Christopher L. Raddatz

Chris is a dedicated and highly regarded attorney specializing in commercial real estate and finance law, helping individuals and businesses navigate complex legal issues in real estate transactions, lending, refinancing, and development.  With a reputation for providing insightful and practical legal guidance, Chris assists clients in structuring deals, drafting leases, and managing development projects, insurance, land surveys, and legal descriptions.  He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Chris is a partner in Gammage & Burnhams Commercial Real Estate and Finance practice, where he serves a diverse group of clients, from developers and investors to financial institutions and lenders.  His work spans real estate acquisitions, commercial and residential development, and refinancing and workouts.  He guides clients through the legal complexities of commercial space and ground lease negotiations, as well as real estate lending, providing advice that ensures successful transactions.

Chris’s experience extends to dispute resolution, with a focus on boundary disputes, title insurance claims, and issues related to land surveys and legal descriptions.  His deep understanding of these complex topics, coupled with his ability to articulate practical solutions, has earned him a reputation as a sought-after speaker and presenter on these matters.

In addition to his work in commercial real estate, Chris provides estate planning and trust services to individuals and families, assisting with both straightforward and more intricate estate plans.  He offers guidance through the administration of trusts and estates, advising personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries in complex trust and probate matters.

Chris’s passion for real estate law extends to his teaching role at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where he shares his knowledge or real estate law with the next generation of professionals.

With his combination of in-depth legal knowledge, practical experience, and dedication to client success, Chris remains a trusted advisor in commercial real estate and finance, as well as in the estate planning and personal services sectors.

Court Admissions

• State Bar of Arizona
• United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• United States District Court, District of Arizona
• United States Tax Court

Speaking Engagements

• Opportunity Zones (2018)
• Ethics for Probate Practitioners and Estate Planners, MCBA (2018)
• Land Surveys and Legal Descriptions, NBI (2015)
• In-Depth Title Insurance Principles, NBI (2012)
• Boundary Disputes: Resolving Client Conflicts, NBI (2008)

Publications

• Contract Complexity Navigating the Legal Side of Closing a Deal, (quoted and provided commentary)  AZRE Magazine (2013)
• Resolving Boundary Disputes, State Bar of Arizona Real Property Section (2009)

Significant Representations

• Represented a consortium of national and international lenders that was the seller of a 10,200 acre master-planned community known as Amaranth located near Goodyear, Arizona.
• Represented an international automobile manufacturer in connection with the acquisition of a 3,600-acre automobile proving grounds facility near Kingman, Arizona.
• Represented a publicly traded real estate investment trust in connection with the financing and development of a multifamily master planned community in the Phoenix area and with the refinancing of other Arizona properties.
• Represented an international manufacturing corporation in connection with the acquisition and redevelopment of a manufacturing facility in northwestern Arizona.
• Lenders’ counsel in foreclosure of a 10,000 acre proposed master planned community.

Professional & Community Involvement

• State Bar of Arizona Real Property, Business law and Tax Sections, Member
• Faculty Associate, Arizona State University- W.P. Carey School of Business.
• Urban Land Institute, Member
• Business on Board Class IX, Graduate
• Xavier Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors, Governance Chair
• Board of Directors, notMYkid, Inc., Former Member
• UMOM New Day Centers, Former Member Board of Directors
• All Saints’ Episcopal Day School, Former Member Board of Trustees
• Valley Youth Theatre, Former Board of Directors