Joshua G. Berggrun

Josh is a Partner with Calfee's commercial real estate and real estate finance groups. His practice focuses on buying, selling, leasing, financing and developing commercial real estate and the real estate components of private equity and corporate transactions.

Josh represents lenders, real estate developers and investors, private equity funds, independent sponsors, lower middle market companies, shopping centers, medical and vet practices, manufacturing, distribution and retail companies, family-owned businesses, and entrepreneurs.

Josh also represents lenders and borrowers in documenting term, bridge and construction loans. He is experienced in leasing office buildings, shopping centers, retail spaces, medical offices, restaurants, warehouses and distribution centers.

Josh began serving on Calfee's Inclusion & Diversity Committee in 2024. He was elected Partner in 2025.

He earned his J.D. from Elon University School of Law, where he was an Oak Scholar and a faculty research assistant. In addition, he was a member of the Jewish Law Students Association and created a “Semester in Practice” program for law students.

Josh earned his B.S. in Sports Management from Ithaca College, where he was an All-Academic Student Athlete, served as captain of the men’s varsity tennis team, and participated in an externship at The Kia Oval (England) with the Surrey County Cricket Club. 

Honors & Recognitions

• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Real Estate Law (2023-2025)
• Ohio Super Lawyers, Ohio Rising Stars, Real Estate (2023-2025)
• “20 in Their Twenties” Honoree, Crain's Cleveland Business (2021)

• “Top 25 Under 35 Movers and Shakers” Honoree, The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club (2021)

• “Notable LGBT Executives” Honoree, Crain’s Cleveland Business (2020)

• “12 Under 36” Honoree, Cleveland Jewish News (2019)

Education

J.D., Elon University School of Law, 2016

B.S., Sports Management, Ithaca College, 2013

Experience

• Calfee is serving as lead counsel to a private university in connection with its transformational gateway development project. The university's mixed-use, multi-stage development includes student residences, offices, and retail uses. Current work includes acquiring key frontage properties in a 1031-structured transaction and all related diligence including environmental covenants. Calfee is working with the client to facilitate permitting and approvals, contracts with project service providers, and analysis of retail leases and tenant relocations.
• Calfee represented a family wealth management firm’s 2022 sale of the equity interest in an operating limited liability company, finalization of the construction of a manufacturing facility, and a sale/leaseback involving a third-party institutional real estate corporation. Calfee’s work included the negotiation and drafting of real property purchase agreements, a membership interest purchase agreement, and various closing documents on both the corporate divestiture and sale/leaseback as well as navigating the finalization of the construction of the manufacturing facility.
• Calfee is providing legal counsel in an ongoing representation of affiliated joint ventures and development projects throughout Ohio for a development and construction company. Calfee provides legal counsel in an ongoing representation of an affiliated joint venture involving the development of a former governmental facility and adjoining property to an 150+-acre, mixed-use development. As part of our ongoing representation, we have assisted this client with acquiring and financing the parcels in this development involving multi-family housing as well as the relocation of this client’s corporate headquarters to this development. This representation includes the drafting and negotiation of the development agreement amendment, drafting and negotiation of financing documents, public finance documents, residential leases, and other site assemblage matters. Additionally, our firm’s ongoing representation for this client includes overall site development work and coordination with a publicly traded Fortune 500 company, which acquired the property from the joint venture.
• Calfee is representing a publicly traded, Fortune 1000 company and its affiliated companies on the real estate aspects of various corporate and real estate acquisitions, divestitures, and leasing matters. Calfee’s work includes due diligence review, title, survey, property condition evaluations, easement agreements, and zoning analysis for owned real properties located in the U.S. Southeast and West Coast, and lease analysis involving properties throughout the United States. We also are negotiating new lease agreements and lease amendments for other related facilities as well as stock purchase agreements, membership interest agreements, and asset purchase agreements. We have represented the client and its subsidiaries in connection with several corporate transactions involving negotiating new leases and assignments of leases. We have represented a subsidiary company and their affiliated entities on a ground lease as well as various lease amendments, lease reviews, and other corporate real estate counsel in the United States and Canada.
• Calfee is representing a Midwest HVAC company portfolio company and its affiliated private equity firm on the sale/leaseback of properties located in two states to a real estate corporation. This representation included drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, escrow agreements, closing documents, guaranties, and other ancillary documents. This representation also included assignments of various tax incentive agreements.
• Calfee handled the real estate aspects of several corporate transactions involving a significant private equity client and their platform subsidiaries. We drafted and negotiated stock purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements, and lease agreements.

Professional & Community

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
• Cleveland Hillel Internship Program, Mentor
• Jewish Federation
• Plexus LGBT Chamber of Commerce
• Equality Ohio
• Cleveland Jewish News, Board of Directors