Commercial Real Estate & Business Law · Central Iowa

Build something that lasts in Central Iowa.

For the developers, lenders, property owners, and entrepreneurs shaping Central Iowa: Counsel for what closes this week and what stands for decades.

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The restored North Des Moines Town Hall beside the new Townhall Apartments building at 6th Avenue and College Avenue in Des Moines

Services

What gets signed at closing has to work for years.

An infill project that has to pencil. A loan that has to clear credit committee. An operating agreement that has to outlast the founders. The decisions you're making this week become the rails the project runs on for the next ten years.

That's the work: Sitting with the developer's proforma so the financing sequences cleanly into closing; drafting an opinion letter the lender's credit committee can stand behind; writing an operating agreement that anticipates the partner exit nobody's talking about today; coordinating with the architects, accountants, contractors, and lenders on the project so the documents do what they're meant to do, at closing and through the long arc of the work.

You don't need a bigger firm. You need one that gets the deal done right and stays out of the way of you doing it.

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About us

We've been on your side of the table.

Conveyance Law was built around the recognition that legal counsel is most valuable when the lawyer understands what the client is actually carrying. We've revised proformas late at night to make a deal pencil. We've signed personal guaranties knowing exactly who they'd come after. We've made payroll in weeks when the question wasn't whether to pay people but how.

That perspective is in the drafting. The documents are written for what they have to do in the field, not just what they have to say to close. The advice comes from the same place: candid, focused on what's actually at stake.

We do the kind of sophisticated transactional work that's historically required a downtown high-rise, at boutique scale, with predictable cost, on the project team rather than adjacent to it.

Sophisticated enough for the deal. Close enough to the work to know what the documents actually need to do.

Meet the Firm

Larry James and Nick Hudson in front of the Dogtown mural in the Drake neighborhood of Des Moines. Photo by Joe Crimmings.

Who we serve

Who we work with.

Developers

Site control through stabilization: Including TIF, tax credits, and entitlements.

Counsel for Developers

Lenders

Loan documentation, opinion letters, and credit-committee-ready work.

Counsel for Lenders

Business Owners

Formation, governance, leasing, and the contracts that keep operations running.

Counsel for Business Owners

Our process

How it works.

Schedule a free scoping call.

Tell us about the project or the deal. We'll listen, ask questions, run a conflict check, and either describe how we'd handle it or refer you to someone better suited if it's not a fit. Most calls take 20 to 30 minutes. The first call is free.

Get a flat fee in writing.

For most engagements, we quote a flat fee before any work starts. No retainer. No surprises in the invoice. For matters that genuinely don't fit a flat fee, we work hourly with a defined scope and a not-to-exceed estimate. You always know what the work is going to cost before it starts.

We work as part of your project team.

We show up early, structure our work around what you're actually trying to accomplish, and coordinate with the architects, accountants, contractors, and lenders on the project. You can call with a quick question without watching the clock. The goal is the deal closing, not the invoice growing.

What clients say

Trusted by the people building Central Iowa.

“Extremely responsive and very well connected in Iowa, which is a great combination. Not only can Larry provide the level of service we need, he can accomplish things other attorneys can’t given his network.”

Dustin Detzler
General Counsel, TWG Development

“Larry James at Conveyance Law has been a terrific asset to our company and various development teams. We have worked together on several projects now, and we’ve been impressed with his versatility; he has helped us across the spectrum, from conducting legal review for complex, multi-layered funding source development deals, to executing more day-to-day counsel for property management items on stabilized deals. His company offers a one-stop-shop for most real estate matters, and we highly recommend him.”

Molly Cutler
Member, Cutler Development

“I’ve had the privilege to work with Larry over the past 10 years on a variety of items. He’s always been attentive, knowledgeable, and thorough. Larry’s attention to detail and timeliness are things we can rely on.”

Scott Jarvis
President, Jarvis Solutions, LLC

“What impresses me most about Conveyance Law is that they keep things simple. Larry has helped me with historic tax credit deals, real estate closings, business organization, filings, and more.”

Peter Cutler
Founder and Owner, Cutler Construction

Get Started

One conversation tells you whether this is a fit.

If you’re at the early stages of a project, deep in entitlements, working a closing checklist, starting a company, or working through a problem that’s developing: Give us a call. It’s free. The fastest way to know if we’re the right firm for your matter is to spend twenty minutes on the phone.