Rebecca is a preeminent commercial real estate lawyer who skillfully steers developers, lenders, companies and nonprofit organizations through a wide array of real estate transactions and matters. She has particular expertise in land use law and development permitting in the Greater Boston area, and she frequently draws upon her earlier experience as chief of staff / special counsel to the director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority — now known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency. In addition to development permitting at the federal, state and local levels, her practice encompasses a broad range of acquisitions / dispositions, condominium creation and financing, including matters that involve historic preservation and tax incentive elements. She has deep experience with development projects involving public/private partnerships and the negotiation of ground leases with public agencies and authorities.
Rebecca is Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Development Practice. She is also an avid baseball fan and regularly participates as a pianist in the Chamber Music Conference of the East held each summer.
Education
- Brandeis University (BA, cum laude)
- John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (MPA)
- Yale University (JD)
Experience
Representative permitting and real estate matters include:
- Redevelopment of the former Bayside Exposition Center property into a 5 million+ square foot mixed-use development to include office, laboratory, residential, retail and other commercial uses, as well as new open space areas.
- Development of new office building, parking garage, and City-owned park, including a new City street.
- Development of a multiple residential rental and condominium projects (including affordable housing).
- Development of a Fortune 500 company corporate campus, including the rehabilitation of an historic building, in Boston’s Fort Point Channel area.
- Development of a 1,555 key branded convention center hotel on a site ground leased from a public authority.
- Development of two branded hotels on a South Boston site ground leased from a public authority.
- Development of a branded hotel on a downtown Boston property ground leased from a public agency.
- Development of mixed-income housing in the Mission Hill and Chinatown neighborhoods of Boston on sites ground leased from public agencies, utilizing public subordinate debt and low income housing tax credit equity.
- Representation of a major institutional lender making mortgage and construction loans for residential and office projects.
- Historic rehabilitation for office and commercial space.
- Development Agreement for construction of a minor league baseball stadium
Recognition & Awards
- Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers
- YW Boston Academy of Women Achievers (2017)
- Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (2007–2020)
- Included on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers: Real Estate list (2004, 2009–2020)
- Best Lawyers in America: Real Estate Law (2018 – 2021)
- Networking Award (One Greenway Project, W Hotel and Residences, 10 St. James Avenue) - CREW Boston
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale Hubbell: Top Rated Lawyer in Land Use and Zoning (2013–2014)
- Bisnow: one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Boston Commercial Real Estate (2015)
- Boston Business Journal’s Advancing Women Event: Legacy Award (2014)
- Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts: Founders Award (2013)
Involvement
- Steering Committee, Ricesticks and Tea Asian Food Pantry
- Trustee, Eastern Bank
- Member, WGBH Finance Committee
- Member, Asian Community Development Corporation Board of Directors
- Member, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Board of Directors
- Member, Board of Directors, Boston Municipal Research Bureau
- Member, Boston Harbor Now Advisory Board
- Past President, Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts
- Past Northeast Regional Governor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Recent Insights
Viewpoints
News & Press
Viewpoints
Massachusetts Appeals Court Holds that Restrictive Covenants Created as Part of a Common Scheme May Be Extended Beyond Thirty Years Only if Explicitly Allowed in the Original Instrument
December 7, 2017 | Advisory | By Joel Rothman, Rebecca Lee, Nicholas Cramb
On December 5, 2017, the Massachusetts Appeals Court issued an important decision in Berger v. 2 Wyndcliff, LLC, No. 16-P-336 (Mass. App. Ct. Dec. 5, 2017), clarifying the extent to which land owners in a common-scheme development may extend restrictive covenants.
Read more
News & Press
Who’s the Boss? She is.
November 4, 2019
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly covered Mintz’s second annual “She's the Boss” event, which drew a record crowd of more than 180 professionals and their young relatives, friends and mentees for a discussion aimed to inspire the next generation of women leaders.
Mintz’s Second Annual “She’s The Boss” Event Draws Record Crowd, Inspires Future Female Leaders
October 12, 2019
On Thursday, October 10, more than 180 guests attended Mintz’s second annual “She’s the Boss — An Event to Inspire Future Female Leaders” in Boston, which featured an inspirational panel discussion on societal pressures, finding the right career path, discovering one’s true passions, redefining failure as a learning experience, and achieving a work-life balance, among other topics.
Mintz Recognized by Chambers USA 2019
April 26, 2019
Mintz's Rebecca A. Lee Elected Trustee of Eastern Bank
July 25, 2018
Chambers USA 2018 Ranks Mintz Attorneys & Practices
May 03, 2018
Mintz partner and Massachusetts lawyer Julie Korostoff is one of 49 attorneys recognized as “Leaders in Their Fields” by the 2018 Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business guide. Chambers named Korostoff a “Recognized Practitioner” in Technology.
Rebecca A. Lee & Benjamin Sigel Honored Among Boston’s Most Influential People of Color
April 11, 2018
Mintz Levin is proud to announce that Rebecca A. Lee and Benjamin R. Sigel have been named to GK100 2018: Boston’s 100 most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected! Ms. Lee, a Member with the firm, also chairs the Real Estate Development Practice.
Rebecca A. Lee Named Chair of Mintz’s Real Estate Development Practice
September 26, 2017
Mintz has tapped industry veteran Rebecca A. Lee as Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Development Practice. Ms. Lee, a Member in the Boston office, has extensive experience relating to land use and development permitting in the Greater Boston area.
Best Lawyers named 85 Mintz attorneys to its 2018 list of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Mintz attorneys Matthew J. Gardella and Samuel M. Tony Starr were named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas.
Mintz’s Rebecca A. Lee to Be Honored at YW Boston’s Academy of Women Achievers Luncheon
June 15, 2017
YW Boston will honor Rebecca A. Lee, a Member of the Real Estate Practice at Mintz, at its 2017 Academy of Women Achievers Luncheon. The event honors "some of Boston’s brightest, boldest, bravest and most influential women.”
Rebecca A. Lee, a Member of the Mintz Real Estate Practice, has been selected as a 2017 Achievement Award winner by CREW Boston for her role in the development of the One Greenway project in Boston.
Mintz and ML Strategies Represent GE in Acquisition and Permitting of GE Innovation Point
January 27, 2017
Mintz attorneys represented GE in the acquisition and permitting of GE Innovation Point, GE’s new corporate headquarters. The acquisition marks a major milestone for GE, which in January 2016 announced its decision to move to Boston.
Eighty-Four Mintz Attorneys Named 2016 Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
October 18, 2016
Fifty-three Mintz attorneys have been named Massachusetts Super Lawyers for 2016 and thirty-one have been named Massachusetts Rising Stars. The findings will be published in the November 2016 issue of Boston Magazine and in a stand-alone magazine, New England Super Lawyers.
Firm’s National Healthcare Practice, NY Corporate/M&A and Litigation: General Commercial Among Newest Rankings
The arrival of Health Law and FDA Member Bethany Hills and associate; and Member Rebecca Lee, former Boston Redevelopment Authority chief of staff, are highlighted in this American Lawyer column noting major moves among the AmLaw 200.
Locke Lord loses real estate partner to another firm
March 10, 2016
Rebecca Lee, Chair of Mintz’s Real Estate Development Practice, is featured in The Boston Business Journal. Rebecca cites Mintz’s deep real estate capabilities among her reasons for joining the firm.
Events
Moderator
Oct
10
2019
She's The Boss
An Event to Inspire Future Female Leaders
InterContinental Boston, 510 Atlantic Ave., Boston, MA 02210
Speaker
Jun
3
2019