Judith D. Levine

Judi describes herself as a business lawyer with an expertise in real estate. In her over 40 years in practice, she has closed thousands of transactions, including real estate acquisitions and sales, leases (representing landlord and tenant), loans (representing lender and borrower), and corporate acquisitions and sales. As she says, “I put deals together; I don’t take them apart.”

As outside counsel to an international conglomerate, she represented her client in real estate transactions in six of the seven continents. Having practiced through several recessions, her financing experience includes representing financial institutions in front-end loan transactions, as well as workouts and restructurings of asset-based and real estate secured loans, and in sales of real estate owned (REO) properties. In addition to institutional clients, Judi represents clients in the hospitality (hotel and restaurant), medical supply, and shopping center industries.

Experience

• Counsel to international conglomerates in merger and acquisition, real estate, distribution and supply chain transactions
• Counsel to international conglomerate in national and international purchases, sales and leasing of real estate
• Counsel to international conglomerate in dispositions and mergers of subsidiary finance companies
• Counsel to borrowers in CMBS loans secured by mixed use, hotel and multifamily properties
• Counsel to developers in loans secured by shopping center and multifamily properties
• Counsel in purchases and sales of commercial aircraft, including tax-free exchanges, resulting in substantial tax savings
• Counsel to purchaser in its acquisition of hotels and casinos in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, financed through publicly issued debt
• Counsel to school board in disposition of school facilities
• Counsel to lender in workout and restructure of loan to entities that owned broadcast licenses, secured by real estate and ownership interests in borrowers holding FCC licenses
• Counsel to lenders in workouts of loans secured by franchised hotel properties, office buildings and assisted living facilities
• Counsel to lenders in workouts of asset based loans to trade contractors
• Counsel to lenders in documentation of loans secured by franchised hotel/motel properties
• Counsel to lender in workout and restructure of loan to oil distributor
• Counsel to health care lender of construction and mezzanine financing for assisted living and skilled nursing facilities
• Counsel to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in largest single asset workout in Columbus, Ohio in 1990-1991
• Counsel to lender in disposition of loan portfolios
• Counsel to lenders in disposition of real estate owned (REO) properties
• Counsel to national retailers in negotiation of shopping center leases
• Counsel to real estate developers in land assemblages, office development, mixed use development and development incentives
• Counsel to developers of motel and hotel properties
• Counsel to state agency in assemblage and development of property as joint venture partner with private enterprise
• Counsel to acquirers and targets in multi-million dollar merger and stock transactions

Services

• Banking & Financial Services
• Joint Ventures, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Private Equity
• Real Estate Development
• Real Estate Finance
• Land Use & Zoning
• Corporate & Transactional
• Real Estate
• Eminent Domain

Industries

• Financial Services
• Real Estate Industry

1. University of Denver College of Law, J.D.
   • Denver Law Journal, Editor
2. Kirkland (Hamilton) College, B.A.

Bar Admissions

1. Colorado
2. New York
3. Ohio

Court Admissions

1. U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

• AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
• Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law (2012-2025); and Corporate Law (2013-2025)
• Selected as an "Ohio Super Lawyer" by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine (2007)
• Central Ohio's Top Lawyers, Columbus CEO Magazine (2021-2022)
• Voted by peers as one of central Ohio's leading lawyers in "The Verdict" special section of Columbus Business First magazine (2005)
• Voted by peers as "Tops in Real Estate" in Columbus Business First magazine (2004)

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association, Past Chair, Subcommittee on Mortgage Loan Commitments for Lenders and Borrowers
• Columbus Bar Association, Past Member, Professional Ethics Committee
• Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Columbus Chapter, Founder, First President and Past Member, Board of Directors
• Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), National Network, Past Member, Board of Directors
• CREW Foundation, Past Member, Board of Trustees
• The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
• National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP)

Community Affiliations

• American Cancer Society, Ohio Division
  • Franklin County Unit, Secretary, Executive Committee Member, and Past Treasurer
  • Franklin County Advisory Board, Member
  • Komen Columbus Race for the Cure, Past Member, Board of Trustees
• Columbus Jewish Federation, Past Member, Board of Directors