John G. Kelly

John Kelly is a shareholder of Bean, Kinney & Korman and focuses his practice on general corporate law and real property law, including commercial real estate leasing, financing and acquisitions, and business mergers and acquisitions.

With respect to leasing, John represents both landlords and tenants nationwide in substantial office, retail, industrial and government leasing transactions.  John serves on the Board of Editors of Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy, a national publication. He has also served as a featured guest on real estate leasing topics on Commercial Real Estate Radio.

His lending experience includes representing both lenders and borrowers in complex financial transactions secured by real or personal property, including the negotiation of the initial loan documents and advising with respect to workout strategies and foreclosures.

John represents sellers, lenders and developers in connection with real estate investments throughout Virginia and Maryland. These transactions involve the construction and development of office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and other investment-grade properties, including negotiating agreements and the review of due diligence on behalf of both lenders and purchasers.

John also has extensive experience with respect to representing both property owners and telecommunication providers in connection with the drafting and negotiation of antenna tower leases and license agreements on a nationwide basis.

John’s sales and acquisition experience includes the representation of sellers and purchasers of large office properties, hotels and undeveloped land throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

With respect to general corporate law, John serves as outside general counsel for many mid-size local businesses. John also represents business buyers and sellers in connection with sophisticated asset purchase and stock purchase transactions as part of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice group.

Before joining the firm as a shareholder, John was an associate with the international law firms Holland & Knight, LLP and then Reed Smith, LP.

Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law, 2020-2021

Arlington Magazine, Top Attorney - Real Estate, 2019

• Represented a national tenant with the leasing of Reston, VA regional headquarters office space (over 230,000 square feet).
• Represented a national association tenant in connection with headquarters space in Washington, D.C. for premises of approximately 25,000 square feet.
• Represented a tenant in connection with a lease for over 12,000 square feet  for premises located in downtown Washington, DC.
• Represented a tenant in connection with a lease for over 30,000 square feet for premises located in Arlington, Virginia.
• Represented a tenant in the negotiation and drafting of its headquarters office lease for premises located in suburban Maryland consisting of over 100,000 square feet.
• Represents institutional lenders in numerous real estate and asset based loan transactions in amounts ranging from $5 million to $100 million.
• Represents sellers and purchasers in merger and acquisition transactions with sales price amounts from $3 million to $60 million.
• Represents landlords in the negotiation and drafting of office leases for Class A office buildings throughout Virginia and Maryland.
• Represents national retailer tenants in connection with the negotiation and drafting of retail leases throughout the country for premises from 2,500 square feet to over 25,000 square feet.
• Represented Arlington and Alexandria landlords with office leasing transactions of 20,000 square feet and 25,000 square feet, respectively.
• Represented an Arlington tenant on a 24,000 square feet leasing transaction and a Reston tenant on a 30,000 square feet lease amendment.
• Represented retail leasing transactions including a Falls Church brewpub landlord and large national retailers with dozens of transactions ranging in scope from 2,000 square feet to over 20,000 square feet.
• Represented a seller in connection with the asset sale of a local Maryland business.
• Represented a seller in connection with the stock sale of a local Virginia business.

Guest lecturer at George Mason University Law School, 2015

Advanced Commercial Leading Institute, Georgetown Law

International Council of Shopping Centers

Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum

Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy (Board of Editors)

Shelter House, Inc. (Board of Directors)

NOVACO (Chair of the Board of Directors)

John lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife, two young daughters and many pets. John enjoys traveling, reading about history and archaeology, biking to work occasionally and following the Baltimore sports teams (Orioles & Ravens) and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

John and his family traveled to St. Thomas, USVI, where this photo was taken.