Bruce May is an attorney who practices in the areas of real estate and commercial transactions.
Mr. May has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® since it's inception in 1987 in the category of Real Estate Law. In 1991 he was elected to membership in The American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Mr. May is also a member of the Georgetown Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute.
Mr. May has extensive experience in the representation of sophisticated national, regional and local developers, homebuilders, and institutional and individual investors involved in all phases of the investment and development process. Areas of expertise include:
- Acquisition, disposition and development of land for large scale, master-planned projects as well as shopping center, apartment, office, industrial, resort and other income producing projects
- Land planning, subdivision regulation, liquor licenses, acquisition and development financing, purchase and sale agreements, leases, partnership and management agreements
- Business asset acquisition, management and disposition
- Office and retail leases and acquisition and sale of property for locations in various states
Representative Engagements
- Represent a non-profit developer in the acquisition management, financing and construction of a $300M research, educational, office, education and creativity project in conjunction with a major university and a large municipality in the Phoenix area. Representation included protracted negotiations with the municipality on a 99 year profit sharing, performance based ground lease
- Represent a co-venturer of 800,000-1,000,000 square foot office, retail, hotel project in downtown Phoenix. Representation includes negotiations with national office developer, hotel/resort operators and City of Phoenix for ground lease and Development Agreement
- Represent owner of one of the largest multi-unit apartment/town home residential retail developments in downtown Phoenix
- Represent tenant in the lease of entire, three-story office/retail building in high profile master planned commercial/residential project. Representation includes addressing unique and evolving primary and ancillary uses, integration with complex project-wide elements, and exclusive arrangements with neighboring properties
- Represent national REIT as owner and developer of shopping centers throughout Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. Representation includes drafting CC&R’s, Development and Common Area Maintenance agreements, assist in securing entitlements and platting, and negotiations with anchor and space tenants
- Represented developer of large-scale 10,000 acre master planned community, including residential, retail, office, golf course and other amenities. Representation includes negotiations with virtually every homebuilder in area, golf course designer, assessment and resolution of complex regulatory issues in developing and marketing the project, issues raised by 404 permitting, archeological sites, development agreements with municipalities and formation of Community Facilities District
- Represent one of the largest investment brokerage companies in the nation in a complex $75M sale/joint use leaseback of a data center. Representation also includes negotiations of leases for various brokerage retail sites throughout the country
- Represent lender in a $60M multi-state revolving line of credit to a national homebuilder
- Represent the purchaser in the acquisition of a $20M apartment complex
- Represent the owner in the conversion of a 200 unit apartment complex into condominiums. Representation included preparation of all documentation in compliance with state, local, HUD and FNMA requirements, and overseeing the process of securing all necessary permits, approvals and licenses
- Represent the investor in a $10M master planned community in Casa Grande, representation included all aspects of due diligence, zoning and entitlements, 404 permitting, archeological, environmental issues, availability of water and water service and other utilities
- Represent utility company in the sale of 17,000 acre ranch for $20M in New Mexico, including deeded land and grazing leases with the State and BLM. Representation involves transfer of water, grazing rights, assessment of various claims by Native American Tribes
- Represent the owner of a large industrial building leased from the Colorado Indian Tribe
- Represent the owner of a multi-building industrial project in Scottsdale Air Park in connection with lease negotiations, entity formation, financing, lease enforcement, and aviation and air park issues
- Representation of lender in the foreclosure, management and disposition of multi-building office high rise with 750,000 square feet and one of the largest private health clubs. Representation included complex liquor licensing issues and day-to-day issues arising from character of previous ownership and use of building, also involved in the addressing of criminal activities and coordination with law enforcement agencies
Presentations
- Co-Presenter, "The Construction Contract" Hard Hat Seminar (2004-2005)
- Presenter, "The Hot Condo Market: How can you beat the heat?,” International District Energy Association (IDEA) 18th Marketing and Distribution Workshop, (November 2005)
- Presenter, "Green Building and Sustainable Construction," American College of Real Estate (May 2005)
- Presenter, “Sophisticated Real Estate Transactions,” Practicing Law Institute (2003)
- Presenter, “Water Law and Real Estate Transactions,” American College of Real Estate Lawyers (2003)
- Presenter, “Advanced Current Topics in Real Estate,” Real Property Section of the State Bar of Arizona (2002)
Presenter, “How Arizona Gets By Without Involving Attorneys in Residential Real Estate Transactions,” 7th Gallivan Conference on Real Property Law, University of Connecticut School of Law (1998)
- Presenter, “Fair Housing – Do you know the Guidelines?” Arizona Association of Homes and Housing for the Aging (1998)
- Presenter, “Practical Legal Concepts That Will Work for All Three Parties: Owner, Buyer/Tenant, and Broker,” Commercial Real Estate Institute, Inc. (1997)
- Presenter, “Where Wall Street Meets Real Estate: Syndicated Real Estate Conduit Loans,” Real Property Section of the State Bar of Arizona (1997)
- Presenter, “What’s Hot in Development!…Public/Private Partnerships in Real Estate Development – From the Scottsdale Waterfront to the Bank One Ball Park,” Real Property Section of the State Bar of Arizona (1997)
- Presenter, “What Could be Easier? Terminating the At-Will Partnership,” American College of Real Estate Attorneys and Real Property Section Journal, State Bar of Arizona (1994)
Honors, Appointments and Awards
AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review Rated
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America® (1987-2013)
Listed, Southwest Super Lawyers (2007-2013) in the category of Real Estate
AB Top Lawyer, Construction & Real Estate Law, Arizona Business Magazine (2008-2010)
Top People to Know, AZRE Magazine (2008-2010)
Listed, Chambers & Partners USA Guide (2007)
Top Lawyer, Construction & Real Estate Law, Arizona Business Magazine, Ranking Arizona (2004)
Community Activities
- Phoenix Art Museum, Member, Contemporary Art Forum, 2005-present
- Phoenix Community Alliance, Corporate Board of Directors, 2004-present
- Valley Partnership, Member, 2004-present
- Phoenix Arts District Community Development Corporation, Board Member, 2004-present
- Advisory Board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Past Member
Professional Affiliations
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Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act
Subcommittee, Member
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The American College of Real Estate Attorneys
Leasing Committee, Member
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American Bar Association
Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Member
Broker and Brokerage Committee, Past Chair
Regulation of Land Sales Committee, Past Chair
Real Property Division CLE Committee, Past Vice Chair
Real Property Division Committee on Committees, Past Member
Real Property CLE Standards Committee, Past Co-Chair
Real Property and Probate Section on the ABA’s Task Force on the Future of CLE, Past Representative
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Education Planning Committee for Section Spring Meetings and Annual Meetings
Past Member
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International Association of Attorneys and Executives in Corporate Real Estate
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International Council of Shopping Centers
Past Member
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Georgetown Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute
Member
Admitted to Practice
Court Admission
- U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 1978
Education
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J.D., University of Oregon School of Law
, 1978
Order of the Coif
Associate Editor, University of Oregon Law Review
-
A.B., Princeton University
, English-18th Century Literature/Modern American Novel, 1971
