Practice Areas Commercial Leasing; Commercial and Residential Brokerage and Property Management; Restaurant/Hospitality
Education The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (J.D.), Lead Articles Editor, The Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy; Temple University, The Fox School of Business (B.B.A. in Real Estate)
Bar & Court Admissions Pennsylvania; District of Columbia; New York; U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Memberships Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS®; Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington; Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington; District of Columbia Building Industry Association; District of Columbia Bar (Sections on Real Estate, Housing and Land Use); New York State Bar Association; American Bar Association (Sections on Real Property, Probate and Trust Law)
Donald F. Holmes, Jr.
Since becoming associated with the firm in 1996, Don Holmes has represented landlords and tenants in commercial lease negotiations with respect to millions of square feet of space in the D.C. metropolitan area, handling hundreds of commercial lease transactions, including complex full-building leases. Mr. Holmes negotiates a broad range of commercial leases, including office and retail leases, subleases, assignment agreements, termination agreements, workouts, antenna and cabling agreements and construction agreements. He also counsels clients with respect to solving complicated property management issues, negotiation strategy and litigation strategy and avoidance. Mr. Holmes has extensive experience in the restaurant industry; he facilitates business formation and advises clients on financing, operational and risk management concerns with respect to the food and beverage service industry. Mr. Holmes has negotiated leases on behalf of landlords with many prominent national retail tenants, including, TD Bank, Arhaus Furniture, Camper Shoes, and Calvin Klein.
Representative Matters
In 2011, Mr. Holmes negotiated several retail lease deals on behalf of landlords in each of the Barracks Row and Georgetown neighborhoods of DC, and on behalf of landlords in Montgomery County, Maryland and Arlington County, Virginia with various national and regional retail tenants such as Brio Tuscan Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Z Pizza, Subway, Roti and Noodles & Company. Mr. Holmes negotiated leases with office tenants for deals with respect to an aggregate of hundreds of thousands of square feet of space in the DC region in 2011. Mr. Holmes's 2011 tenant leasing representation included office deals for Kelly, Byrnes & Danker, PLLC and LMN Solutions.
Noteworthy
Mr. Holmes has served as an instructor on commercial lease structure and terms with the BOMI Institute Property Manager's Course on Commercial Law. Prior to joining GDL, Mr. Holmes worked as a consultant to one of the region's oldest commercial and residential property management companies.