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Through my years of practice I have amassed a wealth of experience in the issues and pitfalls that arise in commercial real estate sales, financing, leasing, and construction. I enjoy using my skills and experience to help my clients resolve difficult problems, or better yet avoid them, and to bring their real estate transactions to a successful conclusion.

Mr. Bills focuses his practice in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, representing commercial property owners, developers, redevelopers, landlords, tenants, municipal entities and financial institutions in the sale, acquisition, leasing, financing and redevelopment of real property in New Jersey. Mr. Bills has substantial experience in the negotiation and preparation of agreements, leases and construction contracts for various types of commercial, industrial and residential properties, including shopping centers, office and apartment buildings, and warehouses. He also counsels clients on issues related to mortgage lending, tax abatements, title issues, sustainable development and the preparation of contracts with design professionals and construction contractors.

Honors & Awards

  • Listed in Chambers USA (a publication of Chambers and Partners) in the Real Estate practice area (2023)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) in the Real Estate Law practice area (2009  present)
  • Selected by Best Lawyers® (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) as Woodbridge"Lawyer of the Year" in Real Estate Law (2023)
  • Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent (a trademark of Internet Brands, Inc.) (2005 – present)

Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Representative Matters

  • Mr. Bills was the lead attorney for Veris Residential, Inc. on the $346 million sale of 101 Hudson Street in Jersey City, one of New Jersey’s premier commercial office buildings, as a key element of Veris’s strategic office disposition plan. The transaction was New Jersey’s largest office sale in 2022 and was recognized as the winner for 2023 “Deal of the Year” by NAIOP New Jersey.

  • Mr. Bills represented Avis Budget Group in the relocation of its world headquarters to Latitude, a state-of-the-art office development in Parsippany, New Jersey. Structured as a purchase of a four-story office condominium unit in a condominium that was created to facilitate Avis’s acquisition, Mr. Bills negotiated the purchase agreement, and, with assistance from the firm’s real estate team, the condominium master deed. Mr. Bills also represented Avis in the negotiation of construction and related contracts for the improvement of the new headquarters. This unique transaction was recognized by NAIOP New Jersey as a finalist for 2023 “Deal of the Year.”

  • Mr. Bills was a member of the firm's team that advised an international Fortune 500 retailer with regard to millions of square feet of development in various locales, including redevelopment areas, tax abatement (PILOT) agreements, environmental remediation, redevelopment plans, state, regional, county and local approvals, zoning permits and certifications, miscellaneous agreements, construction permitting, and assisted in drafting leasing provisions.
  • Mr. Bills and other members of the firm's team represented one of the country’s largest real estate developers in connection with the sale of twelve office/industrial properties in Passaic County for in excess of $65 million. The buildings totaled more than 500,000 square feet and are leased to more than 70 tenants.
  • Mr. Bills represented one of the country’s largest real estate developers in the sale of 24 office and industrial buildings in Moorestown, Burlington County, New Jersey for just under $75 million. The buildings totaled more than 1,000,0000 square feet and were leased to more than 80 tenants. 

  • In 2016, Mr. Bills represented a prominent regional developer in the closing of a series of loan transactions that totaled over $200 million. The deals were financed by five lenders and involved approximately two dozen of the company’s commercial and/or industrial properties in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. 

  • Mr. Bills played a key role in one of the largest portfolio sales of industrial real estate to be completed in New Jersey in several years as a member of the firm’s real estate team representing affiliated entities of Avidan Management LLC as the sellers of approximately 2.6 million square feet of office and warehouse space located in South Brunswick, Edison, Elizabeth and Bayonne. The high-value transaction, which closed in late August 2012, involved the acquisition of a nine-building portfolio of properties, including office, light industrial, cold storage and bulk distribution space, by Cohen Asset Management Inc., an industrial and commercial real estate investment firm. The firm's team negotiated five power purchase agreements covering over 6 MWs of solar production on behalf of Avidan, a leading solar developer in the New Jersey market who has worked closely with our real estate group on a number of alternative energy projects in the past. The deal was closed in 2012. The project team was named as Finalists for the Industrial Deal of the Year by NAIOP NJ in 2013.
  • Counseled a joint venture between developer Jonathan Rose Companies and JP Morgan Chase on title and construction loan closings for a mixed use redevelopment project in South Orange, NJ. The project will consist of a 215 unit LEED certified apartment building, retail space and a 500+ space parking facility, a portion of which will be available for public use. The firm advised on the transfer of property to our client pursuant to a Redevelopment Agreement previously negotiated by our team, and also negotiated a $38,500,000 million construction mortgage loan for the project. The deal represents a major milestone for the project and a significant step forward for South Orange’s downtown redevelopment.

Uniquely NJ

  • New Jersey State Bar Association: Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section; Construction Law Section
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More Activities & Experience

  • Christian Legal Society

Presentations & Speaking Engagements

Publications & Alerts

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Education

Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, J.D. with high honors, 1979

Haverford College, B.A., magna cum laude, 1976

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey, 1979
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1979
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 1981


- Chambers USA 2023 -
(a publication of Chambers and Partners)

Editorial Excerpt: "Lends his expertise across all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, representing commercial property owners, developers, redevelopers and financial institutions."


Bills, Kenneth T

Kenneth T. Bills Listed in Best Lawyers
Kenneth T. Bills Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year 2023


Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.