California.

Seller Representation

  • Represented various publicly-traded REITs in separate dispositions of more than 75 open-air shopping centers located throughout the U.S.
  • Represented privately held operating company in $260 million disposition of 3 shopping centers in Hawaii.
  • Represented publicly-traded REIT in $80 million disposition of office tower in Illinois.

Newsroom

Recognitions

  • Best Lawyer, The Best Lawyers in America© (2020-2025)
    • Real Estate Law
  • bl_picton2025
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