Crain Caton & James

Overview

When owners, borrowers, lenders, and developers need sound legal advice on real estate matters, they contact Anamaría Palla.  She has extensive experience in the acquisition, disposition, development, financing and construction of real estate projects as well as leasing in all industry sectors. Anamaría works with owners, borrowers, lenders, developers, landlords and tenants who need sound legal advice on real estate matters. In connection with construction and development, Anamaría’s experience includes procurement (including RFPs), financing and due diligence, drafting and negotiating contracts, mechanic’s and materialman’s, broker’s, engineer’s and architect’s liens, and dedication of utility infrastructure (including the creation of MUDs, as required), easements and rights-of-way. Anamaría represents clients in all types of real estate and construction matters from term sheet through closing or final completion.  She is proficient and efficient in negotiating and drafting documents, conducting due diligence and risk assessment, reviewing title work and survey, negotiating, and finalizing contracts and loan documents, and guiding purchase, sale and lending transactions through closing and funding.

Many of Anamaría’s clients are involved in leasing property as the tenant or landlord.  She has negotiated and documented lease agreements including ground leases and work letters for:  industrial and warehouses, medical offices and facilities, restaurants, and retail from specialty to big box.  She has guided clients through all types of leases including Full Service/Gross leases, Net Leases, Triple Net leases, Double Net leases, Single Net leases, Modified Gross leases and Percentage leases.

In finance and real estate transactions, Anamaría represents clients in all industries including institutional and equity lending, higher education, energy (including field services), and construction and development, and has developed proprietary forms and handbooks for her clients.  She is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of French allowing her to work with international companies and to develop clients throughout the Americas.  Anamaría has earned the trust and confidence of her clients, who consider her part of their team, and the respect of her colleagues (including adverse counsel) which allows her to address and resolve issues efficiently to provide effective representation and achieve her client’s goals

Anamaría enjoys traveling to places with cool and dry climates.

Affiliations

• State Bar of Texas
• State Bar of New York
• Houston Bar Association

Experience

• Reviewed real estate assets including title and survey and lease agreements for 33 locations subject to a proposed asset purchase transaction

• Negotiated and documented office leases including work letters, as well as ground leases, for industrial/warehouse, restaurant, retail and big box retail leases

• Acted as real estate counsel for Linens ‘n Things.  Negotiated and documented every lease, lease amendment, purchase and sale in the US and Canada until its bankruptcy filing in 2008
• Revised leasing forms for Linens ‘n Things, including master form lease for US and Canadian locations, amendment form and form construction agreement
• Negotiated and documented lease agreements for Gulf Coast Blood Center neighborhood donation centers throughout Houston
• Negotiated and documented leases for Ignite Restaurant Group

• Represented borrowers and institutional as well as private lenders in all types of finance transactions including asset based, secured financing documents for private equity investment, project finance, traditional real estate purchase, construction and refinancing documents, and factoring
• Negotiated and drafted agreements necessary for all real estate transactions
• Coordinated, supervised, managed and participated in due diligence process for sale and refinance of mixed-use commercial buildings, including preparation, distribution and tracking of subordination, nondisturbance and attornment agreements and tenant estoppels, and sanitizing title and survey in advance of delivery to lender
• Counseled clients on business and transaction structuring (including joint ventures and single purpose entities), negotiated necessary documents, and formed entities in client’s selected jurisdiction
• Counseled real estate clients on risk and regulations, evaluated internal processes and policy, and proposed modifications for best practices
• Monitored, interpreted and kept clients apprised of changes in legislation and regulations applicable to clients’ business units, whether in the United States (federal or state), abroad or globally, and worked with local and in-house counsel to manage effects on and implications for the business of the clients, including proposing modification to policy and contract templates
• Created proprietary commercial contract forms for SaaS, manufacturing, and other clients, and assisted and supported clients’ business units in the development, delivery and maintenance of standard contract and compliance templates, including real estate due diligence, KYC, and reporting
• Advised and represented foreign and domestic clients on formation, acquisition, sale, dissolution and structuring of entities in the US and abroad, as well as in all aspects of operations including structuring, forecasting, expansion, contraction and financing, and transacting business within the US and abroad
• Advised Texas state agencies as outside counsel regarding real estate, development, construction, investment and procurement
• Supported Tax and Energy divisions of the firm as needed by conducting legal and industry-specific research, drafting legal memoranda (for use internally and externally) and attorney opinion letters on such matters as valuation, ethics and legal malpractice, and requirements for perfection of security interests in various jurisdictions