Diana M. Ducharme
Member
CONTACT
(401) 214-1024 office
(401) 465-2190 cell
dducharme@cgdesq.com
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Diana M. Ducharme is a Member of Cervenka Green & Ducharme LLC, Rhode Island's first women-owned business law firm.
Having practiced for more than 25 years as a commercial real estate development and finance lawyer at Providence-based regional business law firms, Diana brings a wide range of experience and skills to each matter. She practices in multiple aspects of commercial real estate development, representing national, regional and local owners, borrowers, developers, tenants and landlords in such matters as the acquisition, sale, financing, development and leasing of a variety of properties including medical, educational, office, retail, mixed-use and industrial projects. Such projects include community health centers, office parks, graduate student housing, shopping centers, then nation's first off-shore wind farm, solar farms and most recently, a Providence-based farmers' market.
Diana also represents regional financial institutions in all aspects of commercial real estate finance, including construction and term lending, loan participations and loan modifications. Representative projects include construction and term loan financing for hotels, multi-family, mixed-use and industrial properties.
Representative Matters
- Acquisition, financing and development of various state-of-the art health center facilities throughout Providence, Rhode Island for a federally-qualified health care center.
- Ground leasing, redevelopment and financing of a local farm-supplied food hub, including bridge loan, leasehold mortgage loan and New Markets Tax Credit financing.
- Leasing and/or acquisition and sale of numerous solar energy facilities throughout the State of Rhode Island.
- Leasing and/or acquisition of a battery storage facility in Pascoag, Rhode Island.
- Formation of land condominiums to facilitate real estate development projects.
- Commercial, medical office, retail, restaurant and private charter school leasing for both landlords and tenants.
- Graduate student housing development projects in college towns throughout the country.
- $24,000,000 loan to finance the construction of 250-unit student housing complex in Providence, Rhode Island.
- $16,000,000 construction and term loan to finance the construction of a boutique hotel in Newport, Rhode Island.
- $10,000,000 term loan to refinance a multi-tenant commercial office complex in Providence, Rhode Island and to fund tenant improvement costs and leasing commissions.
- $23,000,000 term loan to refinance a distribution building in a Massachusetts industrial business complex leased to a nationally-recognized on-line retailer.
Education
- Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, J.D.
- Providence College, B.A. (cum laude)
Work Experience
Cervenka Green & Ducharme LLC
• Member (2017 - Present)
Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP
• Partner (2007 - 2017)
• Of Counsel (2002 - 2006)
Energy Management Inc.
• Associate General Counsel (2000 - 2002)
Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP
• Associate (1990 - 1999)
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers ® Lawyer of the Year - Commercial Finance Law (2019 - 2020) and (2022-2023)
- Providence Business News, 2021 Business Women Award Recipient - Professional Services Industry Leader
- Best Lawyers ® - Recognized for Commercial Finance Law (2017 to present)
- RI Monthly, Professional Excellence in Law (2019), (2021), (2022)
- Rated as "AV ® Preeminent ™" by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings (2014 to present)
- Super Lawyers, Rhode Island - Recognized for Real Estate Law (2017 to present)
Civic & Charitable Involvement
- Member, Board of Directors, The Rhode Island Free Clinic, Inc.
- Commissioner, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (2019 to present)
The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to provide safe, environmentally compliant, clean and affordable solid waste and recycling services for the Rhode Island community. - State-Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator and Pro Bono Counsel, Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island
- Chairperson, Executive Leadership Team, American Heart Association (SNE) "Go Red for Women" Campaign (2015)
The chairperson is responsible for organizing and leading a fundraising team to promote awareness and raise research funding for the prevention of heart disease in women. It is a year-long commitment culminating in the annual Go Red for Women Luncheon. The chairperson and committee are responsible for raising in excess of $200,000 annually. - Mentor, Year Up Providence (2012)
Year Up is a one-year training program that provides low-income young adults, ages 18-24, with a combination of hands-on skills development, coursework eligible for college credit and corporate internships. As a Year Up mentor, I provided support to a student in the form of coursework help, resume drafting and cover letter drafting, as well as general mentorship. - The Tomorrow Fund - 2010 Fantasy Ball Co-Chair; Member, Board of Directors Governance Committee
The Tomorrow Fund is a nonprofit organization which provides emotional and financial support to children with cancer and their families who receive cancer treatment in Rhode Island. The Fantasy Ball chairperson and Ball committee are responsible for raising in excess of $300,000 annually. The Governance Committee advises on bylaws and amendments as well as employment decisions.
Professional Affiliations
- Rhode Island Bar Association
- American Bar Association, Sections on Real Property, Trust & Estate Law
- Rhode Island Women's Bar Association
- American College of Mortgage Attorneys, Rhode Island State Chair
Bar Admissions
- Rhode Island, 1990
- Federal District Court, RI District, 1991
- Massachusetts, 1991
Speaking Engagements
- Co-authored and co-presented the National Institute's "Real Estate Law Boot Camp", March, 2020.
- Frequent presenter to commercial real estate lenders on various topics, including title insurance polies and endorsements, participations, syndications and construction lending.
- American Bankers Association Conference on Real Estate Lending - Panelist on construction lending. March, 2017
Publications
- National Business Institute: Real Estate Boot Camp, Part I, Part III and Part IV on Purchase and Sale of Real Estate, Title Insurance, and Real Estate Clostings.
- National Business Institute: Ultimate Guide to Commercial Real Estate Law. Authored "Part VII. The Mechanics of Commercial Real Estate Financing", covering the following topics: Different Finance Options, Negotiating Key Terms of the Loan Term Sheet or Commitment, Closing Agenda, Due Diligence and the Loan Closing Process, Key Loan Documents, Recourse vs. Nonrecourse Guarantees, and Legal Opinions. March, 2016