Corporate Law Real Estate Law
C. Leslie Banas
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2008 Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
Leslie Banas counsels companies and individuals in business and real estate matters. She assists clients in organizing business entities, acquiring assets, negotiating contracts, and satisfying regulatory requirements. Her clients include entrepreneurial and established companies in the real estate, housing, service, health care, manufacturing, hospitality and other industries.
Ms. Banas represents real estate owners and investors in dealing with office, retail, hospitality, industrial and condominium properties. She helps them to assemble land, obtain entitlements and incentives and construct improvements. She negotiates leases on behalf of landlords and tenants, including retail leases with national retailers.
She also works with developers in acquiring and rehabilitating senior, market rate and affordable apartment communities, and obtaining financing through HUD, Fannie Mae, state housing agency bond offerings, and the sale of low income housing tax creditis (LIHTCs).
In addition to developers, she helps manufacturers and others deal with their “corporate real estate” including leasing office space, purchasing warehouses and decommissioning obsolete plants.
Ms. Banas has successfully closed over $800M in commercial, multifamily and industrial real estate transactions, as well as over $300M in mortgage loans from financial institutions, life companies, CMBS lenders, government sponsored enterprises and other lenders.
She also assists international buyers in navigating U.S. commercial real estate industry issues when purchasing American commercial properties.
Ms. Banas has extensive experience in the structuring and capitalization of limited liability companies and other pass through entities.
In addition, Ms. Banas works with non-profit educational, health care and community organizations in organizational and governance matters, applying for grants and entering into joint venture arrangements.
Overview
- English
- Gender: Female
- Wayne State University, J.D., graduated 1976
- University of Detroit Mercy, graduated 1973
- Wayne State University, graduated 1976
- Michigan, State Bar of Michigan
- CoreNet - Member
- ICSC - Member
- Real Property Law Section/State Bar of Michigan - Past Chair
- Urban Land Institute/Michigan - Steering Committee Member
- English
- Michigan, State Bar of Michigan
- CoreNet - Member
- ICSC - Member
- Real Property Law Section/State Bar of Michigan - Past Chair
- Urban Land Institute/Michigan - Steering Committee Member
- Wayne State University, J.D., graduated 1976
- University of Detroit Mercy, graduated 1973
- Wayne State University, graduated 1976
- Gender: Female
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
- Corporate Law
- Real Estate Law
Additional Areas of Practice:
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Health Care Law
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
Special Focus:
- Commercial
- Commercial Leasing
- Construction
- Corporate
- Development
- Finance
- Industrial
- Joint Ventures
- Land Use
- Mixed-Use Development
- Partnership and Limited Liability
- Tax Certiorari
- Transactions
Awards:
- Deloitte Inner Circle Award
- 100 Outstanding Women of Michigan
News & Media
Additional Information
Case History
Cases
- Major Office Lease
Lease of over 120,000sf office space for health care insurer; resolution of tenant issues relating to landlord's mortgage default and lender's foreclosure of office building.
- Recycling Facility
Purchase of obsolete manufacturing facility; regulatory approvals for operation of plant from county and state environmental agencies;construction of new LEED certified dual stream recycling facility.
- Senior Independent Rental Housing
Fannie Mae refinancing of two phases of senior rental apartment property; development of third phase of project including construction financing; restructuring of ownership entities.
- Mixed Use Condominium Project
Redevelopment of multistory mixed use condominium overlooking city park; constructionof luxury residential and retail units; resolution of construction and building code issues.
- Historic Building/Restaurant Acquisition
Purchase of historic office and restaurant building in city center,purchase of restaurant assets; development of new restaurant operation; liquor license matters; structuring of relevant ownership entities.
- Purchase, Rehabilitation and Refinancing of Affordable Apartment Project
Purchase of 500+ unit multifamily rental housing property in Columbus, Ohio; closing of new HUD-insured mortgage loan for cover substantial rehabilitation of property; mark to market restructuring of existing HUD-insured loan and transfer of lender's position in restructured loan to non-profit entity.
Transactions
- Redevelopment of Old Racetrack Site
Redevelopment of 100+ acre former racetrack into 1M mixed use retail/office project and sale of acreage for development of 2M warehouse/distribution facility. Transaction involved significant zoning, land use and environmental issues; complex REA; various build to suit, ground lease and pad sale arrangements with big box retailers; multiple levels of constuctruction and end financing, and leasing of mini-anchor and in line retail space.
- 4.5 MW Private Wind Energy Project
Representation of developer of largest private wind energy project developed in the United States to date. The developer is installing three 1.5MW wind turbines at a manufacturing facility in the Midwest. the electricity generated by the turbines will markedly reduce the cost of the electricity used to operate the manufacturing plant. surplus electricity will be sold to the local utility. Transaction involves the purchase and delivery of turbines from an offshore manufacturer; resolution of zoning and other land use issues; engineering and construction the infrastructure and site improvements need to accommodate delivery, erection, hok up and operation of the turbines and their interconnection to the local utility's lines.
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