Jennifer Williams

First Year of Call
British Columbia Bar (2003)

Areas of Practice
Real Estate

Description
Jennifer is an experienced commercial real estate and development lawyer with a particular focus on acquisitions, dispositions, development, commercial leasing and financing.

Jennifer has more than two decades of experience practising commercial real estate and development, real estate transactions, commercial leasing, lending, construction and Indigenous real estate.

Development

Ownership structures including REITs, Limited Partnerships and Trusts
Acquisition and disposition of development sites including land assemblies, partially completed projects
Development of air space parceled mixed-use towers, with educational, retail, commercial and residential shopping centres and purpose rental projects
Conventional and air space subdivisions for residential, industrial and commercial projects, as well as leasehold stratas and developments on First Nations lands
Strata/condominium matters, including mixed-use structures and challenges such as common facility uses, cost-sharing and phasing
Municipal matters including advising on approvals and permits, drafting and negotiating a wide range of covenants, easements and land title encumbrances
Uniquely challenging development transactions including strata conversions, collapse of stratas and co-ownership properties, fractional interests and distressed properties
Disclosure statements for phased, fractional, timeshare and conventional/bare-land strata sales.
Project closing plans including conveyance of completed development lots or interests
Real estate transactions

Purchase, sale and leasebacks of a wide range of assets including commercial complexes, air space parceled mixed use towers, with educational, retail, commercial and residential shopping centres
Transactions involving Land Codes, i.e. acquisition of industrial lands from First Nations including Leq’a:mel First Nation pursuant to long-term ground leases
Unique acquisitions such as acting for developers in taking distressed projects out of CCAA.
Complex titles such as consolidating time shares, strata conversions, collapsing stratas and land assemblies
Corporate commercial law, including limited partnership agreements and deal structures as relating to real estate transactions including REITs
Land Owner Transparency Act filings of Declarations and Reports for complex structures
Commercial leasing

Acting for tenants and sublandlords for Indigenous land subject to Land Codes with respect to long-term ground leases from CP holders and other stakeholders
Acting for landlords, tenants, property managers with respect to complex lease transactions for a diverse portfolio or retail, commercial, industrial and resort properties
Negotiation and drafting of complex commercial lease documents including letters of intent, leases, modifications, renewals and lender non-disturbance agreements
Large-scale ground leases, leasebacks of major assets including office towers, residential towers and mixed-use projects
Day-to-day advice regarding lease administration, lease interpretation, lease workouts and enforcement matters
Lending

Construction and general financing for borrowers and a diverse range of lenders from major institutional lenders to mortgage investment corporations and private lenders
Private lending on complicated private loan structures and fundings
Acting for borrowers, institutional on secured debt financings, construction lending, asset-based lending, lease financing, real estate backed financing, including CMHC-backed loans such as the MLI Flex finance program for market rental projects
Real estate-based financing transactions including construction and project financing
Construction

Acting primarily for developers, builders and owners in negotiating and administering construction
Management, general contracting and subcontract agreements including CCDC agreements and associated supplemental conditions, and contracts with various consultants including architects and engineers
Indigenous real estate

Complex developments on Indigenous lands including those subject to Land Code
Partnerships and joint ventures with Indigenous communities and Indigenous owned business corporations for development of a wide range of projects including residential, mixed use, industrial, modular and recreational sites
Leasing of Indigenous Lands to third party users including for industrial, recreational and residential use
Acquisition and sale of long term leases from CP Holders and other Indigenous stakeholders and Indigenous-owned business corporations
Corporate matters for housing corporations and homeowner associations for developments situated on Indigenous-leased lands