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Richard Cremieux

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Richard is currently a Senior Partner in the Chicago office of Baker McKenzie after 20 years as a principal in the Real Estate/Hotels, Resorts, and Tourism/Construction practice group. Richard’s practice involves serving as trusted business counsel for clients involved with the purchase, sale, exchange, development (including land-use issues), construction, financing, leasing, and management of commercial real estate, with a concentration in hotel and resort properties. His practice includes the representation of both hotel owners and hotel managers in the structure and negotiation of hotel management agreements, and also the structuring of common ownership matters relating to hotel/condominium regimes, condominium conversions, and cooperative regimes. Richard has extensive experience representing both landlords and tenants in the negotiation of commercial leases. He further represents owners, general contractors, and subcontractors in the structuring of complex design-build arrangements. He is recognized by "Best Lawyers in America," "Leading Lawyers," and "Who's Who Legal-Real Estate" for his expertise with real estate transactions. He is also noted in the Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers as among the top real estate lawyers in the United States, and also recognized in The Legal 500 as an expert in hotel and resort development.

Practice Focus

Richard's practice focuses on commercial real estate law, hospitality law, property development, construction law, and secured lending.

Representative Legal Matters

The following is a sampling of Richard's representative transactions:

  • Representing a Japanese investor in the joint venture for the development and construction of two hotel/residential towers in Seattle, Washington

  • Representing the owner of a 60-acre parcel in Chicago, Illinois in the development and construction of the property

  • Representing the owner of three luxury hotels located in New York and California in connection with a USD 465 million refinancing of the debt encumbering the hotels

  • Representing the owner of a luxury hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico, in connection with the acquisition of the hotel and two expansions of the hotel adding an additional 43 luxury residential units

  • Representing a joint venture in the USD 209 million sale of six four-star hotel properties located in different states; this transaction also included the defeasance of two loans encumbering the properties and a §1031 exchange

  • Representing a luxury international hotel ownership and management company in connection with a USD 590 million hotel/condominium development in New York City, including all hotel management documentation, and the formation of two joint ventures: the first with a well known New York real estate developer with respect to the development, and the second with a Middle Eastern equity partner with respect to the equity financing

  • Representing a US luxury hotel and resort company in structuring and closing a CMBS USD 425 million direct to capital markets financing transaction, secured by five luxury hotel properties located in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Mexico

  • Representing the joint venture ownership in the sale of a USD 105 million four star hotel property located near O’Hare International Airport

  • Representing an international hotel management and operations company in structuring and negotiating a hotel/condominium management agreement, including a reservations agreement, unit maintenance agreement, condominium instruments, and related condominium documentation, for a new hotel/condominium to be developed in Chicago

  • Representing an international manufacturing company in a public/private redevelopment of a major manufacturing facility in the Chicago suburbs


Professional Honors

  • Recognized in Real Estate Law, Best Lawyers in America, 2015

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association - Real Estate Finance and Construction Form Committees of the Section of Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law, and the Uniform Commercial Code Committee of the Section of Corporation, Banking, and Business Law
  • Illinois State Bar Association - Sections on Real Estate Law, Environmental Law, and Commercial, Banking, and Bankruptcy Law
  • Chicago Bar Association - Real Estate Finance Subcommittee and Environmental Subcommittee of the Real Estate Committee

Corporate Responsibility

Richard served as Trustee for the Village of LaGrange, Illinois, from 2001 to 2007. Prior to acting as a Trustee, he served as Commissioner on the Plan Commission for the Village of LaGrange from 1994 to 2001. Richard is also a governing member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Admissions

  • Illinois~United States (1976)

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law (J.D.) (1976)
  • Loyola University, Chicago (B.A.) (1969)

Languages

  • English
Baker & McKenzie LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership organized under the laws of the State of Illinois (USA) and is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Verein organized under the laws of Switzerland.
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