R. MICHAEL VALENZUELA
PRACTICE AREAS
Mike Valenzuela practices in the area of real estate transactions, including land acquisition and development, financing, loan workouts, commercial leasing, and sales. His clients include retailers, restaurants and banks, real estate owners and investors, businesses looking to buy, sell or lease properties, regional and local developers, retailers, churches, and charter schools.
EDUCATION
He received his undergraduate degree in finance from Santa Clara University in 1986, and graduated cum laude from Arizona State University College of Law in 1989, where he was an Associate Editor of the Arizona State Law Journal, a Pedrick Scholar, and a recipient of the Regent’s Graduate Academic Scholarship.
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Professional Experience
During the first twelve years of his legal career, Mr. Valenzuela worked for a large Phoenix law firm, where he became a shareholder in 1996. He subsequently opened the Phoenix office for a regional law firm, which he managed for three years. He opened his own law firm in 2004 and continues to operate and manage that firm today.
Illustrative Background
Mr. Valenzuela represents a variety of retailers, developers, real estate owners and investors, retailers, and other local and national clients in all aspects of real estate transactions. The types of properties involved in these deals include shopping center, office, industrial, residential, and resort properties. His practice includes, among other things, the preparation and negotiation of purchase agreements, listing agreements, leases, financing documents, loan assumption documents, construction contracts, reciprocal easement and operation agreements, property management agreements, rolling option agreements, purchase option agreements, and a variety of other real estate documents. He represents retailers, restaurants, banks and charter schools with respect to their purchase or lease of sites for new or replacement facilities. He has handled these types of deals in various locations throughout the southwestern United States for clients such as Boston Market, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Bruegger’s Bagels, The Keg Steakhouse, Yogurtland, First National Bank of Arizona, Guardian Savings, Jason’s Deli, Noodles & Company, Kidz Connextion Dental Centers, V’s Barbershop, and Great Hearts Academies. Mr. Valenzuela has handled the leasing for over 2.5 million square feet of space in metropolitan Phoenix alone, including retail properties, hi-rise offices, back offices, industrial sites, and build-to-suit projects. He has represented shopping center developers in acquiring and developing power centers, neighborhood centers and other retail projects. This includes negotiating transaction documents and leases with retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Kohl’s, Mervyn’s, Toys R Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross, Sports Authority, Staples, Office Depot, PETsMART, Best Buy, Michaels, Marshalls, Fry’s, and numerous other national and regional retailers. He has negotiated office leases with tenants such as AT&T, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Sears, and other national and regional companies. Mr. Valenzuela also has experience with multi-family properties and has represented his clients in the sale of their properties to REITs and other institutional investors. Mr. Valenzuela received an AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating issued by that agency.
MEMBERSHIPS
Mr. Valenzuela is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Arizona, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. He is past president of the Phoenix Chapter of the Santa Clara University Alumni Association, and was a branch board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. He served as a member on the Finance Council for his church.