Brent A. Titus

Brent's clients include financial institutions, insurance companies, real estate brokers, developers, hospitals, manufacturers, farmers, municipalities and colleges. 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, office buildings, colleges, hospitals, communication towers, restaurants, shopping centers and apartment complexes.
• Landlord-Tenant: Commercial lease negotiations, disputes and evictions.
• Real Estate Development: Land Division Act, Condominium Act, zoning, special use permits, variances, 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.

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 had an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell since 1999. In 2023, he was named a "Go-To Lawyer" in Commercial Real Estate by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

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. Brent previously served on the firm's Executive Committee as former Co-Vice President of the firm's Lansing office.

AV® Preeminent™ Martindale-Hubbell

Michigan Lawyers Weekly, "Go-To Lawyer" in Commercial Real Estate, 2023

Best Lawyers® 2015, 2018, 2024 "Lawyer of the Year," Lansing, Litigation - Real Estate

Best Lawyers® 2009 "Lawyer of the Year" in Lansing, Real Estate Law

Best Lawyers® in America, Real Estate Law, 2001-2026

Best Lawyers® in America, Litigation - Real Estate, 2001-2026

Past Member of Foster Swift Executive Committee

Past Practice Group Leader of Foster Swift Finance, Real Estate and Bankruptcy Services

• Assisted trust clients with complex sale of their land contract vendor’s interest in nearly 2000 acres of Michigan farmland to investment firm for $8 million+, where vendee was in default and subject to numerous liens.
• Assisted institutional client with acquisition of out-of-state office building for in excess of $40 million.
• Assisted client with multiple multi-million dollar out-of-state office sublease transactions, requiring landlord and lender consents.
• Assisted client with multiple large out-of-state office lease assignment and assumptions transactions, requiring landlord and lender consents.
• Assisted client with a large office lease buy-out and termination transaction.
• Assisted institutional client with multi-million dollar out-of-state land acquisition for regional branch office development.
• 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, Tennessee, and Nebraska.
• Assisted client with multi-million dollar acquisition of out-of-state cosmetology schools.
• Assisted landowners with sale of thousands of acres of prime agricultural land, and investors with the purchase of thousands of acres of prime farmland. 
• Assisted clients with appeals of residential and commercial property tax assessments.
• Assisted family farm clients with succession planning to next generation.
• Acted as trustee for asset protection trusts. Assisted clients with adverse possession and prescriptive easement claims. 

Legal Affiliations:

• American Bar Association
  • Forum on the Construction Industry
• State Bar of Michigan
  • Real Estate Law Section
  • Environmental Law Section
• Ingham County Bar Association

Industry & Professional Associations:

• American Institute of Architects
  • Associate Member