Brion J. Kirsch

Brion is co-chair of Pullman & Comley’s Real Estate, Energy, Environmental and Land Use Department and a member of the firm's Commercial Finance practice and Workouts and Financial Restructuring practice. He focuses his practice on representing clients in all aspects of real estate, leasing, finance (secured and unsecured), development and general transactional matters. National, regional and community banks, as well as other lending institutions and borrowers of all types, rely on Brion to represent them in unsecured and secured (asset-based and real estate-based) financial transactions. These include CMBS, syndications, participations, SBA financings, interest-rate swaps and other over-the-counter derivative transactions, financings involving tax credit transactions (state and federal historic tax credits, new market tax credits, low-income housing tax credits and renewable energy investment tax credits) and renewable energy project and tax credit financing (including sale/leaseback transactions). Commercial real estate developers, property owners, tenants and occupants seek his extensive experience with acquisitions and sales (including tax-deferred exchanges under IRC Section 1031), land use matters, the creation of common interest communities, construction, financing, commercial and residential loan workouts and restructuring, and leasing for both landlords and tenants. His leasing experience also extends to "green" leasing and leasing for cell towers and renewable energy project development, including drafting and negotiating complex renewable energy power purchase agreements for solar, wind and hydro-electric facilities, site leases/easements, sale/leaseback transactions, interconnection agreements and renewable energy certificate/credit purchase agreements for projects located throughout the country.

Brion's other commercial transaction work includes representing the State of Connecticut Department of Housing and the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Capital Region Development Authority, the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority on various grant and loan programs that provide financial assistance to private entities and municipalities for a wide variety of purposes and objectives.

Brion also has experience representing joint ventures and privately held or closely held businesses and their owners on general business matters, including distribution and franchise agreements (including agreements subject to the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act); the drafting and review of contracts of all types (including franchisor/franchisee agreements, licenses, construction contracts, group purchasing agreements and software/technology (SaaS) agreements); and corporate governance, organizational issues and business financing.

Brion is currently listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers to Businesses, in the area of Real Estate; The Best Lawyers in America, in the area of real estate law; and the Connecticut Super Lawyers list, in Real Estate, for 2025 and 2026. A client stated in a Chambers USA review, "He has always demonstrated himself to be incredibly detailed, willing to talk through difficult issues and open to finding solutions. He is a pleasure to work with."

Office

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association

Connecticut Bar Association - Executive Committee, Real Property Section; past chair of Real Estate Section and past member of the Executive Committee, Young Lawyers Section 

Massachusetts Bar Association

Real Estate Finance Association, Hartford Chapter - Board of Directors, Sponsorship Committee 

Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP)

Honors & Recognitions

Listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers to Businesses in the area of Real Estate

Selected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list in Real Estate , 2025

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Real Estate Law in 2018, since 2022

Named to the Super Lawyers  "Connecticut Rising Stars" list from 2014 - 2018 in the areas of real estate, securities & corporate finance and business/corporate

Recipient of the 2013 Connecticut Law Tribune's "New Leaders in the Law" award

• Represented a lead lender, administrative agent and arranger in connection with a syndicated lending transaction to a large regional petroleum product wholesaler that included multiple credit facilities in the aggregate amount of up to $178 million, interest rate swaps and risk participation agreements.
• Represented a borrower in connection with structuring and closing a $70 million multi-tranche credit facility for working capital, capital expenditures and possible acquisitions.  The deal included the pledge by the developer and the guarantors of the credit facility of the ownership interests in more than 120 different entities.
• Represented a solar-panel developer in connection with structuring and closing construction, term and tax credit (bridge) financing for numerous rooftops as well as ground mounted systems in Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Connecticut.
• Represented a property owner in connection with the structuring and closing on the sale of multiple multi-family apartment complexes in Connecticut and Massachusetts containing over 200 units.
• Represented a lender in connection with a syndicated $37 million construction/permanent loan facility to finance construction of a new 134-unit multi-family apartment complex in White Plains, New York.
• Represented a lender in connection with a syndicated $50 million construction/permanent loan facility to financing construction of a mixed use development in Stamford, Connecticut containing 228-units of housing and approximately 8,000 square feet of commercial office/retail space together with a 228 car parking garage.
• Local counsel to borrower in connection with multiple credit facilities in the aggregate amount of $4.25 billion dollars secured by mortgages on real estate and leasehold interest in multiple states.
• Local counsel for lender in connection with construction, line of credit and revolving credit facilities in the aggregate amount of $582 million to build new power plants which were secured by leasehold guarantor mortgages.
• Represented a national management company in connection with leasing office and retail space in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Florida and North Carolina, including drafting lease agreements, license agreements, building entrance agreements, kiosk license agreements, roof-top license agreements, management agreements, broker agreements and amendments to all of the foregoing.

Publications

Press Releases