The complexity and uniqueness of the commercial and residential real estate markets, especially in Alberta, require a collaborative, goal-oriented approach to projects. At Field Law, we partner with you to find practical and effective legal solutions for your entire project or any phase of it.
For more than 100 years, lawyers at Field Law have been providing strategic advice and counsel to many of the country's largest real estate developers, investors, lenders, owners and managers. As a recognized market leader with a long history and intimate knowledge of this constantly evolving area of law, we have guided our clients to their goals in a wide variety of significant real estate projects in western Canada.
Our goal is to get your project to completion in an efficient, practical and cost-effective way. We pride ourselves on the clarity and practical nature of our advice and services in the following areas:
Being an advocate and a driver for a big real estate development
Our client: A real estate developer with a set of agreements involving the city government and other developers regarding the financing of infrastructure for a project.
Where we began: According to Rick Pabst, "the city authority is often changing the financing model in order to get developers to pay more. So, there were several novel agreements to negotiate and put in place, relating to financing sewers, water and other public works. We needed to help our client work through three or four major agreements…sorting out when and who was responsible for what."
Our approach: Rick negotiated and documented agreements to secure payments from one developer to another and to provide temporary access. "These were contentious negotiations…not public until the end. Developers are competitive, and I have a sophisticated client. I negotiated the main points initially and then again during drafting."
The result: The parties reached agreement, and the agreements were put in place. "The agreements worked well, and the infrastructure construction has begun. They are now looking at zoning and subdivision permissions." Rick notes that a lot of what drives a deal involves financial or engineering issues. "I'm comfortable with other consultants and able to see their perspectives and issues. I can step back and avoid getting overly focused on the legal."
Helping a client keep their business running despite Calgary's 2013 Flood
In June 2013, Calgary had a significant flood, with five deaths, 100,000 people displaced and $5 billion in damages. Downtown Calgary was closed off to the public, seriously disrupting work and life for the region's 1.1 million residents. Meanwhile, a client of Kevin Schouten, a residential builder, was ready to close on over 25 deals. This client had customers who wanted to move into their homes, and the client demanded a plan to handle these closings. Kevin quickly came up with a solution. In about an hour, he and four paralegals set up a temporary, fully functioning remote office, with all of the files, faxing and computer capacity he and his client needed. "For five days, we didn't miss a single closing. It was business as usual for us. My client said, 'That's when we knew we had a partner."