John J. Lawlor
Partner
John "Jack" Lawlor has extensive experience in zoning amendment,
variation, planned development, annexation and subdivision matters
in approximately 40 different municipalities.
He has handled major planned development applications in the
city of Chicago, including his representation of DePaul University
in connection with its amended institutional planned development
for DePaul's 35-acre Lincoln Park Campus.
Jack's experience in the land-use area also includes
representation of regional and community shopping centers in
numerous rezoning matters; corporate headquarters expansions;
college and university campus expansions; major rail
transportation, energy and residential projects; and the creation
and use of tax increment financing districts.
He has represented major retailers and restaurant companies in
their entry into new markets and their retrofit of existing
locations.
Jack has wide-ranging and extensive experience representing
developers and retailers in drafting and negotiating purchase and
sale agreements, shopping center reciprocal easement agreements
(REAs), space leases, ground leases, construction contracts and
architect agreements.
He has served as a special assistant Illinois attorney general
for condemnation matters for the Illinois Department of
Transportation and the Illinois Department of Conservation and has
represented both condemnors and condemnees in eminent domain
proceedings.
Major projects for condemnors have included rail facilities and
both water commission and natural gas pipeline land assemblies.
Major projects for condemnees have included the defense of major
corporate headquarters and college and university facilities
threatened by highway widenings and major commuter transit facility
expansions, the defense of country club facilities against water
commission pipelines, and the defense of retailers in condemnation
proceedings brought to condemn shopping centers located in tax
increment financing districts.
Presentations
Jack has taught many courses, including the following:
- "London First" and Great London Authority Tax Increment
Financing Seminar keynote presentation on "The American Experience
of Tax Increment Financing," December 8, 2010, London, England
- "The Takings Clause: Regulations, Exactions and Eminent Domain"
(2006 Kratovil Conference sponsored by The John Marshall Law
School)
- "Land Development in Illinois" (Lorman Educational Services,
2006)
- "Land Development," Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal
Education (1986-90)
- "Current Illinois Land Use Practices Program," Illinois
Institute for Continuing Legal Education (1988, 1990)
- "State and Local Taxation: Taxation as a Land Use Control,"
American Law Institute-American Bar Association (1979)
- visiting faculty, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge,
Massachusetts (1977-78)
- "The Real Estate Development Process--Drafting and Negotiating
Techniques," Prentice Hall Law and Business Seminars in San
Francisco, New York, Chicago and Orlando (1989-90)
- "Negotiating a Shopping Center Lease in the 1990s," Illinois
Institute for Continuing Legal Education (1990)
- "Reciprocal Easement Agreement Site Planning Issues,"
International Council of Shopping Centers Law Conference
(1989)
Publications
- "Recent Rulings Could Make Zoning Hearings More Contentious and
Costly," Illinois Bar Journal, July 2003
- "Real Property Tax Delinquency and the Rehabilitation of
Multi-Family Housing," DePaul Law Review, Vol. 26, No.
1
- "Tax Enforcement Programs and Neighborhood Revitalization,"
Land Use and Zoning Digest, Vol. 30, No. 5
- "America's Low Income Housing Efforts," Social
Thought, Spring 1977
< Back