While commercial real estate has been hard hit by the recession, it remains a key sector of our economy, with a sweeping influence on everything from employment and the retail industry to small business and investment opportunities.

To help people gain better perspective on the current state of commercial real estate, the attorneys at Leonard, Street and Deinard have launched a new blog, Commercial Real Estate Trends (www.cretrends.com), covering primarily regional but also national trends in commercial real estate.

"Our main goal is to provide a blog that offers timely, useful information about this marketplace," said Shaun McElhatton, a shareholder in Leonard, Street and Deinard's real estate department, which has more MSBA Board Certified Real Property Law Specialists than any other law firm in Minnesota. "We pride ourselves in having a thorough, practical understanding of the real estate industry, and this gives us a broader forum in which to share our insights with clients, the media and the general public."

The blog covers a full spectrum of issues affecting commercial real estate, including financing, market developments, land use, leasing and redevelopment. It will also examine regulatory or legal changes, such as the Minnesota New Home Warranty law (effective January 1, 2011) that requires contractors to provide additional information to their customers. "That's an example of a change that wasn't broadly publicized, and one where there's still a lot of uncertainty over the types of information contractors will need to provide," said McElhatton.

A key element of the new blog is its interdisciplinary nature. A dozen or so attorneys will contribute to the site, including those practicing in financial services, real estate development, construction, real estate litigation and other relevant practice areas.

McElhatton notes that anyone can sign up to receive new blog posts automatically via e-mail. "Just enter your e-mail address in the 'subscribe' box on the homepage of cretrends.com and you won't miss a thing."