Natalie Maples

Natalie Maples advises clients on a wide spectrum of real estate transactions. She counsels and negotiates on behalf of clients on issues related to site acquisition and development, land use, leasing and ground leasing and due diligence matters, including comprehensive review of title and survey matters and title curative action. She has experience serving as lead counsel in the purchase and sale of commercial, mixed-use, industrial and vacant land, real estate counsel in complex mergers and acquisitions transactions and drafting and negotiating leases and ground leases for landlords and tenants. She has direct experience with the unique issues presented in the acquisition and leasing of medical office buildings, hospitals and national restaurant chains; ground leasing and site development for a national gas station operator and a regional car wash operator; leasing and acquisitions for telecommunications providers; as well as site acquisition and due diligence for solar, wind and other alternative energy projects.

Natalie also has counseled on tax-driven transactions involving historic tax credits, new market tax credits, qualified opportunity zones and REITs. She is experienced in title curative actions and addressing defaults, including evaluation and implementation of remedies and creditor’s rights.  She also has represented debtors and creditors in consumer and commercial bankruptcy matters.  While in law school, Natalie served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Jerry A. Brown, bankruptcy judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Experience

Represented a winery in the acquisition of additional vineyard lands. Representation included negotiation and documentation of real property transfer documents and loan documents, as well as due diligence and comprehensive title and survey review.

Represented a regional car wash operator in the acquisition and ground lease financing of additional sites. Representation included formation of SPE tenant entity, negotiation of ground lease, comprehensive title and survey review and documentation of ground lease financing and line of credit.

Provided analysis of pandemic-related issues with respect to leased real property for a variety of clients. This work included lease compliance matters, imposition of vaccination requirements for access to leased premises and negotiating workouts for retail clients.

Negotiated a new 7-year lease with a reduced footprint and construction contract for a U.S. tech company for its Canadian office. The new lease includes an option for our client to extend the lease for an additional five years, and provides that our client will not be required to pay rent on the 13th and 25th months of the lease. Additionally, the landlord will provide our client with a market rate improvement allowance per square foot and has agreed to provide a cap on their construction supervision fee. Financing for the landlord’s construction project will be provided by its lender, who will provide our client with a subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement for the new lease promptly after the parties enter into the agreement.

Served as real estate counsel to a national restaurant chain in a financial merger. She worked on behalf of the seller to resolve all title curative, environmental, survey and zoning matters for approximately 300 fee-owned restaurant locations as well as provided lease review and compliance, notices and lease assignments for approximately 300 leased restaurant locations. Additionally, she provided analysis and advice for post-transaction sale-leaseback and lease compliance matters.

Represented a mining company and its affiliated entities in the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of two large-scale frac sand and aggregate mining facilities in Louisiana, including comprehensive title and survey review on behalf of the title company. She coordinated development of a metes and bounds survey and legal description for over a thousand acres of real property in Allen Parish, Louisiana that had never previously been surveyed.

Publications

Blog Posts

Speaking Engagements

News

Community & Professional

American Bar Association, Member

Louisiana Bar Association, Member

Urban Land Institute, Member

Honors & Recognitions

Included in Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch for Real Estate Law and Litigation - Real Estate, 2021-2024