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(612) 344-1702
kmm@mgmllp.com

PRACTICES

  • Commercial Real Estate

  • Land Use and Development

  • Construction

  • Commercial Leasing

  • Real Estate Financing

EDUCATION

  • University of Minnesota Law School, J.D 1981. Managing Editor, University of Minnesota Law Review

  • University of Minnesota, BA 1978

ADMISSIONS

  • Minnesota, 1981

  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1995

RECOGNITIONS

  • Chair, American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust, and Estate Law Section, 2008-2009

  • Presented with the Albert Nielson Marquis Lifetime Achievment Award in 2020

  • Selected again by her peers for The Best Lawyers in America in 2024 and in every year since 2011

  • AV Rating through Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory

  • Recognized as a Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA

  • Named a Top Attorney by the National Law Journal

  • Listed in both The International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers and The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers

    Repeatedly elected by her peers as a “Super Lawyer” in the field of Real Estate

  • Selected for inclusion in the Global Law Experts 2024 Handbook

KATHLEEN M. MARTIN, Partner

 

EXPERIENCE

Kathleen Martin is a founding partner of Malkerson Gunn Martin LLP and is the past Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law.

Ms. Martin practices in the commercial and investment real estate areas, with extensive experience in complex land assembly, mixed-use and hotel developments, construction, mezzanine, commercial leasing, and permanent financing, and leasing.  She has written and lectured on numerous topics in her field to both lay and attorney audiences.

Ms. Martin's real estate experience spans more than thirty-five years of practice and is grounded in her representation of public entities in large land assemblages early in her career.  Examples of her experience are condemnation of a three-block area to house the Metropolitan Transit Area's headquarters and her former representation of the Minneapolis Community Development Agency in its acquisition and assemblage of land in the Minneapolis Technology Corridor, the property on which LaSalle Plaza was constructed (which incorporated the historic YMCA and State Theatre properties and involved an appeal to the United States Supreme Court), and the land on which the United States Federal Courthouse was constructed (which entailed a jury trial with a jury verdict in favor of her client).

Currently, she represents commercial clients in planning, acquiring, constructing, financing and disposition of multi-phased, mixed use projects, office buildings, hotels, large tracts of property for single and multi-family housing and retail establishments and all types of commercial properties.

Some of the projects for which Ms. Martin has served as primary legal counsel include the financing, acquisition and development of a mixed-use (retail, residence and hotel developments), retail properties located throughout the country, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, the bulk acquisition, lease back and financing of multiple retail stores, and the sale of a national chain of storage facilities.  In connection with these projects, she has also counseled her clients in joint venture agreements and the restructuring of entity interests to facilitate their acquisition and development goals.

ORGANIZATIONS

  • Past Chair, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, American Bar Association.

  • Member, American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

  • Member, Probate and Trust Law and Business Law Sections, American Bar Association.

  • Member, Minnesota State Bar Association.

  • Mayor, City of Medina, Minnesota.

  • Past Member, Medina City Planning Commission and Medina City Council.

  • Past Member, The Blake School Board of Trustees.

  • Past President, Minneapolis Women’s Rotary Club.

PUBLICATIONS

  • Author and lecturer, "Purchase Agreements," Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1985, 1986, and 1987.

  • Author and lecturer, "Asbestos in Real Estate," Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1988.

  • Author and lecturer, "Environmental Issues in Real Estate and Insurance Contracts," Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1989.

  • Author, "Purchases and Sales," Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1989, 1990 and 1991.

  • Author and lecturer, "Protecting Your Mechanic's Lien Rights," Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1990.

  • Author and lecturer, "Public and Private Cooperation in the Development of Contaminated Property," American Bar Association, 1990, 1991 , BNA Real Estate/Environmental Liability News, 1991.

  • Author and lecturer, "Recent Decisions in Condemnation Law," American Bar Association, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994.

  • Program Chair, "Special Issues in Condemnation and Development of Large Mixed-Use Projects, " American Bar Association, 1991.

  • Author and lecturer, "Environmental Lease Clauses for Landlords and Tenants," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, 1991.

  • Program Chair, "Current Issues in Condemnation," American Bar Association, 1992–94.

  • Author, "Sitting on Contaminated Property: Development and Cleanup," Natural Resources and Environment, Winter, 1993.

  • Author, "Religion and Eminent Domain," Emerging Issues in Condemnation Law, 1994.

  • Program Chair, "Inner-City Revitalization: Issues of Condemnation, Land Use Planning and Historic Preservation," American Bar Association, 1995.

  • Co-Author and lecturer, "Developing Vacant Land," 1996 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1996.

  • Author and lecturer, "Developing Vacant Land," Hennepin County Bar Association, 1996.

  • Author and lecturer, "Negotiating Owner/Contractor Agreements - The Owner's Perspective," 1997 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1997.

  • Author and lecturer, "Negotiating the Design/Build Construction Contract - the Owner's Perspective," 1998 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1998.

  • Author and lecturer, "Negotiating the Construction Manager/Constructor Contract - the Owner's Perspective," 1999 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 1999.

  • Author and lecturer, "Revised Owner/Architect AlA Document," 2000 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 2000.

  • Author and lecturer, "Crossing Borders, The Evolution of Multijurisdictional Real Estate Practices," American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Orlando, FL 2004.

  • Co-Author and lecturer, "The Ten Most Important Provisions of Purchase Agreements," 2007 Minnesota Real Estate Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, 2007.

  • Author, "Special Issues When Purchasing Property for Development," MINNESOTA REAL ESTATE PURCHASE & SALE DESKBOOK (Minn. CLE 2010, 2015).