Richard J. Traub

Richard Traub is a Chambers recognized real estate attorney who has worked on real estate transactions throughout the United States and in various foreign countries.

Rich focuses his practice on the acquisition, development, construction, leasing, financing, and sale of mixed use developments, multi-family sites, shopping centers, and retail properties throughout the United States on behalf of national, regional, and Chicago-based developers. Rich’s services include the negotiation of acquisition and disposition agreements, review of financing documents, structuring of construction contracts, preparation of complex retail and office leases, and the formulation of covenants, restrictions, and operating agreements.

Rich has substantial experience in connection with the acquisition, development, leasing, and use of office and industrial properties throughout the United States.

Rich also serves as outside general counsel to corporations in connection with their myriad legal needs, including intellectual property, employment, contractual matters, and other day-to-day legal needs. Richard has successfully implemented a “Counsel Connect” program which strives to address a client’s legal matters on a cost-effective basis prior to the initiation of legal disputes.

Rich serves as Smith Gambrell & Russell’s Leader of the Real Estate Practice Group in Chicago.

Richard's Practice

Representative Matters

Retail

• Represents national and Chicago-based developers in connection with the acquisition, development, construction, leasing, financing, and sale of shopping centers and retail properties throughout the United States.
• Represents several national retailers in connection with their leasing activities throughout the United States.
• Represents a prominent Chicago developer in connection with the acquisition, construction, leasing, and development of big-boxed anchored shopping centers in the Midwest.
• Represents a world renowned university in connection with its real estate activities in the United States.
• Represents a private equity fund in connection with its disposition of real estate assets in the Midwest.
• Represents a publicly traded investment fund in connection with the analysis of its real estate instruments utilized throughout the Midwest.

Mixed Use

• Represents developers in connection with the development, financing, construction, and leasing of mixed-use high rise projects. Rich advises the clients and negotiates mixed-use declarations, retail and office leases, construction and financing, joint venture agreements, and plats of separation necessary for the successful development of the projects.
• Represents a prominent Chicago-based developer in connection with its acquisition and development of mixed-use and single family properties throughout the United States.
• Represents an internationally renowned construction company in connection with the development of mixed-use development projects in the metropolitan Chicago area.
• Represents a developer in connection with the refinancing and recapitalization of a 1 million square foot mixed-use development in Munster, Indiana. The project contains office, industrial, retail, medical office, and manufacturing uses.
• Represents a prominent Chicago-based developer in connection with its major leasing activities in the Midwest market.

Industrial

• Represents a Chicago-based national construction company in connection with its various real estate needs.
• Represents a national industrial developer in connection with its acquisition, financing and leasing of large industrial properties throughout the United States.
• Represents publicly traded industrial developer in connection with its Midwest-based real estate and associated land use issues.

Office

• Represents large landlords and tenants in connection with their office leasing activities.

Financing

• Represents a New York-based financing company in connection with a proprietary tenant improvement finance program.

Other

• Represents property owners and banks in connection with the acquisition and disposition of distressed real estate assets.
• Represents a Fortune 10 company in connection with various real estate real estate needs for several asset classes in the Midwest.
• Represents a municipality in the Chicago suburbs in connection with its redevelopment of a major regional retail mall.
• Represented tenant-in-common investor groups in the workout of tenant-in-common investments in commercial, industrial, office, and multi-family residential real estate throughout the United States.