Patrick Morse

A detail-oriented, critical thinker and determined problem-solver, Patrick helps clients achieve their real estate development and investment goals, particularly in the areas of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), economic development, and real estate transactions. He represents syndicators in the acquisition of equity interests in LIHTC projects. Additionally, he represents developers and owners in various other real estate law matters including acquisitions, due diligence, and economic incentives.

His experience includes buyer representation involving over a dozen multi-million-dollar commercial acquisitions in several states, involving coordination and review of real estate purchase and sale agreements, title and survey issues, zoning, entitlements, environmental issues, and commercial leases. In this role, Patrick regularly coordinated with opposing council to ensure all documentation and due diligence review was completed for closings.

Patrick is an experienced transaction closer of dozens of LIHTC-funded apartment projects across the country costing over $1 billion in the aggregate, . This involves negotiation of construction and permanent financing documents, analysis of entitlements, zoning, acquisitions documents, coordination of environmental, title and survey review, and preparation and negotiation of partnership/operating agreements reflecting the distribution of partner/member responsibilities and profits for a particular deal structure. Notably, Patrick has represented LIHTC syndicators in their syndicated investments worth roughly $500 million.

Patrick has represented local governments and developers by drafting and assisting negotiation of tax incentive agreements (CRAs, TIFs, etc.), New Community Authority quasi-governments for infrastructure financing, and development agreements for the financing of multi-billion-dollar economic development projects as well as smaller housing and mixed-use developments in central Ohio. He has prepared closing documentation and reviewed title, survey, zoning, and general due diligence for more than a dozen self-storage commercial property acquisitions worth approximately $50 million, which involved negotiation and coordination with title companies, service providers, and local attorneys across the east coast. Patrick also assists various firm real estate partners in a wide array of real estate finance and development research projects, including analysis of real estate broker laws, real estate financing options, commercial leases, and entitlements.

Growing up in a family that developed various restaurant brands and built custom homes, Patrick was exposed to the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship and real estate from a young age. He gained valuable affordable housing development experience while interning at Woda Cooper Companies, even before going to law school, where he performed site selection, municipality research, and analysis of state qualified allocation plans. He also worked for Novogradac & Company CPAs where he drafted partnership tax returns and audited financial statements for LIHTC deals. Patrick was a legal extern with the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services while earning his J.D. In that role, he focused on zoning code policy, performing analysis and researching best practices for incentivizing affordability of housing and a greener city.

During law school, he authored a publication on a potential solution to Ohio’s looming affordable housing crisis, “Trumped Zoning: Constitutionality of Zoning Preemption (Oregon’s HB 2001) Under Ohio’s Home Rule Amendment.”