Skip to main content

Blake E. Schulman

Partner

Blake Schulman is a partner in LP’s Real Estate Group, where he represents institutional investors and developers in acquisitions and dispositions, financings, joint ventures, leasing, construction, and commercial real estate development. Blake has extensive experience representing clients across a broad range of asset classes, including mixed-use developments, office properties, industrial buildings, shopping centers, hotels, timeshares, manufactured housing communities, and residential buildings such as apartments, condominiums and student housing.

Blake prides himself on building long-standing relationships with his clients by providing exceptional legal advice and service, as well as collaborating on process improvement and building effective teams to meet the client’s needs.

Among some of his recent notable transaction, Blake has handled the following:

  • Representing a REIT in the acquisition and financing of a portfolio of 12 apartment complexes across five states, and then the disposition of the apartment complexes four years later for over $700 million.
  • Representing a real estate fund in the spin-out and roll-up of more than 20 companies holding nearly two million square feet of rentable office space, leading to the initial public offering of the common stock of a REIT on the NYSE.
  • Representing a foreign investor in over $220 million of acquisitions of real estate assets in the U.S., including the formation of joint ventures, that enabled the investor to significantly expand its portfolio.

He has also handled more than $2.0 billion of commercial mortgage financing and more than $4.0 billion of real estate acquisitions and dispositions throughout the U.S., including dozens of REO property dispositions for multiple financial institutions.

Earlier in his career, Blake represented his clients in corporate matters related to mergers and acquisitions, private equity financings, and securities. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Steven M. Gold in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Blake shares his knowledge of real estate law as a lecturer at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He has been a member of the Chicago Jewish United Fund Real Estate Division committee since 2010. Blake has been a Commissioner on the Village of Deerfield Planning Commission since 2018. He is also active in youth sports as a coach in AYSO soccer and for the Deerfield Youth Baseball Association.

Blake Schulman

Additional Information

Education & Admissions

Education
  • University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
  • University of Michigan, Ross School of Business, B.B.A., Finance
Bar Admissions
  • Illinois
Court Admissions
  • Northern District of Illinois

Memberships

  • Chicago Jewish United Fund Real Estate Division
  • Urban Land Institute
  • International Council of Shopping Centers
  • Chicago Real Estate Private Equity Network
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Chicago Next Generation Board Member
  • Village of Deerfield Plan Commission, Commissioner

Awards

  • Illinois Super Lawyer, 2018-2024
  • Ranked in Chambers USA, 2022-2023
  • Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014-2017
  • Emerging Lawyer in Commercial Real Estate and Finance Real Estate, Leading Lawyers, 2015

Q&A

  • What’s one thing someone would be surprised to know about you?
    Most people would be surprised to know that I have a twin brother. We are fraternal twins and he lives in Philadelphia, so there is no reason for anyone to expect that I have a twin. However, because I have fraternal twin children (boy/girl), when I tell people that I also have a twin brother they usually become even more surprised.

  • What is your favorite quote?
    My favorite quote is, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” by Jim Valvano, a former college basketball coach. Jim died of cancer while fighting his illness. It resonates with me and is applicable to all facets of life. It is something that I always try to remember, live by, and to instill in my children.

  • What is your favorite vacation spot?
    My favorite vacation spot was Lizard Island off the coast of Australia in the Great Barrier Reef. I went there on my honeymoon and would love to go back. It was tranquil and picturesque. I also learned how to scuba dive while I was there.

Clients

  • 1. Ares Management
  • 2. Goldman Sachs
  • 3. Heitman Capital Management LLC
  • 4. Equus Capital Partners
  • 5. PGIM Real Estate
  • 6. Next Realty
  • 7. Wintrust Bank
“Blake is organized, detail-oriented, and strategic in his approach. His guidance has been helpful in difficult situations to achieve successful results.” - Eteri Zaslavsky, real estate client

Related articles