Johanna Orleski

Overview

Johanna advises clients across industries on commercial real estate transactions. She has significant experience representing borrowers, owners, investors, developers, and lenders with a wide range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, construction, joint ventures, and financing. She has extensive experience in multifamily housing developments, medical use developments (including free standing emergency rooms/hospitals and medical office buildings), hotels, and industrial properties. She also regularly advises landlords and tenants on leasing matters.

Johanna regularly represents borrowers in negotiating and obtaining financing from agency lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and uses her legal savvy and experience to fit within the agencies’ required framework. She has represented both sponsor borrowers, common equity and preferred equity investors in agency deals.

Johanna has a thriving pro bono practice and has represented several local nonprofits in connection with real estate leasing, acquisition, and financing. In 2024, the firm was awarded HomeAgain’s “Community Partnership” award based on Johanna’s work on HomeAgain’s behalf in negotiating a leasing agreement with the City of Richmond for the operation of a new homeless shelter. Johanna also proudly serves on the board of Connor’s Heroes, a local non-profit with a mission of providing hope, guidance, and support to children with cancer and their families.

Experience

Represented Sonesta International Hotels Corporation with its re-entry into the New York market with the acquisition and financing of four boutique and lifestyle hotels in midtown Manhattan.
Regularly represents borrowers and preferred equity investors in obtaining agency financing from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Represented a health care system with multiple real estate projects, including the acquisition and development of a free standing emergency room in an underserved region of Virginia, a build-to-suit lease with eventual buy out of the state of the art medical office building, and multiple leasing transactions for medical office space.
Represented a large real estate developer with the acquisition of raw land in Uptown Charlotte, for the development of a 29-story mixed-use tower consisting of residential, office, and retail space valued at $129 million. Representation included negotiation of acquisition, mortgage financing, mezzanine financing, leasing, construction, and joint venture documentation.
Represented a real estate investment trust in connection with obtaining 21 Freddie Mac mortgage loans totaling over $457 million, secured by multifamily residential properties located throughout the southeast.
Regularly represents landlords and tenants in preparation and negotiation of office, warehouse, retail, and medical use leases.
Advised a non-profit entity pro bono on zoning and other land use matters.