With sophisticated negotiation skills, Charlene has deep real estate experience that is backed by transaction acumen. She works closely with clients across their real estate transactions, distilling complex issues with practical perspective and insight.
Charlene has a comprehensive real estate practice focused on commercial transactions, particularly in the real estate private equity, fund and joint venture spaces. She advises domestic, cross-border and international clients in all real estate sectors, regularly representing pension fund owners, fund sponsors, fund investors, managers, private equity funds, REITs, sovereign wealth funds, developers, institutional investors, universities, major lenders and borrowers, landlords and tenants.
Charlene has extensive experience in the creation, promotion, management of and investment in both open-end and closed-end domestic, national and international real estate private equity funds, limited partnerships, joint ventures and co-ownerships, development-related matters and property and asset management advice. She frequently acts on transactions involving acquisitions and dispositions of single property and portfolio investments, sale/leaseback arrangements, as well as single lender and syndicated construction, servicing, term and take-out financing.
Charlene regularly advises clients on the real estate components of their mergers and acquisitions transactions, in addition to her advice relating to industrial and office leasing negotiations, construction-related mandates, regulatory, compliance matters and land transfer tax advice. Her transactional, tax and regulatory experience helps clients efficiently and strategically structure and negotiate complex agreements, such as purchase and sale, limited partnership and co-ownership, credit, management services, development and construction management, reciprocal easement and operating, limiting distance, and tieback and crane swing agreements, as well as ground, major office and industrial leases.
She also works on transit-focused communities and mixed-use developments, demonstrating her ability to support large-scale, complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
Charlene is very smart, rational and easy to work with.’
—Chambers Canada, 2023
2020-2025 | Chambers Canada—Leading lawyer in real estate (Ontario) |
2023 | Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys |
2022 | The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory—Leading lawyer to watch in private equity |
2015-2018 | Expert Guides—Rising star in real estate |
Charlene is often a speaker and moderator at prominent industry conferences, webinars and events where she addresses topics such as deal structuring, emerging opportunities in the commercial real estate space and the mitigation of land transfer tax risk. Keeping up-to-date on developing market and real estate trends and relaying that insight to clients is an important aspect of Charlene’s legal practice and role as a trusted business advisor.
Charlene currently serves on the Canadian Bar Association Real Property Executive, is a member of the International Bar Association and is a board member of the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. Charlene is a past board member and former chair of the communications committee for the Toronto Chapter of NAIOP and is actively involved in other industry organizations such as CREW and ICSC. Charlene is also a regular guest lecturer and course instructor for RealPAC.