Adam N. Charlsen

Adam Charlsen helps clients bring real estate projects to life—guiding developers, businesses, and public entities through acquisitions, financing, leasing, and development strategies. With deep experience in both private and public sector real estate, he advises on deals involving retail, industrial, nonprofit, and public infrastructure across the Midwest and beyond.

Adam represents borrowers and lenders in complex real estate and secured lending transactions, including site acquisitions, lease negotiations, development due diligence, and the preparation of loan documents and enforceability opinions. His practice also extends to sale-leasebacks, tax-increment financing (TIF), and large-scale public infrastructure projects.

Leveraging his background in public law, Adam serves as a trusted advisor to government agencies and special districts on governance and policy development. He works closely with state and local elected officials and other leadership teams to craft decision-making frameworks that mitigate legal risk and enhance operational efficiency.

Adam’s broad-based practice includes corporate and retail real estate, construction, land use, nonprofits, public-private partnerships, and tax matters.

Before joining Koley Jessen, Adam served as an office managing partner at an Am Law 100 law firm and worked as in-house counsel for a national non-profit corporation. His background as outside counsel and as the client enables him to offer clients clear, bottom-line advice and strategic insights to achieve their goals.

Representative Matters

• Guided thriving fast-food franchisee on real estate acquisitions and sale-leaseback transactions.
• Serves as general counsel for the Sarpy County and Cities Wastewater Agency, a new regional utility serving southern Sarpy County, Nebraska. Adam advises the SCCWWA on day-to-day legal matters such as board governance and contract questions, as well as procurement of financing through traditional means and potential public-private partnerships.
• Served on general counsel team advising a local natural resources district on purchase of land rights in multiple jurisdictions to expand and improve managed operations such as parks, trail systems, levees, dams, lakes and reservoirs.
• Advised a publicly traded company on an acquisition of more than 400 acres of farmland for future development and construction of poultry processing plant. Negotiated agreements with state and the local governments to allow the client to finance a portion of construction and development costs with TIF financing and financial assistance under the Nebraska Advantage Act.
• Served on team representing publicly traded food service producer in redevelopment of 2 million-square-foot corporate campus. Advised on acquisition, disposition and leasing of client's other real estate assets throughout Midwest, including negotiating boundary line adjustments and changes to related cross-easements and redevelopment of campus in which food-processing plant is located.

News

Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America® – Real Estate Law, 2020-2025

Community & Professional

St. Wenceslaus School Board (2021-2024; Board President-2023-2024)
St. Wenceslaus Celebrate Co-Chair (2024)
St. Wenceslaus Soccer Club, Coach (2014-current)
Omaha Hawks Basketball, Coach (2021-current)
Omaha Gladiators Baseball, Coach (2021-current)