2002, Volume 2PAGE 6

Belz's Legal Department Seals the Deal on New Leases

New leases, lease renewals, purchasing and selling property, trademark registrations – these are just some of the jobs handled by Belz Enterprises' busy in-house legal department.

Currently, the legal department has two attorneys and two legal secretaries who manage all of Belz's legal affairs.

"The legal department is the key to successfully closing each of our transactions," said Morris Thomas, vice president of brokerage and leasing. "Their hard work and attention to every detail insure that nothing will be overlooked during contract negotiations."

Supervised by Andrea Bienstock, Belz's corporate counsel, the department's responsibilities include negotiating leases for more than 30 million square feet of industrial, commercial, and warehouse space, distribution centers, shopping centers, office buildings, mixed-use centers and corporate campuses. Because Belz owns or manages properties all over the nation, that can be a monumental task.

Elizabeth Dickinson, Belz's associate corporate counsel, is mainly responsible for reviewing industrial, retail and office leases in the Memphis area as well as negotiating leases for all the factory outlet malls.

Judy Milam and Sandra Perry, the department's legal secretaries, assist in the preparation of documents for leases, property sales and purchases, as well as a wide variety of other duties such as coordinating with other departments to satisfy tenant requests.

The legal department also is involved in the sale of commercial real estate, addressing contract issues and concerns, managing litigation, and providing legal assistance in the day-to-day operations of Belz and its affiliates.

Photo at top:

1. Belz's Legal Department – (from left) Elizabeth Dickinson, Judy Milam, Andrea Bienstock, and Sandra Perry.