Herman R. Lipkis

Herman R. Lipkis is a partner in Holland & Knight's Fort Lauderdale office. He focuses his practice on structured real estate finance, commercial leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, hospitality transactions, construction, and general corporate and business matters. Mr. Lipkis is a problem solver who seeks practical solutions to reach his clients’ goals. He represents a broad range of clients in diverse matters such as corporate and asset based lending, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and structuring and negotiating joint venture agreements, operating agreements and related documentation.

Mr. Lipkis maintains a national real estate finance practice representing national and regional banks, foreign financial institutions, private equity funds, borrowers, real estate developers, hotel owners and operators in various types of loan transactions, including portfolio loans (acquisition, construction, development, bridge, revolving, term, permanent and mezzanine), syndications, intercreditor and participation arrangements and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. He routinely advises lenders in multistate portfolio transactions and has negotiated numerous complex legal opinion letters. He is well-versed in the financing of specialized assets such as pleasure boats, telecommunications equipment and exotic vehicles, including documentary stamp and intangible tax issues. Mr. Lipkis also has experience counseling lenders and borrowers through the loan workout and foreclosure process, including pre-negotiation agreements and structuring forbearance agreements.

In addition, he frequently represents landlords and tenants in negotiating complex office, retail and industrial leases and license agreements. His leasing practice involves the representation of landlords and tenants in the leasing of office buildings, warehouse and industrial properties, medical centers, shopping centers and restaurants across the nation. He has written and spoken extensively about new and evolving trends such as co-working spaces, ghost kitchens and temporary pop-up retail tenancies.

Mr. Lipkis counsels real estate developers and investors through all aspects of a transaction cycle, from drafting the purchase and sale agreement, managing the legal due diligence process, negotiating financing options with bank and non-bank lenders and structuring the transaction to minimize state and local tax liability. He works closely with the firm’s land use, zoning, environmental and tax specialists to address all matters that arise during the development process.

Mr. Lipkis also has experience with sophisticated hospitality transactions and hotel operations matters, including hotel and resort acquisitions, dispositions and development. He has experience negotiating hotel management agreements, franchise agreements, and food and beverage agreements involving domestic and international resort hotels.

Mr. Lipkis is a member of the Fort Lauderdale office Diversity Committee. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Lipkis worked in the New York City office of an international law firm. During law school, Mr. Lipkis served as an editor of the Cardozo Law Review and was involved with Cardozo's Holocaust Claims Restitution Clinic.