The “great and highly technical” Carlos Mendes is a clear leader in the field who garners plaudits for his “profound knowledge of the law applicable to real estate development” as well as his “excellent negotiation skills and customer service”.

Who's Who Legal

Rankings

Carlos S. Mendes is top-ranked by Leading Global Rankings Agencies and Directories.

Professional Background

Carlos Mendes is a Partner and the Chair of the Commercial Real Estate Practice Group at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP. He leads a team of dedicated and highly experienced legal professionals who work collaboratively to provide responsive and creative legal services and strategic advice.

Carlos’ main area of practice is institutional real estate, with a particular focus on assisting governmental and quasi-governmental institutions in the development and financing of social and supportive housing, educational facilities, and transit-oriented communities. Carlos understands the complexities that industry players face as they work with public and private partners to realize their unique operational visions, and he relays this experience in the strategic and legal advice he provides to his clients.

Carlos works closely with his clients to ensure that they understand the legal side of their operations and get value for their legal budget. Driven by a desire to be more than just an outside advisor, Carlos aims to integrate into his clients’ operations so that he can see their legal and strategic issues the same way they do – from the ground up. From starting a business and navigating regulatory approvals, to closing a transaction and resolving a dispute, Carlos recognizes the toll that legal issues can have on his clients, and his considered, ‘hands on’ approach has helped earn him the privilege of acting as a trusted advisor to his diverse client base.

Education

  • Juris Doctor, University of British Columbia, 2010
  • Master of Arts (History), York University, 2005
  • Bachelor of Arts (History), University of British Columbia, 2003

Rankings + Recognitions

Memberships

  • Board Director, Urbanarium
  • Member, Law Society of British Columbia
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, Urban Development Institute

Representative Clients

Carlos acts as counsel to BC Housing, advising on a variety of real estate and lending matters in connection with their diverse operational mandate. In that capacity, he has overseen the development of hundreds of unique social and affordable housing projects across the province. He also acts as lead counsel to Great Northern Way Campus Ltd., a company established by the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Emily Carr University of Art + Design to oversee the development of an eighteen acre site on the False Creek Flats, including the relocation of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design campus, and the establishment of a digital and creative district integrated into the Broadway Subway Project.

Representative Experience

  • Advising BC Housing on a variety of real estate matters, including secured loan transactions, complex, multi-phase development projects, air space parcel subdivisions, commercial leasing, subdivision and rezoning, and acquisitions and sales.
  • Advising Great Northern Way Campus Ltd. on numerous aspects of their operational mandate, including multi-phase subdivisions, land dispositions, government approvals, negotiating and drafting licenses, permits and municipal charges and instruments, commercial leasing, and general corporate matters.
  • Assisting with the acquisition of the commercial component of a large, multi-use development in Vancouver’s Olympic Village.
  • Acting as lead counsel to an institutional land owner on a multiphase ‘land swap’ transaction.
  • Assisting with the acquisition of a large, multi-use development with a significant transit component in New Westminster.
  • Acting as lead counsel to several large British Columbia landlords in the negotiation and preparation of commercial leases at sites across the province, ranging from office towers and medical buildings, to shopping malls, strip malls, warehouses and industrial space.
  • Acting for numerous small businesses in the liquor production industry in the negotiation of commercial leases for their manufacturing and sales premises.

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