Matt played collegiately at Malone University and continues to stay active in the game. He believes golf teaches some of life’s most important lessons, like honesty, integrity and character, and has developed some of his closest friendships through long hours on the course. In 2017, Matt checked one off his bucket list by playing Pebble Beach with his parents and brother.
People
Matthew L. Strayer
“Be a deal maker, not a deal killer.” That is the single most important lesson Matt learned from his real estate development professor in law school at Ohio State, and a mantra he strives to live by. Matt aims to put the business needs of his clients first while also protecting them against the legal risks they face.
Matt is a real estate and financing attorney with a balanced range of experience, which includes representing Fortune 500 lenders and national real estate investors in the hospitality and industrial warehouse industries, regional and community banks, and owners, investors and developers in retail and multi-family real estate and financing transactions. He represents construction and permanent mortgage lenders in the negotiation and documentation of new and restructured commercial loans and counsels other asset-based secured lenders on issues related to the Uniform Commercial Code. He also has represented real estate investors and lending institutions in complex transactions involving real estate portfolios with multiple properties.
Matt also has represented landlords and tenants in the drafting and negotiation of commercial leases and has significant experience representing owners of commercial property in matters involving easements, restrictive covenants, zoning issues, eminent domain and utility construction.
Matt was named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch lists in 2021-2023 and the Super Lawyers: Rising Stars list in 2023.
A former journalist, Matt has also won several awards for outstanding news reporting.
Experience
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Disposition of real estate portfolio
Represented real estate owner and investor in the disposition of a real estate portfolio including 15 properties located in 8 states.
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Counseled lender with significant community reinvestment project
Counseled lender and documented financing for a significant community reinvestment project involving a historic building secured by federal and state historic tax credits.
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Closing of a multi-hotel acquisition
Assisted a national hospitality investor with the successful closing of a multi-hotel acquisition complicated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Disposition of multi-family property
Represented a New York City-based private equity firm in the disposition of multi-family property in Ohio receiving housing assistance payments from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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Bond financing and capital lease structures
Represented multiple commercial lenders in mortgage loans involving bond financing and capital lease structures with finance and port authorities.
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Acquisition of land for development from a railroad company
Assisted client with the acquisition of land for development from a railroad company, including negotiating restrictive covenants and navigating complex title history.
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$75 Million Revolving Line of Credit
Represents a Fortune 500 lender in adding eligible multifamily, commercial and industrial real estate assets to the collateral pool of a $75 million revolving line of credit loan for the lender’s active real estate investor and developer customer.
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$94 Million Portfolio Acquisition
Represented an industrial real estate investor in its acquisition of a $94 million portfolio of warehouse assets in northeast Ohio, which was the largest deal in the company’s history. Coordinated due diligence with respect to the acquisition of eight properties, two of which involved ground leases, and closed within approximately 60 days.
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Counsel to Retailer Owner/Developer
Has represented real estate owner and developer in the Columbus retail market in matters relating to commercial leasing, acquisitions and dispositions.
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$15 million subscription line of credit
Assisted a client as lender’s counsel for a $15 million subscription line of credit for a private equity fund used to leverage the capital contributions of the fund's limited partners.
Professional & Community Activities
- Member, Brookside Golf & Country Club
- Life Group Leader, Vista Community Church
Presentations & Published Works
- Speaker, Advanced Commercial Real Estate, Ohio State Bar Association, "Issues in Commercial Lending," 2021
- Co-Author, Fifty State Survey of the Law of Eminent Domain: Ohio, American Bar Association (forthcoming)
Bar Admissions & Activities
- Admitted, State of Ohio, 2014
- Admitted, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2018
- Admitted, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, 2015
- Admitted, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 2014
- Member, Columbus Bar Association
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
Awards & Recognition
- Rising Star, Ohio Super Lawyers (Real Estate), 2023
- Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers in America (Litigation - Construction), 2021–2023
Education
- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude), 2014; The Order of the Coif; Note Editor, Ohio State Law Journal, 2013–2014
- Malone University (B.A. in Communication Arts, summa cum laude), 2008
Avid Golfer
Snowboards & Skis
Matt and his wife Kaitlin met on the ski slopes. They continue to enjoy snowboard riding and skiing both as an extreme winter sport on the black diamonds and as a leisurely family activity with their daughters. Here, Matt and his family are pictured at Holiday Valley in western New York.
Insights
