Stephen G. Nesbitt

Steve is a partner in Taft’s Real Estate practice group. He counsels private and publicly held companies, developers, lenders, sponsors, investors, landlords, and tenants in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development, construction, and financing of diverse properties, including shopping centers, retail, restaurants, industrial, commercial, office, multi-family, hospitality, and mixed-use projects.

Steve’s expertise includes real estate development and real estate transactions including, purchases, sales, leasing, financing, property taxation, and abatements.

As part of his corporate practice, Steve counsels entrepreneurs, founders, investors, shareholders, and financiers on various issues such as: the formation, entity selection, capitalization, capital structure, and financing of new and existing businesses; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; creating and implementing asset protection plans and risk management solutions; business succession planning; buy-sell agreements; shareholder agreements; contractual review and negotiations; licensing agreements; and general counseling on corporate governance, employment matters, and compliance with legal and regulatory changes affecting clients’ businesses.

He has been recognized by Chambers USA and named to the list of The Best Lawyers in America®. Additionally, Steve is a member of the Board of Trustees for ProKids, a nonprofit agency that provides court-appointed advocacy for children in the child protection system to ensure that they are provided with a safe, permanent, and nurturing home.

• Real estate counsel to one of the world’s largest, NYSE-traded, quick service restaurant chains in the leasing and refranchising of company-owned stores throughout the United States.
• Real estate counsel to one of the country’s largest long-term pharmacy services providers in leasing, acquisitions, and sales of company-owned pharmacies, distribution, and office facilities.
• Counsel to real estate investment funds and managers focusing on shopping center and neighborhood retail assets throughout the United States.
• Represents one of the fastest growing full-service restaurant chains and wineries in the country in the leasing, acquisition, and development of its restaurant and production properties.
• Represents an integrated developer with development and leasing for its large-scale, mixed-use retail and lifestyle centers, including some of the most famous retailers in the world.
• Served as counsel for a developer on a $200 million, 75-acre, mixed-use, brownfield redevelopment commercial project located in Cincinnati, Ohio, including negotiations for purchase and sale agreements on the acquisition of the site and disposition of lots to anchor tenants, site development agreements, master declarations, sub-declarations, and all public and private financing, including traditional secured debt, TIF financing for infrastructure improvements, and private capital financing for development and construction costs.
• Serves as general counsel to a wide variety of businesses, handling general business, contracts, and transactions.