Marvin Bynum

Marvin C. Bynum II

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Meet Marvin

Marvin is a member of the firm’s Real Estate practice, based in Milwaukee. He takes a practical, solutions-driven approach to help clients navigate all facets of commercial real estate transactions, including development, financing, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, and low-income housing tax credit-financed projects. His experience spans a wide range of property types, from sports facilities to manufacturing plants and nonprofit office spaces.

Before becoming a lawyer, Marvin spent six years as a journalist, working as an editor for a Madison-based sports business magazine and as a freelance reporter for daily newspapers in Michigan and Wisconsin. That background shapes his approach today. He knows how to ask the right questions, distill complex information, and communicate with clarity. Clients trust his ability to cut through the noise and deliver thoughtful, actionable advice.

Having represented clients from local startups to multinational corporations, Marvin offers a well-rounded perspective that allows him to anticipate challenges and develop tailored strategies for institutional lenders, landlords, tenants, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities.

Beyond his legal practice, Marvin is actively involved in firm leadership. He serves as the firm’s TerraLex member representative and is a member of both the Board of Directors and Culture & Belonging Committee. Marvin previously co-chaired the firm’s Recruiting Committee, was a member of the Compensation Committee, and has played a key role in several firm initiatives, including design and planning efforts for the 833 East building project.

Marvin brings his real-world experience into the classroom as an adjunct professor, teaching a course on real estate transactions at Marquette University Law School.

Education

Juris Doctor, Marquette University Law School, cum laude

Bachelor of Arts, Arizona State University, English Literature

Activities

Acts Housing – Member, Board of Directors

Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin (CARW) – Member, Policy Committee

Milwaukee Development Corporation – Board of Directors

Milwaukee College Prep – Vice President, Board of Directors

Marquette University – Board Member, Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership

Marquette University Law School Alumni Association – Member, Board of Directors

Marquette University Law School – Adjunct Professor

Rocketship Schools - Wisconsin – Former Member, Board of Directors

Harbor District, Inc. – Past President, Board of Directors

Honors

Listed in Wisconsin Law Journal’s Real Estate and Construction Law Attorneys Power List (2024)

Recognized by Chambers USA (Real Estate, 2023)

Lawyers of Color – Law Firm Leader (2022)

Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Real Estate Law, 2021 - present)

Recognized by Super Lawyers as a Wisconsin Rising Star (2020)

Named a 2015 Up and Coming Lawyer by Wisconsin Law Journal

Admitted To Practice

Wisconsin

Professional Associations

Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin (CARW), National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP)

Community & Affordable Housing Development

Served as lead developer’s counsel on $18.4 million residential housing component of $30 million mixed-use creative arts/tech hub project in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood, which involved low-income housing tax credits, tax incremental financing, and multiple federal and state grants and conventional construction loans.
Served as lead developer’s counsel on $10.8 million, 40-unit “scattered sites” affordable housing development in Milwaukee’s King Park neighborhood, which pioneered the State of Wisconsin’s first “backbone” tax incremental district, involved an eventual tenant homeownership plan and was supported with 4% low-income housing tax credits paired with tax-exempt bond financing.
Served as lead developer’s counsel, working with tribal housing entities on multiple affordable housing development projects on reservations throughout Wisconsin and Michigan.
Partnered with civic organizations in efforts to revitalize and redevelop West Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, including land assembly and historic restoration of city landmark performing arts venue.

Institutional & Public-Private Projects

Served as key member of team representing American Family Field’s landowner in negotiating and securing a long-term lease with the Milwaukee Brewers, which lease involved significant public financing and terms required under state statutes.
Assisted developer in all aspects of development and redevelopment of 65 acres of former suburban industrial land into an approximately $80 million mixed-use project, including national retailers and a multi-family complex, and financed with tax increment financing and conventional loans.

Real Estate Lending

Served as lead agent’s counsel on $64 million syndicated construction loan for innovative preservation and redevelopment of 170-year-old religious order campus into 237-unit luxury multi-family community centered in a suburban Milwaukee community.
Served as lead lender’s counsel on $33.7 million construction loan for historically sensitive development of 188-unit multi-family project located near regional technology center.
Served as lead lender’s counsel on $26.4 million construction loan for 132-unit luxury multi-family project in downtown Milwaukee riverfront area.

Corporate Real Estate

Serve as lead real estate counsel for tribally owned real estate development company engaged in developing high-quality travel centers and multi-family and industrial projects.
Serve as lead real estate counsel for health care real estate investment firm on multiple acquisitions and financings for high-quality outpatient facilities situated in the Midwest, Mid-South, Southwest and Northeast United States.
Serve as lead real estate counsel for Wisconsin-headquartered, publicly traded global manufacturer on leasing and acquisition transactions in North America and Asia.