A leader in Chicago’s commercial real estate community, David Arnburg has advised and steered clients in closing deals for the acquisition, financing, sale, lease and management of several of Chicago’s renowned and defining office buildings. His practice during the past four decades also includes guiding clients through the complex arena of employee benefits and executive compensation.
High-Profile Real Estate Acquisitions, Financing, Leasing and Sales
David’s counsel to clients in real estate acquisitions, financings, sales and leases aggregates to more than $2 billion in value achieved in several high-profile closings since the 2009 real estate market downturn and recovery.
Currently, David represents 601 W Companies, one of America’s leading private real estate companies. As the new owners of the long-vacant Old Chicago Main Post Office, David advises 601 W on a variety of matters relating to their $800-million restoration of the historic structure, as well as the leasing and development of their other Chicago properties, which include Aon Center, Civic Opera House and Sullivan Center.
David’s “property portfolio” of experience includes many other major and prominent commercial buildings in Downtown Chicago, including 600 West Chicago, Illinois Center, the Civic Opera Building and 222 North LaSalle. He served as local counsel for the group that acquired the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in 2004, which included $825 million of securitized mortgage and first- and second-level mezzanine financing.
Areas of counsel and representation that David offers include:
- Acquisition and sale of commercial properties
- Ground leases: new, amendments and extensions
- Project finance
- Real estate ownership
- Property management agreements
- Construction contracts
In the past several years, David has assisted clients with leasing more than one million square feet of commercial office space. He represents owners, developers and lessees of commercial and industrial real estate, helping them navigate legal issues related to the leasing, operations and management of their large commercial office buildings in Chicago and nationwide.
Executive Compensation, Employee Benefits and ERISA
In addition to his comprehensive counsel in sophisticated real estate transactions, David also helps employers, including closely held companies, manage the intricacies of compensation, benefits and ERISA issues, an area he has counseled in since he began practicing law more than forty years ago.
David works with employers, including entrepreneurs and closely held and family businesses, and brings a creative and strategic approach to finance and the art of negotiation to bear to help them address such issues as:
- Executive compensation and employment contracts
- Executive deferred compensation
- Stock option agreements and phantom stock plans for closely held businesses
- Bonus and other incentive compensation plans
- Healthcare and other welfare plans and cafeteria plans
- Qualified pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans
Leader Committed to Clients and Chicagoland Real Estate
When working with clients, David is known for his “all-in” and fast-paced approach that keeps his clients’ sophisticated and often innovative projects and transactions on track to successful closing. David is a leader in several real estate associations and currently serves on the tax committee of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA) and as the 2017 president of the century-old Realty Club of Chicago.
