Christine P. Claffey

Christine P. Claffey is of counsel in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. With over 20 years of commercial real estate leasing experience, Chris is known for delivering exceptional representation to commercial landlords and tenants across diverse asset classes, including office, retail, industrial, and lab. Chris also brings extensive expertise in broader commercial real estate matters, such as acquisition, disposition, and financing transactions, leveraging a unique blend of in-house, law firm, and brokerage firm experience—including working as a commercial real estate leasing broker in New York City.

Chris is particularly adept at representing commercial landlords and tenants on a portfolio-wide basis, where her skills range from drafting comprehensive form lease documents to developing standard operating procedures to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. 

More About Christine P. Claffey

Education

• J.D., Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
• B.A., Bates College
• Junior Year Abroad, Trinity College, Dublin Ireland

Bar Admissions

• Arizona
• Massachusetts
• New York

Representative Matters

Real Estate Leasing Experience (Landlord Representation)

• Representation of landlord in leasing 148,000 RSF of industrial space in Mesa, AZ to manufacturer of prefabricated homes.
• Representation of landlord in leasing 145,000 RSF of office space in Boston, MA to world’s largest online retailer and technology company.
• Representation of landlord in leasing 89,000 RSF of lab space in Waltham, MA to biotech company specializing in developing targeted anticancer therapeutics.
• Representation of landlord in leasing 84,000 RSF of industrial space in Mesa, AZ to manufacturer of direct air capture (DAC) systems for atmospheric carbon removal.
• Representation of landlord in leasing 75,000 RSF of office space in Boston, MA to online food delivery service.
• Representation of landlord in leasing 74,000 RSF of office space in Boston, MA to digital music streaming service.
• Drafted 65,000 RSF master lease for prominent biotech REIT in connection with its $350 million refinancing of 704,000 RSF property in Boston, MA.
• Significant role in representation of landlord in portfolio leasing transaction with fast-food retailer covering 33 free-standing, pad, and strip locations throughout New England. Transaction included preparation of lease agreements, franchise agreements, inducement agreements, and deferred maintenance agreements.
• Representation of landlord in master agreement with prominent provider of “space as a service” membership business model. Transaction covered 12 buildings in landlord’s portfolio, and included drafting and negotiation of master agreement, license agreement, and membership agreement for coworking spaces and related services.

Real Estate Leasing Experience (Tenant Representation)

• Representation of pet food and pet product retailer in leasing 68,000 RSF of office space (comprised of 24,000 RSF of direct space and 44,000 RSF of sublease space) for West Coast headquarters in Bellevue, WA.
• Representation of cloud-based provider of electronic health records, practice management, and patient communication services in leasing 56,000 RSF of office space in San Francisco, CA and 6,000 RSF of office space in Santa Clara, CA.
• Representation of municipal ferry and cruise operator in subleasing 41,000 RSF of shipyard space in Bridgeport, CT. Transaction included preparation of financing documents and environmental review.
• Representation of government affairs, public relations, and advisory services group in leasing 41,000 RSF of office space for corporate headquarters in Washington, DC.
• Representation of regional bank in leasing 16,000 RSF of retail space for bank branch and regional headquarters in Boston, MA.

Real Estate Acquisition and Financing Experience

• Representation of real estate investment firm and fund manager in acquisition and financing of approximately $500 million of commercial real estate properties (including office buildings, shopping centers, and lab buildings) throughout the United States, totaling approximately 3 million RSF.
• Representation of REIT in acquisition of approximately $69.8 million of single-tenant industrial properties throughout the United States, totaling approximately 1.4 million RSF.
• Significant role in representation of charter school in acquisition and financing of a multi-tenant industrial facility in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, MA in order to redevelop it into a school campus. Transaction included preparation of master lease between the charter school and its foundation.