Yelena A. Chan

Lena represents owners, developers, and investors in a variety of commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the purchase and sale of both improved and unimproved property, financing, development, and leasing matters. She has represented clients in the development of industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, and self-storage projects, as well as hotels. In addition, Lena has experience negotiating leases with prospective tenants of industrial, office and retail properties. Through her broad commercial real estate experience, she is also adept at navigating clients through complex issues arising from distressed properties, including loan workouts, forbearances, and modifications.

Lena has a deep understanding of financing issues through her experience representing banks, non-bank lenders and servicers in the portfolio, balance sheet, construction, and securitization industries. Her experience includes closing complex commercial loans of all types, including bridge, construction, acquisition, development, permanent, and mezzanine loans for multifamily, hotel, health care, assisted living, office, and retail projects.

Beyond her legal practice, Lena also shares her knowledge as part-time faculty at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business where she teaches an undergraduate business law class titled “Legal and Ethical Analysis of Business Environments.

• Represented industrial developer in the acquisition of raw land, development and sale of an industrial business park in Georgia consisting of over 800,000 square feet.
• Represented multifamily developer in negotiating over $200,000,000 in financing for the development of apartment complexes throughout Florida, California and Tennessee.
• Represented self-storage developer in acquiring and financing properties throughout Alabama, Georgia, California, and Tennessee for the development of self-storage facilities.
• Represented owner and operator in connection with the sale of a shopping center located in Dallas, Texas.
• Represented medical office owner and operator in sale of a medical office park located in Georgia.
• Represented national lender with the refinance of a large portfolio secured by assisted living facilities located throughout the country.
• Represented hotel operator in loan workouts for three distressed hotels during 2020 COVID pandemic.

• Author, “Strategic Cash Deployment and Sector-Specific Opportunities Drive CRE Optimism,” Wealth Management 2024 Midyear Outlook (Dec. 2024)
• Author, “2024 Economic Outlook for Commercial Real Estate: Prepare for Choppy Seas,” Wealth Management 2024 Market Outlook (Jan. 2024)
• Contributor, “Innovative College Teaching: Tips & Insights from 14 Master Teachers,” goodreads (Jan. 2024)