Amelia E. Elze, Esq.
Amelia’s practice focuses on commercial leasing and the acquisition and sale of commercial properties across the United States. With more than fifteen years of experience in the commercial real estate industry—both as in-house counsel and in private practice—she brings a practical and sophisticated understanding of the complex legal and business issues that arise throughout the life cycle of a commercial property.
As in-house counsel for a prominent regional real estate developer, Amelia oversaw the initial lease-up and ongoing legal management of several large, mixed-use projects. In that role, she worked closely with property management teams to address operational issues, managed outside counsel in litigation matters, and supported all aspects of project operations. Later, as General Counsel and Director of Real Estate for a Northeast restaurant group, Amelia was responsible for site selection, leasing, acquisitions, and daily operational matters across the company’s portfolio.
Having “lived with her deals” long after closing, Amelia offers clients a unique perspective—she understands not only how to close transactions efficiently, but also how they function in practice. This insight allows her to anticipate issues, streamline negotiations, and deliver pragmatic, business-oriented solutions that move deals to completion smoothly and effectively.
Amelia has also represented clients in the purchase and sale of numerous shopping centers, office buildings, industrial properties, and stand-alone triple-net (NNN) assets. Her work has included structuring joint ventures, preparing private placement materials, and resolving complex title and due diligence issues.
- Case Abstracts, 2007 Annual Survey of Letter of Credit and Practice
- Case Abstracts, Documentary Credit World, October 2006, January 2007 and October 2007
- Boilerplate Provisions: Nothing Is Boilerplate…or Is It?, 2025 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Coronavirus: Force Majeure, Landlord Duties, and Other Lessons Learned Nearly Three Years Late; Commercial Real Estate Leasing: 2022 Year in Review and Look Ahead to 2023 (NBI, Inc.)
- Your Excitement Knows No Bounds – Until It Reads Your Radius Restriction, 2022 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Snap, Crackle and Pop-Up: Serial Issues Related to Pop Up Leasing, 2021 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Tenant’s Personal Property: Who Really Wants It? Navigating the Rights of Landlord, Tenant’s Lender, and Tenant’s Franchisor, 2020 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Small Shop Solutions: Lease Issues Unique to Small Shop Retail Space, 2016 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- When Does the Train Leave the Station? Getting to Rent Commencement, 2015 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Items to Consider in Percentage Rent Only Deals, 2014 ICSC Shopping Center Law Conference
- Solely responsible for all ground up leasing of a pre-eminent 1,000,000 square foot mixed-use development, including retail, restaurant, office, and hotel uses
- Successful negotiation of a ground lease for a minor league baseball stadium on behalf of a landlord client
- Negotiated several grocery anchor leases, including one anchoring a redevelopment of an old strip center into a residential and retail mixed use center
- Represented institutional and private landlords in connection with a multitude of anchor and junior anchor leases, including with Target, Lowe’s, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Ross, Giant, Lidl, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Big Lots, Petco, PetsMart, and Alamo Theaters as well as with well known national tenants such as Starbucks, Chipotle, Mod Pizza, Verizon, Walgreens and Rite Aid
- Created form lease for a national landlord for use in multiple shopping centers across the country
- Represented a private landlord in the acquisition of multiple sites and subsequent ground leases for a national medical tenant
- Handled the sale of $20M apartment complex, including curing title defects that would have otherwise prevented the sale from closing
- Represented the landlord in connection with a 45,000 sf office lease with a first floor retail component
- Represented a private landlord in acquiring NNN properties across the United States
- Created a variety of forms for use in complicated mixed-use projects, including marina slip licenses, trademark license agreements, solar leases, electric car charging station agreements and muzak agreements
- ICSC
- Virginia
- New York
- District of Columbia




