Practice Areas
Education
Ohio State University College of Law, J.D., 1984
University of Michigan-Flint, B.B.A., 1981, with high distinction (minor in economics)
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Michigan Supreme Court
Brent A. Titus
Brent has been an integral part of the firm’s Banking, Finance and Real Estate Practice Group since joining the Foster Swift in 1984. Brent's practice focuses primarily in real estate with an emphasis on:
- Commercial Real Estate Transactions: commercial purchase and sales agreements and transactions for manufacturing facilities, colleges, hospitals, communication towers, restaurants, shopping centers, and apartment complexes.
- Landlord-Tenant: lease negotiations, disputes and evictions.
- Real Estate Development: Land Division Act, Condominium Act, zoning, construction contracts, construction liens, subdivision restrictions, and easements.
- Real Estate Finance: loan documentation, modifications, workouts, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, collections, mezzanine loans, and bankruptcy remote entities.
- Real Estate Brokerage: listing agreements, agency disclosures, buyer/broker agreements, Commercial Broker Lien Act, and property management agreements.
- Environmental Law: environmental audits, baseline environmental assessments, and due care documentation.
Brent's clients include financial institutions, insurance companies, real estate brokers, developers, hospitals, manufacturers, farmers, municipalities and colleges.
His knowledge of real estate law is well recognized by his peers. Brent was named the 2009 Lansing Lawyer of the Year for Real Estate by Best Lawyers®, has been included in Best Lawyers of America since 2001 and has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Holding memberships in the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and its Real Property Law Section, and the Ingham County Bar Association, Brent is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court’s Western and Eastern Districts of Michigan. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry and is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects. He has also been a member of various charitable and bank boards in the local community.
Highlights & Recognitions
AV® Preeminent™ Martindale-Hubbell
Best Lawyers in America (Real Estate Law)
Best Lawyers®, Lansing Lawyer of the Year, Real Estate Law, 2009
Representative Matters
- Assisted investors with complex purchase of multi-million dollar loans upon borrower's default.
- Assisted hospital and college with multi-parcel acquisitions for future development.
- Assisted insurance company with significant loan modifications, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, and workouts of defaulted loans in commercial loan portfolio.
- Assisted borrower of commercial development in legal action against lender to stop foreclosure due to lenders breach of loan documents and commitment.
- Assisted client with expansion of cosmetology school's operation to new cities in Michigan, Illinois, and Tennessee.
- Assisted client with multi-million dollar acquisition of out-of-state cosmetology school.
- Assisted landowners with sale of thousands of acres or prime agricultural land.
- Assisted clients with appeals of residential and commercial property tax assessments.
News
- Foster Swift's 2011 Best Lawyers, August 17, 2010
- Foster Swift Announces 2009 Best Lawyers, August 18, 2009
- Best Lawyers Names Brent Titus "Lansing Real Estate Lawyer of the Year", February 12, 2009
- Foster Swift Announces 2008 Best Lawyers In America, September 18, 2008
Speaking Engagements
- Remedies and Lender Liability, In-house educational seminar for commercial real estate lender, June 2010
- Land Division and Related Development Issues, In-house educational seminar for commercial real estate brokerage firm, February 2007
Publications
- Contracts 101 - Top 10 Items to Consider Before Signing on the Dotted Line, Michigan Restaurant Association's Michigan Restauranteur, December 2008
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- State Bar of Michigan
- Real Estate Law Section
- Environmental Law Section
- American Bar Association
- Forum on the Construction Industry
- Ingham County Bar Association
Industry & Professional Associations:
- American Institute of Architects, Associate Member
