Before attending Hofstra University School of Law, Edward Bullard Jr. earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook — graduating magna cum laude as salutatorian of the School of Engineering in 1994. That technical training preceded a real estate legal career spanning more than two decades, and the combination surfaces in how Bullard Law Group approaches commercial transactions: methodically, with attention to structural detail that goes beyond what purely document-focused practice produces.
Overview
Bullard Law Group, PLLC is a boutique commercial real estate and business law firm founded in 2013 by Edward J. Bullard Jr. in Melville, New York. Operating on Long Island’s Route 110 corridor, the firm serves national brands, regional franchisees, and local businesses as tenants, landlords, lenders, and investors across retail, restaurant, multifamily, shopping center, and development properties throughout the greater New York area and nationally.
The firm’s tagline — “Always Accessible, Always Closing” — signals its service orientation. Commercial real estate deals require attorneys who can move quickly when parties reach agreement and who remain reachable through the extended negotiations that often precede a final deal. Bullard Law Group positions itself explicitly on those terms.
Edward Bullard’s membership in the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reflects the firm’s particular concentration on retail leasing for national and regional tenants and landlords. ICSC membership puts the firm in direct professional engagement with the commercial real estate industry’s largest landlords, brokers, and institutional owners — relationships that inform practical knowledge of market terms and deal structures.
Prior to founding Bullard Law Group, Edward Bullard worked as an associate in the real estate departments of two mid-sized New York City law firms and as a partner at a mid-sized commercial law firm on Long Island. The firm describes over two decades of collective experience since 1998. Long Island Business News has recognized him in its “Who’s Who in Commercial Real Estate.”
Practice Areas
Commercial Leasing: The core of the firm’s practice. Bullard Law Group represents national brands, regional franchisees, and local businesses in leasing retail, restaurant, and office space. This work includes negotiating letter of intent terms, reviewing and revising lease documents, addressing tenant improvement allowance arrangements, co-tenancy provisions, exclusivity clauses, and other lease terms that have significant economic consequence over the term of a multi-year commercial lease. The firm represents both tenants and landlords.
Retail Real Estate: A subset of the leasing practice focused specifically on retail tenants and landlords, including shopping centers. ICSC membership reflects the depth of the firm’s engagement with the retail real estate sector. National brands require attorneys who understand the particular structures — percentage rent, anchor tenant provisions, CAM reconciliation — that characterize retail leasing.
Restaurant Leasing: Restaurant leases involve specific operational requirements — grease traps, hood systems, electrical capacity, delivery access — that must be addressed in lease language. Representing restaurants as tenants requires attorneys who understand these operational needs and can translate them into enforceable lease provisions.
Multifamily and Development Properties: Beyond commercial leasing, the firm handles purchase, sale, development, and financing of multifamily buildings and development properties.
Real Estate Acquisitions and Dispositions: Purchase and sale of commercial real estate, including due diligence review, title and survey analysis, and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements.
Real Estate Financing: Representation of borrowers and lenders in commercial real estate loan transactions, including construction loans, permanent financing, and mortgage refinancing.
Sale-Leaseback Transactions: Sale-leaseback transactions allow property owners to monetize their real estate while retaining occupancy through a long-term lease. These deals require coordinated handling of both the acquisition/sale and the long-term lease, which is a natural combination for a firm with Bullard Law Group’s dual transactional and leasing capabilities.
Business Transactions: General business law matters including corporate formation, agreements, and transactions for business clients.
Attorney Profiles
Edward J. Bullard Jr. is the founding partner of Bullard Law Group. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1994, graduating magna cum laude and as salutatorian of the School of Engineering. He then earned a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1997, where he was a member of the Hofstra Law Review. After law school, he worked as an associate in the Real Estate Department at two mid-sized New York City law firms, then became a partner at a mid-sized commercial law firm on Long Island before founding Bullard Law Group in 2013. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and has been recognized by Long Island Business News in its “Who’s Who in Commercial Real Estate.” Bar admission: New York.
V. Maselli is listed as a contact attorney at the firm. Specific credentials are not publicly listed.
Location and Service Area
201 Old Country Road, Suite 120, Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (516) 368-8830
Website: https://bullardlawgroup.com/
Contact: [email protected]
The firm is located in Melville in Nassau/Suffolk County, Long Island. Its service area covers the greater New York area and Tri-State metropolitan region, with national capabilities for clients with multi-state real estate portfolios.
Client Focus
Bullard Law Group serves three primary client categories. National brands seeking local real estate counsel with commercial leasing experience and ICSC membership are a natural fit — the firm understands the structures these companies use and can negotiate effectively against large landlord organizations. Regional franchisees operating multiple locations benefit from an attorney who can handle their lease portfolio on consistent terms. Local businesses entering their first commercial lease need representation that identifies favorable terms and protects against provisions that can become costly over a multi-year commitment.
On the ownership side, the firm represents landlords in lease negotiations with tenants of all sizes. Understanding the tenant’s perspective — having represented many tenants — informs how the firm approaches landlord representation.
The firm also serves investors and lenders in commercial real estate acquisitions and financing. For clients with multi-state real estate activity, the firm’s national capabilities extend its service beyond the New York metropolitan market.
FAQ
Why is ICSC membership significant for a commercial real estate law firm?
The International Council of Shopping Centers is the principal trade association for the retail real estate industry, connecting developers, landlords, retailers, and the professionals who serve them. ICSC membership means regular engagement with the market through conferences, industry data, and professional relationships with the major landlords and developers in the retail space. For a firm that represents national brands and regional franchisees in lease negotiations, this membership reflects genuine industry integration rather than peripheral involvement.
What is a sale-leaseback transaction and when does it make sense?
In a sale-leaseback, a company sells its real estate to an investor and simultaneously enters into a long-term lease to continue occupying the property. The seller receives a lump sum from the sale while retaining operational control through the lease. This structure can allow businesses to free up capital tied up in real estate for deployment into their core operations. Sale-leaseback deals require coordinated legal work on both the sale transaction and the long-term lease.
Does the firm work with clients outside New York?
The firm describes a national practice for clients with multi-state real estate activities. National brand tenants and franchisees often have properties throughout the country, and Bullard Law Group’s experience with these client types extends its geographic reach beyond Long Island and the Tri-State area.
What does a commercial lease attorney do that a general attorney cannot?
Commercial leases are complex documents with significant economic implications over terms that often run five to fifteen years or more. Provisions regarding rent escalation, common area maintenance charges, exclusivity, co-tenancy rights, options to renew, and tenant improvement allowances can mean the difference between a profitable and an unprofitable occupancy. Attorneys with deep commercial leasing experience recognize these issues, know market-standard terms, and can negotiate effectively from a position of actual knowledge about how similar leases are structured.
How should a prospective client contact the firm?
The firm can be reached by phone at (516) 368-8830 or by email at [email protected]. The firm’s website is https://bullardlawgroup.com/.
Closing
An engineering background combined with two decades of commercial real estate legal experience and ICSC membership produces a specific type of practitioner: one who thinks systematically about transactional structure, has broad exposure to retail and commercial leasing across different property types and client categories, and maintains active industry engagement. Bullard Law Group’s focus on commercial leasing for national brands, franchisees, and local businesses reflects a deliberate practice orientation that is directly expressed in the firm’s client list and its standing in the Long Island commercial real estate legal market.