Iowa Local Counsel for Commercial Real Estate and Lending Transactions

When a deal touches Iowa real estate, the Iowa-law issues need to be handled by someone admitted in Iowa, working from inside Iowa practice, not by lead counsel reading Iowa statutes for the first time at closing. We serve as Iowa local counsel for out-of-state law firms, national lenders, syndicators, and tax credit investors whose transactions need Iowa-side execution on schedule.

The firm’s principal, Larry James, was previously a partner at a national law firm, where he led the Iowa real estate practice and routinely served as Iowa local counsel on Am Law 100-led transactions across the state. Conveyance Law was built around continuing that work, with the responsiveness and pricing of a boutique.

Iowa Local Counsel

Who we work with

Out-of-state law firms

Including Am Law 100 firms, handling commercial real estate, M&A, lending, or tax credit transactions with Iowa real estate components

National banks, credit unions, and institutional lenders

Financing Iowa commercial real estate, construction, and tax-credit-supported projects

Tax credit syndicators and investors

On federal and Iowa historic tax credit, LIHTC, and New Markets Tax Credit transactions

Title insurance underwriters

Needing Iowa attorney involvement on commercial transactions where private coverage sits alongside an attorney title opinion

Trust departments, family offices, and private equity sponsors

With Iowa real estate in their portfolios

Iowa Law

Issues we routinely handle as Iowa local counsel

Iowa enforceability opinions

On loan documents, security instruments, and underlying organizational documents under Iowa law.

Loan opinion letters →

Title opinions and title cure

On commercial parcels, including coordination with Iowa Title Guaranty for ALTA-form coverage on commercial transactions.

Title opinions →

TIF opinions

Confirming the enforceability and assignability of Iowa Tax Increment Financing rebate streams under Iowa Code §403, including review of urban renewal plans, development agreements, and minimum assessment agreements; collateral assignments; and city consent.

TIF specialty page →

Historic tax credit opinions

On federal and Iowa state HTC transactions: Section 47 credit eligibility, master tenant structures, Section 50(d) elections, and Iowa State Historic Preservation Office coordination.

HTC specialty page →

LIHTC opinions and closing documents

10% test opinions, 8609 opinions, IFA 8T opinions, and the partnership and operating documents that hold 9% and 4% deals together.

LIHTC specialty page →

Our Approach

How we work with lead counsel

The local counsel role works when the scope is clear and coordination is easy. This is our default approach:

Lead counsel runs the deal.

We work to your transaction calendar, your document conventions, and your form preferences. We don't try to take over the negotiation or rewrite documents lead counsel has already negotiated.

Scope is defined in writing at the front end.

Before we start, we confirm what opinions are being requested, what underlying documents we're reviewing, what assumptions and qualifications are appropriate, and what's expressly outside the engagement.

We deliver drafts early enough to negotiate.

Opinion drafts go to lead counsel, the borrower, and the underwriter (where applicable) early enough in the closing schedule that any back-and-forth happens before the funding date, not the morning of.

We sign through the close.

We attend (or call into) the closing where it's helpful, and we issue the final opinion and any post-closing deliverables on the timetable required.

We stay in our lane on substantive non-Iowa issues.

When something comes up that's outside Iowa law or outside our engaged scope, we say so and route it back to lead counsel.

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To engage us as Iowa local counsel

The fastest start is a brief scoping call. Send a short summary of the transaction, parties, asset, transaction type, requested opinions, and target closing date, and we’ll come back the same business day with a fixed quote and a turnaround commitment. We can be on the engagement letter within 24 to 48 hours.

Request a Quote

Email Larry

Call 515.519.3600

Conveyance Law, PLC | Des Moines, Iowa | 515.519.3600

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