Leveraging her experience both in-house and as outside counsel, Nicole Ellis brings multidimensional depth to advising on a broad spectrum of complex real estate transactional matters. She focuses on commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions across all asset sectors; leasing, purchase and sale agreements; and land development. With more than a decade spent in the real estate industry, Nicole provides clients with a comprehensive understanding of the business priorities and operational challenges facing real estate owners, developers and investors today.
Nicole has represented purchasers and sellers in real property acquisitions and sales, including fee and ground leases, and in connection with land development, entitlements, opportunity zones, title and survey matters. She has collaborated with teams across the full life cycle of property transactions, including organizational structure, financing, zoning and land use, and corporate and tax.
Nicole also has experience advising landlords and tenants related to the leasing of office, retail, warehouse and build-to-suit spaces, including lease agreements, negotiations, amendments and restructuring.
Prior to joining Stradley Ronon, Nicole was associate general counsel at Brandywine Realty Trust, one of the largest, publicly traded, full-service, integrated real estate companies in the United States. Previously, she was the vice president and general counsel of the real estate team for a sports and venue management company. She is also a former member of an Am Law 100 firm.
Featured Representative Matters
Led a team of lawyers in representing the buyer in the acquisition of an eight-building industrial portfolio, which included drafting and negotiating the purchase agreement and conducting title and survey review.
Represented a private real estate fund manager and operation in the acquisition of the BB&T Center and an adjacent parking garage in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 22-story, 560,000-plus-square-foot office tower also features on-site retail, banking and restaurant space and was the client’s first investment in the city.
Assisted in the representation of a national, Philadelphia-based defense contractor in connection with its nationwide office leasing.
Represented a private equity real estate fund in connection with the leasing of a 580,000-square-foot office building, with ancillary restaurant and retail space, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Represented a partnership composed of private equity funds and individual investors in connection with the leasing of retail and office space in a large, mixed-use development in Philadelphia, including leases ranging from restaurants to coworking space.
Represented a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the sale of GSK’s headquarters in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This was the first sale of a major office property in the Navy Yard to a third-party buyer and, as of the closing date, represented the highest price per square foot at the time for an office property in Philadelphia; and was also part of a 1031 like-kind exchange.
Memberships
Member, The Union League of Philadelphia
Member, Daughters of the American Revolution
Recognitions
Rising Star, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (2019-20)
Clerkships
Judicial intern, Judge Denis Cohen of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
