Commercial Leasing

Leases That Protect the Long View

A commercial lease is one of the most consequential contracts a business or property owner will sign. It governs the relationship between landlord and tenant for years — sometimes decades — and the terms negotiated at the outset shape everything from operating costs to exit options.

At Myers & Shah, we represent both landlords and tenants in commercial lease transactions across retail, office, industrial, and mixed-use properties in Washington, DC and Virginia. Our goal is to negotiate leases that protect our clients' interests today and anticipate the issues that arise over the life of the tenancy.

What We Help With

• Lease Negotiation and Drafting for Landlords and Tenants
• Tenant Improvement (TI) and Build-Out Provisions
• Renewal, Extension, and Expansion Options
• Rent Escalation, CAM, and Operating Expense Structures
• Sublease and Assignment Provisions
• Default, Cure, and Eviction Procedures
• Lease Disputes and Enforcement Actions
• Ground Leases and Build-to-Suit Arrangements
• Letters of Intent (LOI) and Term Sheet Negotiation

For Landlords

We help property owners draft and negotiate leases that protect asset value, manage risk, and provide clear mechanisms for dealing with tenant defaults, holdovers, and lease transitions. Whether you own a single commercial property or manage a multi-tenant portfolio, we provide the legal framework to keep your operations running smoothly.

For Tenants

We help businesses negotiate lease terms that control costs, preserve flexibility, and avoid the common pitfalls that can turn a good location into an expensive problem. From the initial LOI through lease execution, we focus on the provisions that matter most: rent structure, build-out contributions, exclusivity, assignment rights, and exit options.

Lease Disputes

When disputes arise mid-lease — over maintenance obligations, CAM reconciliations, co-tenancy clauses, or alleged defaults — we step in to resolve them efficiently. Our litigation experience means we can negotiate from a position of strength, and if the matter requires court intervention, we're prepared to litigate.

Why Myers & Shah

Commercial leasing sits at the intersection of real estate, business law, and (often) tax planning. Because our firm practices across all of these areas, we bring a broader perspective to lease negotiations than a firm focused solely on transactional real estate. We understand how lease terms affect a property's valuation, how tenant improvements interact with depreciation, and how lease structures fit into broader investment and estate planning strategies.