Darren S. Berger

Darren is a partner in Michael Best's Real Estate practice. He joined Michael Best with the New York team of Kane Kessler, P.C.

Darren previously co-chaired both the Real Estate Practice Group and the General Business Practice Group at Kane Kessler. His work spans business representation, real estate, trust and estate planning, and business succession.

Darren's clients include a broad mix of companies and individuals, and his matters take in the sale of retail products and services; distribution, manufacturing and licensing across a number of industries, among them apparel, handbags and accessories, retail services, supermarkets, restaurants and hospitality, and manufacturing; purchases and sales of businesses; and estate and succession planning.

On the real estate side, Darren handles purchases and sales of mixed use and multifamily buildings, industrial properties, development rights and undeveloped land. He negotiates commercial leases for retail, office, industrial, shopping center and loft occupants, negotiates access and license agreements, and serves as counsel to cooperative corporations and condominium associations.

Solutions in action

Darren has represented clients in the following matters:

• Represented the owner of an investment property leased to a nursing home operator in closing a HUD-insured loan refinancing.
• Represented a nationally known restaurant brand in lease negotiations in major cities across the United States.
• Represented an owner in the purchase of residential and multifamily buildings in Brooklyn.
• Represented a tenant in the lease of its corporate offices at Rockefeller Center.
• Represented an owner in the sale of Queens investment properties under IRC Section 1031 and in the subsequent purchase of replacement properties in Maryland and Texas.
• Represented an accessory and handbag company in the lease and subsequent sublease of its sales and distribution center.
• Represented a tenant in negotiating a lease for a commercial baking operation.
• Represented purchasers and sellers of high-end luxury residential properties.
• Represented a New York City property developer in acquiring development rights from an adjacent neighbor; beyond the cash consideration, the neighbor received a long-term lease of part of the commercial space in the developer's new building, together with the right to buy that space as a condominium unit if the developer went forward with converting the building to a condominium regime.
• Represented a New York City property developer in negotiating access agreements with several neighboring owners, securing access to their properties for the construction of the new development and providing for protection of those properties during construction.
• Represented the creator and operator of a restaurant in structuring the business and preparing a private placement memorandum.
• Represented the owner of a multinational commercial knitting machine manufacturer in the sale of its United States-based division.
• Represented the family behind a nationally recognized facial care and products company in the sale of that business.
• Represented a developer in acquiring property and negotiating an operating agreement with its partner along with the related financing agreements.
• Represented an internationally known restaurant owner and operator in the sale of a 50% interest in the group to a private equity fund, a transaction that carried a financing commitment for future expansion and was worth more than $100 million.