DeniceTokunaga
Partner
Real Estate
dtokunaga@seyfarth.com
With an eye toward collaboration, Denice works with her clients to take advantage of opportunities in commercial real estate and reimagine the traditional use of space for the benefit of the end-user.
More About Denice
Whether it is a complex cross-border leasing project, a new development, a credit tenant lease financing, or an acquisition or disposition, Denice remains focused on the client objectives in completing the transaction. She works with real estate developers, public and private companies, private equity, and pension funds to help meet their domestic and international growth goals through the purchase and sale of commercial and mixed-use projects, as well as representing both landlords and tenants of commercial and industrial space.
Denice has extensive experience representing e-commerce companies in industrial leasing, having negotiated leases for more than 284 million square feet for fulfilment, distribution, data center, last mile, and other industrial uses.
Many of her US-based clients look to her to represent them in their expansion into other countries—overseeing and negotiating the acquisition, leasing, and development of build-to-suit and market refurbish projects. Denice has a particular focus on working with clients from a variety of industries on scaling their real estate portfolios to support their growth across the US and globally.
Denice’s clients benefit from her deep environmental experience involving due diligence investigation and development of contaminated properties.
Denice has extensive experience representing e-commerce companies in industrial leasing, having negotiated leases for more than 284 million square feet for fulfilment, distribution, data center, last mile, and other industrial uses.
Many of her US-based clients look to her to represent them in their expansion into other countries—overseeing and negotiating the acquisition, leasing, and development of build-to-suit and market refurbish projects. Denice has a particular focus on working with clients from a variety of industries on scaling their real estate portfolios to support their growth across the US and globally.
Denice’s clients benefit from her deep environmental experience involving due diligence investigation and development of contaminated properties.
- JD, University of Texas
With honors - BA, Austin College
International/Global Studies
Summa cum laude
- Washington
Related Services
Related Key Industries
- Since joining Seyfarth in 2019, Denice has continued her long tenure in the industrial market and represented purchasers and users in nearly 490 build-to-suit and acquisition transactions totaling more than 284 million square feet of warehouse, distribution center, and last mile facility space in the last two years.
- Represented a full service real estate investment and management company in commercial real estate finance transactions for the acquisition of office properties across the US.
- Represented a sustainable vertical farming company in various real estate matters, including the expansion of its headquarters and lease negotiations.
- Represented a global logistics company in the acquisition of land in Texas for the development of speculative development for industrial use.
- Represented the owner of a long-time restaurant and community gathering space in the negotiation of the sale of the property for the development of a mixed-use project that includes workforce housing. The owner will continue to operate a restaurant on the ground floor of the reimagined space.
- Negotiation and management of multiple transactions in a Fortune 50’s sale-leaseback portfolios, including the substitution of collateral, demolition, and expansion of stores, compliance with underlying lease and indenture terms, and other matters that affected the valuation of collateral.
- Representation of a nonprofit organization in connection with its purchase and development of real property and facilities for a municipal water supply project spanning a 21-mile stretch within four jurisdictions in Northwest Washington.
Related News & Insights
-
Speaking Engagement
Oct 9, 2024
Denice Tokunaga to Speak at NAIOP's CRE Converge
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Recognition
12/12/2023
Five Seyfarth Attorneys Earn ConnectCRE 2023 Lawyers in Real Estate Awards
-
Recognition
08/17/2023
210 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2024
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Real Estate Law (2020-2025)
- Recognized for Real Estate (Washington) by Chambers USA (2022-2024)
- Selected to Connect CRE for Lawyers in Real Estate (2023)
- Recognized by Washington Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) for Real Estate (2016-2024)
- NAIOP Washington (member; incoming co-chair for 2024, NAIOP Night of the Stars Committee)
- Speaker, "Navigating the Future: Trends in Industrial Real Estate Development," NAIOP's CRE Converge 2024 Conference, Las Vegas, NV (October 9, 2024)
- Interviewed, "Denice Tokunaga, a Small-Town Girl in an E-Commerce World," Built Podcast (May 18, 2022)
- Quoted, "A Look Inside Big Law's Push Into Seattle: A Boomtown for Tech, Real Estate and Employment," The Recorder (October 19, 2021)
- Quoted, "'There's Just Not Enough Warehouse Space': Florida Enjoying Industrial Sector Boom," The Daily Business Review (June 7, 2021)
- Seattle CityClub, board of directors (2024-present)
With an eye toward collaboration, Denice works with her clients to take advantage of opportunities in commercial real estate and reimagine the traditional use of space for the benefit of the end-user.
More About Denice
Whether it is a complex cross-border leasing project, a new development, a credit tenant lease financing, or an acquisition or disposition, Denice remains focused on the client objectives in completing the transaction. She works with real estate developers, public and private companies, private equity, and pension funds to help meet their domestic and international growth goals through the purchase and sale of commercial and mixed-use projects, as well as representing both landlords and tenants of commercial and industrial space.
Denice has extensive experience representing e-commerce companies in industrial leasing, having negotiated leases for more than 284 million square feet for fulfilment, distribution, data center, last mile, and other industrial uses.
Many of her US-based clients look to her to represent them in their expansion into other countries—overseeing and negotiating the acquisition, leasing, and development of build-to-suit and market refurbish projects. Denice has a particular focus on working with clients from a variety of industries on scaling their real estate portfolios to support their growth across the US and globally.
Denice’s clients benefit from her deep environmental experience involving due diligence investigation and development of contaminated properties.
Denice has extensive experience representing e-commerce companies in industrial leasing, having negotiated leases for more than 284 million square feet for fulfilment, distribution, data center, last mile, and other industrial uses.
Many of her US-based clients look to her to represent them in their expansion into other countries—overseeing and negotiating the acquisition, leasing, and development of build-to-suit and market refurbish projects. Denice has a particular focus on working with clients from a variety of industries on scaling their real estate portfolios to support their growth across the US and globally.
Denice’s clients benefit from her deep environmental experience involving due diligence investigation and development of contaminated properties.
- JD, University of Texas
With honors - BA, Austin College
International/Global Studies
Summa cum laude
- Washington
Related Services
Related Key Industries
- Since joining Seyfarth in 2019, Denice has continued her long tenure in the industrial market and represented purchasers and users in nearly 490 build-to-suit and acquisition transactions totaling more than 284 million square feet of warehouse, distribution center, and last mile facility space in the last two years.
- Represented a full service real estate investment and management company in commercial real estate finance transactions for the acquisition of office properties across the US.
- Represented a sustainable vertical farming company in various real estate matters, including the expansion of its headquarters and lease negotiations.
- Represented a global logistics company in the acquisition of land in Texas for the development of speculative development for industrial use.
- Represented the owner of a long-time restaurant and community gathering space in the negotiation of the sale of the property for the development of a mixed-use project that includes workforce housing. The owner will continue to operate a restaurant on the ground floor of the reimagined space.
- Negotiation and management of multiple transactions in a Fortune 50’s sale-leaseback portfolios, including the substitution of collateral, demolition, and expansion of stores, compliance with underlying lease and indenture terms, and other matters that affected the valuation of collateral.
- Representation of a nonprofit organization in connection with its purchase and development of real property and facilities for a municipal water supply project spanning a 21-mile stretch within four jurisdictions in Northwest Washington.
Related News & Insights
-
Speaking Engagement
Oct 9, 2024
Denice Tokunaga to Speak at NAIOP's CRE Converge
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Recognition
12/12/2023
Five Seyfarth Attorneys Earn ConnectCRE 2023 Lawyers in Real Estate Awards
-
Recognition
08/17/2023
210 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2024
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Real Estate Law (2020-2025)
- Recognized for Real Estate (Washington) by Chambers USA (2022-2024)
- Selected to Connect CRE for Lawyers in Real Estate (2023)
- Recognized by Washington Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) for Real Estate (2016-2024)
- NAIOP Washington (member; incoming co-chair for 2024, NAIOP Night of the Stars Committee)
- Speaker, "Navigating the Future: Trends in Industrial Real Estate Development," NAIOP's CRE Converge 2024 Conference, Las Vegas, NV (October 9, 2024)
- Interviewed, "Denice Tokunaga, a Small-Town Girl in an E-Commerce World," Built Podcast (May 18, 2022)
- Quoted, "A Look Inside Big Law's Push Into Seattle: A Boomtown for Tech, Real Estate and Employment," The Recorder (October 19, 2021)
- Quoted, "'There's Just Not Enough Warehouse Space': Florida Enjoying Industrial Sector Boom," The Daily Business Review (June 7, 2021)
- Seattle CityClub, board of directors (2024-present)