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"Rebecca is exceptional in her organization, work ethic, project management, knowledge of commercial real estate finance and customer service."

Chambers USA 2023

Overview

Rebecca’s background in education and urban nonprofit development informs her transactional real estate law practice, which helps cities grow and improve.

A strong and highly responsive communicator dedicated to client service, Rebecca values opportunities to help build projects in underserved communities, preserve historic structures and provide low-income housing – endeavors that change the landscape for an area and its citizens.

Rebecca represents operating companies, investors, developers and lenders in a broad range of real estate and financial transactions. Clients benefit from her significant experience in tax-advantaged real estate development work, as she guides them through complex New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) transactions and counsels them in the emerging field of Opportunity Zones. 

She represents developers and national commercial banks in construction financing projects, including those utilizing tax increment financing (TIF), Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), PACE financing, historic tax credits (HTC) or other governmental incentives. She also advises on the acquisition and disposition of low-income housing, senior housing and office and retail properties.

The complexity of Rebecca’s deals calls on her creativity as she moves past seemingly intractable barriers to project success to solutions that work for every stakeholder.

Rebecca serves as the Office Managing Partner for Husch Blackwell's Milwaukee office.
 

"Rebecca is exceptional in her organization, work ethic, project management, knowledge of commercial real estate finance and customer service."

Chambers USA 2023

Industry

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Banking and Finance Law, 2023-2025
    • Community Association Law, 2021-2025
    • Real Estate Law, 2020-2025
  • Chambers USA
    • Real Estate, 2013, 2014, 2022-2024
  • BizTimes Milwaukee
    • Notable Commercial Real Estate Leaders, 2021
    • Notable Women in Law, 2020
  • Wisconsin Super Lawyers
    • Rising Star, 2016-2019
  • Milwaukee Business Journal
    • 40 Under 40 Class of 2015
  • Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women Emerging Leader Aspire Award, 2014
  • Marquette University Law School, St. Thomas More Full Tuition Scholarship

Education

  • J.D., Marquette University Law School
    • magna cum laude
      • CALI Excellence for the Future Award, Contract Law, Trust and Estates, Negotiations, Trial Advocacy
      • Marquette Law Review, Note and Comment Editor
  • M.Ed., Framingham State College
  • B.A., Kalamazoo College
    • Anthropology
    • magna cum laude
      • Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

  • Wisconsin

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Commercial Association of Realtors, Wisconsin
  • NAIOP Wisconsin

The way you succeed is by your commitment to the team – pushing the collective goal forward at all times.

Experience
  • Represented Community Development Entities in placement of more than $120 million in NMTC allocation into qualified development projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
  • Represented national commercial bank in financing more than $250 million in construction loans to projects in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Michigan and Illinois.
  • Represented national real estate lending, investing and advising company in acquisition of more than $40 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects throughout the state of Wisconsin.
  • Represented developer in financing and development of three affordable housing projects using combination of LIHTC, HOME funds from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Affordable Housing Program funds from Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and Brownfield funds from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
  • Represented national commercial bank in divestiture of REO portfolio including more than 40 properties located in the state of Wisconsin.
  • Represented a historic theater in attracting and closing on financing using historic tax credits to restore a 1929 art deco masterpiece.
  • Served as investor's counsel to community development entity placing $55 million of NMTC allocation for projects in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, including a recycled plastic pallet manufacturing facility, downtown retail/commercial development and a manufactured home production facility.
  • Served as developer's counsel for the financing of a hotel in a catalytic redevelopment area of Wisconsin worth $21 million, including Opportunity Zone financing and municipal involvement.
  • Represented developer in a $32 million NMTC transaction that also included PACE financing and state and federal historic tax credits in a catalytic project for the city.
  • Represented bank in the documentation and closing of a $37 million construction loan for the development of a 30-acre, 292-unit Class A multifamily community in Florida.
  • Represented nonprofit affordable housing owner in the acquisition of six multifamily low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) properties with an aggregate purchase price of approximately $47 million.
Case Studies
Building a Lasting Partnership

Husch Blackwell’s Communities for Change initiative has walked alongside a Milwaukee real estate developer since early 2021, helping the company grow in both revenue and influence and building a valuable partnership.

Media Mentions | October 2020
Best Lawyers® 2021: The Midwest Issue
Community Leadership

One of the reasons Rebecca became a lawyer was to become a community leader and help improve the city of Milwaukee.

When Rebecca worked for a nonprofit organization before she earned her law degree, she noticed that many of the board members were attorneys. Today, she sees her community engagement as part of her job, not separate from it. The organizations with which she works are invested in improving Milwaukee for all its citizens.

  • Greater Milwaukee Committee, Member
  • Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation, Member, Loan Committee
  • Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Member, Capital Campaign Committee
  • MKE United, Executive Committee Member
  • Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC),  Board Member 2012-2019; Board President 2017-2019
  • United Performing Arts Fund, Board of Directors
  • Urban Ecology Center, Board of Directors; Resource Development Committee, Co-chair
Community Development Financing

Rebecca brings formidable knowledge and experience to representing both lenders and developers on real estate construction projects that take advantage of governmental incentives such as New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), Brownfield grants, PACE financing and tax-increment financing (TIF).  

These are often highly leveraged developments that rely on tax or other governmental incentives to fill out their capital stack. Clients value her understanding of how various real estate financing tools work together and her ability to simplify complex structures into clear, understandable risks and benefits. 

Rebecca is also on the forefront of the emerging field of Opportunity Zones (OZ), currently advising developers, municipalities and community development entities on how to attract and use Opportunity Zones capital to bring their projects to fruition, and advising investors and real estate fund managers on how they can benefit from the new incentive. 

Rebecca has been a guest speaker at national conferences on Opportunity Zones and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Opportunity Zones Practice Group.
 

Follow Rebecca on Twitter