Zachary A. Grey

Zachary A. Grey is a Colorado-based transactional attorney who represents developers, landowners, and private investors in high-value real estate, natural resources, and business deals. His practice is built for clients navigating real-world complexity—where title issues, challenging counterparties, or deal-specific structuring require more than boilerplate solutions.

Mr. Grey brings a rare mix of in-house and private practice experience, from operational landman to lead deal counsel. Clients especially value his practical, strategic advice, ability to execute high-stakes transactions, and fast, direct communication.

Additionally, he provides outside general counsel to a select group of clients with ongoing needs tied to real estate holdings, entity structures, and long-term asset strategies.

REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS

• Represented buyer in the acquisition of a single-tenant retail property in a mixed-use Colorado development, navigating complex title issues involving mineral rights, reciprocal easements, special districts, and build-to-suit lease recapture rights
• Advised buyer in a complex, high-value real estate acquisition structured through a lease with option to purchase, culminating in an eight-figure seller-financed transaction secured by custom loan documents, a partial property gift, a cooperation agreement for a temporary easement and land swap, and the conveyance of water rights
• Represented a buyer in the acquisition of vacant land involving historic title defects, complex contingencies, and post-closing covenants involving reciprocal easements, lot line adjustments, restrictive covenants, and seller’s use a of a special purpose entity
• Represented seller of unimproved industrial land with non-productive oil and gas wells and surface equipment, advising on regulatory matters and plugging strategies, and negotiating three complex PSAs involving entitlements, surface use rights, and post-closing obligations
• Structured the asset sale of a privately held business, including real estate, customized earnout pricing, employment considerations and franchisor approval
• Served as oil and gas co-counsel and expert witness in a mineral ownership dispute involving fee minerals, cost and non-cost bearing interests, and LLC ownership interests
• Represented sellers of fee mineral interests requiring significant title curative, including a judicial determination of heirship and stipulation of interest, and negotiated both PSA and oil and gas lease terms through closing
• Advocated for a water rights holder in an abandonment case, negotiating settlement and preserving long-term use, which included a change in surface point of diversion application
• Advised a national tax lien investment firm on Colorado property tax law, providing disclosure letters and compliance strategy

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Mr. Grey focuses on deal-driven legal work across five core areas:

Real Estate Transactions
• Negotiate complex commercial and residential land deals with title, zoning, entitlement issues
• Draft and revise custom purchase sale agreements, leases, and development contracts
• Structure joint ventures and co-ownership arrangements for acquisitions and development
• Draft and negotiate easements, CCRs, and land use restrictions

Mineral Rights & Oil and Gas
• Negotiate oil and gas leases and surface use agreements
• Advise on the acquisition, disposition, and structuring of fee mineral, royalty, and working interests, including title analysis, valuation considerations, and custom conveyance instruments
• Review and resolve mineral title, severance, heirship, and quiet title issues
• Advise on severed estate structuring and historical mining patent acquisitions and divestitures

Water Rights
• Handle water rights sales, acquisitions, and change-of-use strategies
• Navigate water court adjudications and augmentation plans
• Conduct contract-phase diligence and risk assessment

Business Transactions
• Structure equity and asset sales with or without real estate components
• Draft operating agreements, shareholder agreements, and custom governance provisions
• Serve as outside counsel for contracts, compliance, and strategic risk management
• Navigate ownership disputes, deadlocks, and negotiated exits for closely held businesses

Tax Lien & Treasurer’s Deed Strategy
• Advise investors on tax lien acquisition, compliance, and deal structure
• Guide clients through treasurer’s deed process and quiet title litigation
• Structure partnerships for lien investment and resale positioning