Does Jake represent landlords and tenants?

Both, depending on the matter and subject to a conflicts check. The analysis runs the same way on either side: what the lease requires, what it costs over the term, and where the practical exposure sits.

When should an attorney review a commercial lease?

Before the business terms are treated as settled, ideally at the letter of intent. Terms agreed in an LOI usually carry into the lease, and leverage narrows once they are treated as closed.

Can Jake work alongside my real estate broker?

Yes. Legal counsel and brokerage representation are distinct roles, and Jake regularly works with brokers, escrow officers, title companies and lenders on the same transaction.

Commercial Lease Review, Drafting, and Negotiation.

A commercial lease allocates significant long-term financial and operational risk. The document determines what a space actually costs, how it can be used, what happens when conditions change, and what remedies each side holds.

Landlord and Tenant Representation

Landlords

Form leases, deal-specific drafting, guaranties, consent and assignment requests, amendments, and enforcement of obligations. The aim is a lease that works operationally over the term and remains consistent with ownership and financing requirements.

Tenants

Review and negotiation of proposed leases, LOIs, work letters, and amendments, with attention to total occupancy cost, operational flexibility, exit options, and personal exposure under a guaranty.

A Lease Is an Operating Document as Much as a Legal One.

The provisions that matter most are the ones that set the economics, decide how the space can be used, and control what happens when the business changes.

Economics: Rent structure, expense pass-throughs, and the terms that determine what the space actually costs over the term.
Operating Flexibility: Use, exclusivity, hours, alterations, and the provisions that decide how the space can be run day to day.
Transfer & Growth: Assignment, subletting, change of control, expansion, and extension rights that matter when the business changes.
Risk & Exit: Guaranties, insurance and indemnity, build-out obligations, default exposure, surrender, and termination rights.

The review prioritizes the provisions that carry the greatest economic and operational consequence for the property, the term and the client's plans for the space.

Working through a lease draft or LOI on a deadline? Start with the document type and key dates, and Jake can determine the appropriate next step.

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Work that continues after signing

Lease issues do not end at signing. Jake advises on amendments, extensions, expansions, relocations, assignments, subleases, consents, estoppels and other issues that arise during the lease term. See also real estate contracts and transactions.

When a leasing dispute surfaces

Lease disputes turn on the written agreement, the parties' course of performance, and the leverage created by timing and remedies. Early analysis can clarify the strongest position before a disagreement becomes litigation. Pre-litigation strategy covers that work.

California Commercial Lease Questions

Talk Through Your Matter with Jake.

Start with a direct conversation about the transaction, agreement or issue.

Schedule a Consultation

Submitting an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.