David Linhart, Associate—Real Estate

David Linhart is a land use attorney who counsels developers on achieving project approvals, including permitting strategies and timelines, site control matters, confidentiality agreements, and coordination with project consultants and governmental authorities. David enjoys teamwork with clients that are changing the built environment (particularly in Boston, MA) with innovative mixed-use and affordable housing development and redevelopment.

Describe your practice area and what it entails.

In the Real Estate group at Goulston & Storrs, junior associates gain experience across various disciplines (such as approvals, environmental and tax matters, buying and selling, financing, and leasing), all of which are relevant to helping clients operate buildings. As a senior associate, I occasionally work on loan documents or purchase and sale agreements, although I’ve come to specialize in walking developers through the regulatory framework administered by governmental authorities. We typically start with a potential site and initial design plans. Over the course of a few months (or a few years), the goal is not just to achieve approvals, but also to position the project for a lender to accept it as collateral for a loan or for a buyer to add to its portfolio. Translating regulations into plain language to be actionable for business decisions and to guide efforts of the consultant team (such as planners, architects, and engineers) is important, as well as being a familiar face at City Hall and other governmental offices where decisions are being made about a project’s approval pathway.

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