Thomas Kabel, Butzel Long Photo

Thomas A. Kabel is a Shareholder based in Butzel's Troy office. He is a Vice President and serves on the Firm's Board of Directors. Mr. Kabel concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance. He has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of real property throughout his career. Mr. Kabel has extensive experience representing commercial lenders in conventional financing and has also served as bank and bond counsel on numerous industrial revenue and other tax-exempt financings.

Overview

Thomas A. Kabel is a Shareholder based in Butzel's Troy office. He is a Vice President and serves on the Firm's Board of Directors. He is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1999), where he was Senior Articles Editor of the Wayne Law Review, and Grand Valley State University (B.S. 1995).

Mr. Kabel concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and real estate-related finance. He has been involved in all facets of acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of real property throughout his career. Mr. Kabel has extensive experience representing commercial lenders in conventional financing and has also served as bank and bond counsel on numerous industrial revenue and other tax-exempt financings. He has also represented Michigan colleges and community colleges in various financing transactions, including tax-exempt bonds, tax anticipation notes, financing under Michigan's New Jobs Training Program and financing with the Michigan State Building Authority. Mr. Kabel is certified by the National Association of Development Companies (a trade association of companies that have been certified by the Small Business Administration to provide funding for small businesses) to close SBA loans under the SBA's 504 Loan program, and for the past 8 years has devoted a portion of his practice to representing Oakland County Business Finance Corporation in connection with their SBA 504 Loan program, closing approximately 20-24 such loans each year.

During his career, Mr. Kabel has been an integral part of several major development projects in Michigan, including serving as part of the bond team representing Oakland County, Michigan in connection with its issuance of $18,000,000 of bonds to assist with the financing of the Michigan Motion Picture Studio in Pontiac, Michigan; serving as part of the team representing the developer in its $190,000,000 renovation of the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Michigan, which consisted of at least 12 layers of financing and included conventional loans, state and federal historic tax credits, state Brownfield credits, conservation easements and various other incentives; and representing the City of Detroit Housing Commission in its major renovation of the Jeffries Housing project in Detroit, Michigan, through the use of federal HOPE VI loans.

Mr. Kabel is a member of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and is Co-Chair of the Section's Special Committee on Commercial Leasing and Property Management. Mr. Kabel is the author of Equitable Subrogation: Why the Refinance Lender's Security Interest May Not be as Secure as it Thinks (Michigan Real Property Review) and has participated as a speaker and/or author in numerous seminars and other continuing legal education programs throughout the past several years. For the past two years, Mr. Kabel has been the coordinator for the Real Property Law Section's annual "Groundbreakers' Breakfast Roundtable" series, where leading Michigan real estate lawyers meet three times each year to discuss current legal topics and trends. Mr. Kabel is also a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Primary Practice Areas

Credentials

Education

Wayne State University Law School 1999, J.D.

Grand Valley State University 1995, B.S.

Admissions

Memberships

  • American Bar Association - Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
  • State Bar of Michigan - Real Property Section

Awards & Recognitions

Awards & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law, 2016-2023

Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2014

Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Real Estate, 2015, 2018-2022

Michigan Super Lawyers, Rising Star in Real Estate, 2012

Michigan Super Lawyers, Real Estate, 2013-2022

DBusiness Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law, 2011-2012, 2014, 2016-2018, 2020-2023 Banking & Financial Service Law, 2016 & 2017, 2020 & 2021

Experience

  • Acted as principal attorneys for the developer of a complex $180,000,000 historical rehabilitation, conversion, retrofitting of a 32 story jewel in downtown Detroit, including all aspects of financing
  • Acted as lead counsel for the conversion of a former housing project in the City of Detroit into multi-use residential property under the HOPE IV Implementation Grant Mixed Finance federal program
  • Represented developer in negotiation and financing of land acquisition from Downtown Development Authority and acquisition of the hotel from prior owners
  • Represented hotel owner to bid in and purchased all hard assets of bankrupt onsite restaurant and obtained a full release from lease
  • Represented an international logistics company in a lease of 1,086,000 square foot manufacturing facility for supplier services
  • Lead lawyers for conversion of a City of Detroit housing project into multi-use, residential property under federal program

News & Events

News

Speaking Engagements

Alerts & Publications

Jump to Page

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.