New Small Business Resource: Model Lease

LCR | BizGrow Releases Model Commercial Lease Template for Small Businesses and Landlords

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) is proud to announce that BizGrow, its small business initiative, has partnered with Anderson & Kreiger LLP and Graffito SP to release a model commercial lease template designed specifically for Boston-area landlords seeking to lease space to small businesses, including for retail uses in Class A buildings.

This lease, together with its accompanying “User Guide,” removes and demystifies the dense “legalese” often found in commercial agreements, empowering small business owners and their advisors who may be unfamiliar with the legal complexities of commercial and retail leasing. By simplifying the leasing process, this resource, if adopted by landlords, will help small businesses navigate one of their biggest barriers to success—securing high-quality commercial space in premier locations—while fostering transparent and mutually beneficial relationships between landlords and tenants.

“The model lease template fosters open conversations between landlords and tenants by using clear, accessible language that both parties can easily understand,” said Priya Lane, Director of BizGrow at LCR. “This tool will be invaluable for small businesses across the Commonwealth, ensuring they fully grasp the agreements they are entering into.”

“This model lease also makes it easier for landlords to engage with small business tenants, recognizing that so many landlords, big and small, are looking for a more user-friendly and retail-specific commercial lease to use in their practice, but of course still need many of the standard – and necessary – landlord protections that we have included in this model lease,” said Jesse Baerkahn, President at Graffito SP.

“We are proud to have partnered with BizGrow and Graffito on this important project.  We believe these tools will help lower the bar to entry for small retail businesses to lease space in the exceptional Class A buildings here in Boston and Cambridge.  We hope this lease will be used widely and often,” added David Wiener, Partner at Anderson & Kreiger. 

LCR | BizGrow provides free legal assistance, business support, and technical assistance to low-income, minority, immigrant, and women business owners—ensuring they encounter fewer obstacles and more opportunities.

Anderson & Kreiger LLP is a law firm with 40+ attorneys located in Boston, with practice groups in commercial real estate, construction, land use/permitting, environmental, public law, litigation, insurance, airports, white collar defense, and internal investigations.  The firm is deeply committed to providing pro bono legal services to underserved communities.

Graffito is a Boston-based retail real estate advisory and investment firm that excels at the intersection of master planning, retail leasing, and community economic development. Since 2007, the Graffito team has led hundreds of retail real estate projects in Greater Boston and beyond, all of which are anchored by best-in-class local shops, restaurants and creative enterprises.