Charlene Schafer
Canada Guide 2025
Band 5 : Real Estate
Band 5
About
Provided by Charlene Schafer
Practice Areas
Charlene maintains a comprehensive real estate practice focused on commercial transactions, particularly in the real estate private equity, fund and joint venture spaces. She advises domestic, cross-border and international clients in all real estate sectors, regularly representing pension fund owners, fund sponsors, fund investors, managers, private equity funds, REITs, sovereign wealth funds, developers, local and international institutional investors, universities, major lenders and borrowers, landlords and tenants.
Charlene has extensive experience in the creation, promotion, management of and investment in both open-end and closed-end domestic, national and international real estate private equity funds, limited partnerships, joint ventures and co-ownerships, development-related matters and property and asset management advice. She frequently acts on transactions involving acquisitions and dispositions of single property and portfolio investments, sale/leaseback arrangements, as well as single lender and syndicated construction, servicing, term and take-out financing.
Charlene regularly advises clients on the real estate components of their mergers and acquisitions transactions, in addition to her advice relating to industrial and office leasing negotiations, construction-related mandates, regulatory, compliance matters and land transfer tax advice. Her transactional, tax and regulatory experience helps clients efficiently and strategically structure and negotiate complex agreements, such as purchase and sale, limited partnership and co-ownership, credit, management services, development and construction management, reciprocal easement and operating, limiting distance, and tieback and crane swing agreements, as well as ground, major office and industrial leases.
She also works on transit-oriented communities and mixed-use developments, demonstrating her ability to support large-scale, complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
Articles, highlights and press releases
5 items provided by Torys LLP
Real estate and open-ended funds: latest trends
In the current climate, real estate, infrastructure & other longer-term investments are gaining popularity among private equity investors. As a result, new trends are emerging with respect to fund types—one example is the open-ended real estate fund. Here we examine this growing phenomenon.
The impact of COVID-19 has caused great disruption in real estate while also accelerating the use of technology across the industry. Startups are increasingly being engaged across various sectors of commercial real estate. Below we discuss examples of how tech is transforming the real estate sector.
Commercial Real Estate: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
As the pandemic continues, many commercial real estate sectors have been negatively impacted. Here we explore important considerations that landlords and lenders, owners and purchasers should keep in mind as they engage in distressed and opportunistic commercial real estate transactions in 2021.
Torys Video: Commercial Real Estate – Navigating opportunities and challenges ahead
Uncertainties currently abound in many sectors and commercial real estate is no exception. In this video, our team discusses key topics such as funds focused on distressed and opportunistic real estate assets along with opportunities south of the border and considerations for the American market.
Torys: The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support programs
CERS (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy) is a new program to support businesses, charities and non-profits affected by the pandemic. This article surveys the key features of CERA and its economic ramifications, along with the corresponding Lockdown Support feature.
Real estate and open-ended funds: latest trends
In the current climate, real estate, infrastructure & other longer-term investments are gaining popularity among private equity investors. As a result, new trends are emerging with respect to fund types—one example is the open-ended real estate fund. Here we examine this growing phenomenon.
The impact of COVID-19 has caused great disruption in real estate while also accelerating the use of technology across the industry. Startups are increasingly being engaged across various sectors of commercial real estate. Below we discuss examples of how tech is transforming the real estate sector.
Commercial Real Estate: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
As the pandemic continues, many commercial real estate sectors have been negatively impacted. Here we explore important considerations that landlords and lenders, owners and purchasers should keep in mind as they engage in distressed and opportunistic commercial real estate transactions in 2021.
Torys Video: Commercial Real Estate – Navigating opportunities and challenges ahead
Uncertainties currently abound in many sectors and commercial real estate is no exception. In this video, our team discusses key topics such as funds focused on distressed and opportunistic real estate assets along with opportunities south of the border and considerations for the American market.
Torys: The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support programs
CERS (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy) is a new program to support businesses, charities and non-profits affected by the pandemic. This article surveys the key features of CERA and its economic ramifications, along with the corresponding Lockdown Support feature.