Jeff Rood Attorney At Law

Commercially savvy and sensible dealmaker and advisor. Boots-on-the-ground knowledge of Northeast Florida real estate.

Jeff Rood is an accomplished real estate attorney who confidently walks with clients in high-pressure moments to push tricky deals over their unexpected hurdles. Jeff consistently focuses on understanding the client’s objectives and concerns, which can change throughout an engagement. With such understanding, he deploys his technical drafting skills and the firm’s resources to close the transaction or resolve whatever issue the client is facing.

Jeff represented local and national lenders, investors, and owner-operators at GrayRobinson from 2016 through 2021 and rejoined the firm in late 2023 after spending two years in commercial real estate brokerage, focused on industrial property sales and leasing. From that experience, he developed valuable market knowledge of pricing and deal terms and a deeper understanding of how owner-operators utilize their space.

• Notable Work
  • Represent investors and business operators in the sale of commercial real estate properties as part of pure real estate transactions and business dispositions, including skilled nursing facilities, hotels, land, and an industrial portfolio. Deal values range between $1 million and $38 million. Representation often includes issuing title insurance policies to buyers and their lenders and performing multiparty closings.
  • Advise developers and occupiers in high-profile acquisitions, including the redevelopment of a large shopping center and the purchase of luxury residential properties in an exclusive island community.
  • Serve as real estate counsel in Small Business Administration (SBA) and seller-financed transactions throughout the country, representing business purchasers in entrepreneurship-through-acquisition (ETA) strategies. Representation often requires collaboration with corporate attorneys, accountants, and quality-of-earnings analysts to position the acquirer for success, whether as the property purchaser or tenant under a long-term lease.
  • Serve as both landlord and tenant leasing counsel, negotiating and documenting leases for a 20+ tenant, 335,000 square foot industrial portfolio, and various businesses with tenant improvement allowances, including law firms and medical practices.
  • Counsel institutional lenders on significant financing originations and workouts, including a  $74.5 million construction loan for a luxury condominium, a  $15 million loan for a mixed-use development involving staged rezonings and partial mortgage releases, and numerous loan modifications and forbearance agreements for distressed properties.
  • Litigation counsel to investors and owners in complex real estate disputes, including those involving mineral rights, stormwater drainage, earnest money deposits, fraud, and property owner association and member rights and fees.
  • Commercial real estate agent for various commercial properties, including manufacturing, logistics, unimproved land, and retail spaces, effectively marketing and negotiating sales and leases for business owners in Northeast Florida.
• Recognition
  • Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Real Estate Law, 2021, 2022, 2025
  • Jacksonville Magazine, Best Lawyers, 2021
  • Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida, Ilene Sari Selevan Young Leadership Award, 2020
• Insights
  • “Bankruptcy Law for Commercial Landlords, Tenants and Brokers,” Jacksonville Bar Association, Environmental and Real Property Law Committee Lunch and Learn, February 22, 2023  
• Media
  • "Real Estate Pro Returns To GrayRobinson After Stint As Agent," Law360, November 6, 2023
  • "Personnel File --- People on the Move, November 6, 2023," News Service of Florida, November 6, 2023
• Affiliations
  • The Florida Bar
  • Jacksonville Bar Association
  • Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida
    • Board of Directors, 2019-2023
  • Riverside Avondale Preservation, 2017-2018, 2022-2023
    • Zoning Committee Member
  • Rail Yard District Business Council, 2022
  • Theatre Jacksonville, Volunteer
    • Stage Crew Member, 2024
• Credentials
  • J.D., Duke University School of Law, 2015
  • B.A., University of Florida, 2012
• Admissions
  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida