McOwen, Micah J.B.
Micah McOwen heads Becker Glynn’s commercial real estate practice, and is trusted by clients across the globe for their U.S. property legal needs. His broad real estate experience includes representing owners, operators, investors, tenants and lenders on a variety of real estate transactions involving office, retail, industrial, and mixed-use properties, as well as new development projects. With a diverse mix of clients—buyers and sellers, developers and equity investors, landlords and tenants, borrowers and lenders—Micah is able to evaluate and advocate each transaction from many perspectives. He represents many different clients: from individuals, trusts and family-office funds, to local NYC developers, to publicly-traded companies and institutional investors, to foreign governments and agencies. He regularly guides non-U.S. clients through their U.S.-based real estate transactions. As a result, he is equally adept at guiding clients on transactions small and simple or large and complex, whether in New York City or throughout the U.S.
Mr. McOwen has significant experience negotiating leases for both landlords and tenants, not only general office leases but also subleases, groundleases, sale-leasebacks, purchase options, and other complex strategies, ranging from temporary to 100-year terms. He has led development projects of all kinds, including health care and hospitality projects.
With extensive experience in co-investments and other joint venture vehicles, Mr. McOwen has negotiated many real estate investment structures for both ground-up developments and operating projects. He regularly represents both controlling and non-controlling equity partners in negotiating complex equity/promote structures, as well as pref equity/mezz loans and multi-tiered ownership structures. He works closely and regularly with tax counsel and non-U.S. attorneys on cross-border real estate investment strategies, and with local zoning attorneys on air rights assemblages and complex land title matters.
Before becoming an attorney, Mr. McOwen evaluated real estate for environmental compliance issues and advised owners and lenders of potential liabilities under environmental regulations.
Mr. McOwen has also served as pro bono counsel to a number of New York not-for-profits with real estate needs, including sales, leases and negotiations with the Attorney General’s office. He was a founding associate board member of the New York Legal Assistance Group.
Mr. McOwen also served his local community as trustee of the Mount Vernon City School District 2015-2022.
Mr. McOwen’s publications include:
Peter Fisch, Harris B. Freidus & Micah J. B. McOwen, Preferred Equity and Mezzanine Loans as Subordinate Financing Tools, N.Y.L.J. (November 30, 2011).
Andrew H. Levy & Micah J. B. McOwen, When New York Law Governs Out-of-State Collateral, N.Y.L.J. (March 14, 2011).
CONTACT
EDUCATION
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 2007
Boston University, B.A., cum laude, 2002
ADMISSIONS
New York
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
DLA Piper LLP
MEMBERSHIPS/PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Founding Associate Board Member of the New York Legal Assistance Group