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Jon L. Peterson

I solve your tax and legal financing challenges on real estate deals.

Contact: P /612.604.6736E /[email protected]

Education

University of Florida Levin College of Law, LL.M., taxation, 1995

 

William Mitchell College of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1994

 

Minnesota State University Moorhead, B.S., 1989

Bar Admissions

Minnesota, 1994

Delaware, 1995

Colorado, 1997

My Approach

Helping clients develop affordable housing allows me to assist them with a rounded approach based on my background of investment banking, law and tax accounting. I have a holistic approach to law which views the client’s business from its perspective, not just with a legal view.  Helping clients address their issues of course includes risk management, but is much more.  I partner with clients to help them understand their options for financing a project, improve their financing strategies through working with the spreadsheets and projections, and do the legal work that goes along with it. Sometimes, this also means referring lenders to my clients, or bringing others onto the team to help get the deals completed.

I directly assist from the complicated tax and legal financing side, but I also really enjoy understanding the client’s business and developing relationships with my clients and understanding their goals from their perspective.

Outside of the office, I like to play outside – whether it’s fly fishing, hiking in the high country, back country skiing, biking, or sailing.

A Groundbreaking Moment in My Career

Before becoming a lawyer, I was working as a tax accountant /CPA in Denver, and doing tax returns for a huge affordable housing developer. Every time a difficult question arose on the tax side that wasn’t readily available, we’d call the tax lawyer, Steve – he was brilliant, and he understood the whole business. It seemed like as soon as he came in, he saved the day. In my role, I just didn’t know the other aspects of the business well enough, but I wanted to be able to provide more service than the narrow, discrete area of tax accounting I was doing. Going to law school allowed me to be better able to understand my clients’ goals, and why they were trying to achieve them.

Practice Areas

Practicing Tax Credit Financing & Syndication

My Experience

I represent for-profit and nonprofit clients in real estate reorganizations and restructurings, acquisitions and divestitures, real estate finance including construction and rehabilitation of historic buildings and affordable housing, debt and equity investments, and formation and structuring of all types of entities. I have significant expertise in real estate debt and equity investments including syndication of tax credits, involving low income housing tax credits, historic tax credits and new market tax credits. Projects I work on regularly involve governmental subsidies and loan programs including tax increment financing, tax exempt bonds, HUD mortgage insurance, HOME and CHDO funds, CDBG funds, Section 8 rental subsidies, Public housing funds, and RAD funds.

Awards

The Best Lawyers in America©

Minneapolis Lawyer of the Year: Tax Law, 2019
Real Estate Law, 2013-2022, 2024-2025
Tax Law, 2013-2022, 2024-2025

Also experienced in

Real Estate Development & Transactions

Tax

Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America©

Minneapolis Lawyer of the Year: Tax Law, 2019
Real Estate Law, 2013-2025
Tax Law, 2013-2025

Rising Stars

Minnesota Law & Politics, 2004, 2006 - 2007

Associations & Memberships

Minnesota State Bar Association

William Mitchell College of Law

Adjunct Professor

University of St. Thomas

Instructor, Center for Business Excellence, 2005
Instructor, 2017-2018

Oasis For Youth

Board of Directors