Michael A. Moynihan

At his core, Mike is a “deal team leader” who brings persistence, persuasion, and the ability to overcome obstacles to bear in order to complete complex real estate transactions for his commercial clients.  As one client described, “Mike has the unique ability to speak every professional’s language at their level but then to translate back what he’s learned to our client team in layman’s terms.  He is a ‘world-class communicator’”. Another client shared that, “Mike gets calmer as the deal pressure increases; his demeanor inspires confidence in all of us”.

Mike Moynihan maintains an active practice handling a broad range of real estate and financing transactions and has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate field. He has two principal areas of focus.  The first is corporate real estate services for large, national and multi-national users which entails the acquisition, financing, leasing and management of commercial real estate assets. The second involves the representation of large-scale commercial, mixed-use and industrial developers throughout the country. Mike’s development team responsibilities include operating entity formation and capitalization, project financing, construction contracting, investor relations, project planning and project documentation.

Mike served as Co-Managing Partner of Freeborn & Peters (which combined with SGR in 2023) for eight years before his term ended at the end of 2017. Before becoming Co-Managing Partner in 2010, he served as Co-Chair of that firm’s Real Estate Practice Group and Chair of the Recruiting Committee.

Mike is a longtime member of the Young Presidents Organization (“YPO”) and is the Founder and first Chair of the YPO-Chicago Metro Gold Chapter. He is also active in several civic and community organizations including the Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago, Illinois where he recently served as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Mike is an active, amateur player in the sport of Curling as well as a long-distance road cyclist.

Michael's Practice

Representative Matters

• Represent one of the largest financial services firms in the world in connection with its corporate real estate and real estate development requirements
• Represented an international packaging company in connection with its U.S. corporate real estate needs as well as the roll-out and development of its domestic industrial facility footprint.
• Counseled to the developer of a major Chicago CBD skyscraper in connection with its vertical subdivision and $100 million refinancing.
• Represent a California-based family office in connection with its acquisition of a portfolio of industrial assets in the Midwest and with respect to its ongoing Midwest operations.
• Represent a religious order in connection with the development and sale of one of the largest remaining developable parcels located in Pasadena County, CA.
• Represented a private developer in connection with the acquisition, financing and leasing of mixed-use development project in Chicago, Illinois consisting of retail space, condominiums, hotels and an underground parking facility.