Overview
Mitchell Meisner was an accomplished real estate attorney who counseled clients in various aspects of real estate development and finance. He possessed a wealth of knowledge on tax increment financing, New Markets Tax Credit, and other credit assisted financing, as well as on real estate financing legal opinions.
- Represented both U.S. and international clients, lenders, and borrowers as local counsel in large project and multi-state real estate financing
- Advised clients benefiting from federal, state, and local development incentive programs
- Represented private businesses in public/private contract and development relationships with state and local entities and has represented several municipalities' Tax Increment Finance Authorities and Downtown Development Authorities in similar arrangements with private businesses
- Possessed experience in hotel and vacation industry acquisitions, financing, and workout transactions, including major hotel financing challenges and acquisition, financing, and disposition of timeshare and fractional interest properties
- Counseled clients in development of both urban and rural projects using New Markets Tax Credits, historic tax credits, and low-income housing tax-credit-assisted affordable housing
Services
Practice Areas
Experience
Representative Matters
- Counseled on high-rise residential condominium development projects on Chicago's lakefront
- Advised shopping center owners and developers on properties located in Michigan, California, and Virginia
- Counseled clients on industrial developments throughout the U.S.
- Advised on office, residential, and retail developments and municipal redevelopment projects in Southeastern Michigan and downtown Detroit
- Represented a major automobile manufacturer in connection with significant office and plant facility acquisitions and development projects in downtown Detroit, other parts of Michigan and numerous other states, which included creative conversion of major office buildings to governmental uses
- Represented an international paper manufacturing company in using New Markets Tax Credits and various state incentive programs for a biomass-based alternative energy plant
- Acted as the lender's Michigan project financing counsel for Detroit's new major league baseball park development
- Advised several long-term healthcare and skilled nursing home facility operating companies in connection with acquisition, leasing, financing, and related matters and represented a major residential developer in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Counseled clients regarding wind energy facility development
- Counseled clients in bankruptcy disposition of multiple timeshare resort properties
- Represented both debtors and creditors in the disposition of extensive real and personal property assets in bankruptcy through direct sales and through creation of liquidating trusts
- Advised a major, publicly traded automobile manufacturer on tax-increment bond financing issues
Academic Appointments
- Michigan State University, International Relations, Assistant Professor
- University of California – Santa Cruz, Political Science and International Relations, Assistant Professor
- Western Washington State University, Political Science, Instructor
- Iowa State University, Political Science, Instructor
Credentials
Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
- magna cum laude; Order of the Coif
- Michigan Law Review, Contributing Editor, 1982-1984
University of Chicago, Ph.D.
- Comparative Politics - China
- magna cum laude; Woodrow Wilson Honorary Scholar; National Defense and Education Act Scholar
Amherst College, A.B.
- Political Science
- with honors; Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
- Michigan
Recognition
Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Recognized in practice areas of:
- Real Estate Law, 2010-2024
- Land Use and Zoning Law, 2023-2024
- Recognized in practice areas of:
- Law Bulletin Media
- Leading Lawyers, International Business & Trade Law, 2017, 2023-2024
- Leading Lawyers, Real Estate Law: Associations & Condominiums, 2017, 2023-2024
- Leading Lawyers, Real Estate Law: Commercial, 2017, 2023-2024
- Leading Lawyers, Real Estate Law: Tax, 2017, 2023-2024
- DBusiness, Top Lawyers, 2010, 2013-2017, 2022
- Ksenia Kapranova Award for judging Russian National Rounds since 2009, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018
- Special recognition for continuing service as a judge, Canadian National Rounds, Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, 2018
- Michigan Super Lawyers, 2006-2007
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
Professional & Community Involvement
- State Bar of Michigan
- International Law Section
- Real Property Law Section
- American Bar Association
- Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
- International Investment in Real Estate Committee, Co-Chair
- Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section
- Michigan Community Resources
- Legal Team on Limiting Post-Foreclosure Vacancies, Chair
- Developed model Retaining Occupancy on Foreclosure (ROOF) Agreement
- Planning Detroit Legal Team, Co-chair
- Legal Team on Limiting Post-Foreclosure Vacancies, Chair
- Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
- Participates as a judge in the national and international competitions, including in the U.S., the U.K., Russia, China, and Canada
- City of Huntington Woods
- Zoning Board of Appeals, Chair
- Temple Emanu-El (Oak Park, Michigan)
- President, 2011-2013