Leor Margulies B.C.L., LL.B.

Bio

When a real estate deal is complex enough that the legal and business problems are inseparable, Leor Margulies is the lawyer clients seek out. Whether he is acting for a major lender funding a syndicated construction loan or a developer taking a condominium project from raw land to final closing, his clients share the same need: a lawyer who understands not just the law, but the business and practicality of the deal.

Leor heads both the Commercial Real Estate and Development, and the Real Estate Lending Group at Robins Appleby LLP. On the lending side, he acts for institutions on construction loans, commercial financings, and complex syndicated and A/B structured facilities. On the development side, he guides condominium clients from acquisition and structuring through to marketing, sales, deposit insurance, and final closings, as well as all aspects of low-rise subdivision and common element condominium and freehold projects. He and his team also handle ownership structuring via joint ventures, limited partnerships, and shareholder arrangements for developers and investors.

His lending clients include major banks and credit unions such as BMO, and Meridian, as well as other financial institutions like Home Trust, MarshallZehr and Atrium Mortgage Corporation.  On the development side, he acts for established builders such as the Sorbara Group and Kylemore Communities, and newer developers alike. He is sought out when a project runs into difficulty with Tarion or the HCRA, calls that often come from builders who are not regular clients but know his name and reputation in the industry.

Examples of his recent work include assisting BMO in funding two major GTA land acquisitions totalling $112 million, closing over $190 million in construction and land loan transactions in a single year, and acting on a $48 million construction financing for telecommunications infrastructure. Development work has included leading his team on a number of ongoing high-rise and low-rise projects including “Joya” for Marlin Spring and “LSQ1” and “LSQ2” for Almadev.

What sets Leor apart is not that he identifies the legal risks. Every competent lawyer should do that. It is that he advises you as to what he would do if he were the client.  He believes that a lawyer who presents three options and leaves it there for the client to decide has done only part of the job. Leor understands that what clients need, and what many lawyers will not provide, is someone prepared to make a judgement call, explain the reasoning, and stand behind it. His relationships with senior figures at Tarion and the HCRA are built on the same principle: he contacts them only on matters of real significance, and when he calls, the roadblock tends to disappear or at least doors open for meaningful discussions. His assessments have helped close lending deals for over 40 years, because a recommendation to credit carries weight when it comes from someone who has seen every variation of the problem.

In the late 1990s, Leor made a deliberate decision to focus on residential construction and homebuilding and is passionate about that industry. He has served on the BILD board and executive for over 28 years and is one of only two or three non-builders inducted into the BILD Hall of Fame.  He presents at the University of Toronto’s David Feldman School of Real Estate and speaks regularly at major industry conferences.

Outside the office, Leor focuses on another of his passions – tennis. He is a committed tennis player and serves on the tennis council board at Bayview Golf and Country Club. He is a regular attendee at international competitions including National Bank and Wimbledon.