Published February 12, 2025Customer since 2015
How CASTO Drafts Leases in <30 Minutes and Eliminated Outside Counsel
CASTO is a full-service commercial real estate company based in Columbus, Ohio, managing approximately 23 million square feet across more than 100 shopping centers in 7 states. Founded in 1926, CASTO has been a leader in real estate development and management for nearly a century.
The Challenge
20 lease forms were slowing everything down.
CASTO's lean legal team was under pressure to accelerate lease timelines while managing 100+ shopping centers across 7 states.
- 20 lease forms
- Different templates creating complexity and inconsistency
- Hours per draft
- Labor-intensive language library searches and manual formatting
- Outside counsel costs
- Overflow work required expensive external legal help
- Quality control gaps
- Outsourcing reduced oversight and consistency
The Decision
Why CASTO chose LeasePilot.
“Our group handles all tasks related to litigation, HR issues, risk management and leasing of all commercial shopping centers. We needed a tool that could keep pace with our lean team.”
C.H. Waterman, Director
The Solution
LeasePilot unified 20 forms into one platform.
LeasePilot unified CASTO's lease forms into a single automated platform, enabling faster drafting with less oversight and zero reliance on outside counsel.
- Under 30 min
- First draft preparation for simple deals
- 1-day turnaround
- Lease delivered to tenant within a day of LOI
- Non-legal drafting
- Staff can draft with confidence and minimal oversight
- $0 outside counsel
- Eliminated overflow work to external firms
Deep Dive
The transformation in detail.
Before
Prior to LeasePilot, we were managing 20 different lease forms with labor-intensive language library searches and manual formatting.
The bottlenecks often required expensive outside counsel, and outsourcing work meant a loss of quality control. Our team of 5 attorneys and paralegals was stretched thin across litigation, HR, risk management, and leasing for all commercial shopping centers.
After
LeasePilot integrated our existing lease forms and language into one intuitive platform. First drafts now take under 30 minutes for simple deals, and we can deliver leases to tenants within a day of LOI receipt.
Non-legal staff now participate in lease drafting with reduced oversight, freeing our attorneys to focus on high-value analysis and negotiation.
Original Story · CASTO
“I have been using LeasePilot for almost 10 years. I cannot imagine going back to drafting leases where all fields, exhibits, and signature blocks must be inserted manually. This tool has been a game changer.”
Julia F.
VP & Assistant General Counsel, CASTO
The Results
What changed for CASTO.
Dramatically faster turnaround
From hours of manual drafting to under 30 minutes, with leases delivered within a day of LOI receipt.
Eliminated outside counsel
No more costly overflow work, everything is handled in-house with complete quality control.
Freed legal team for strategic work
Attorneys redirected from manual drafting to high-value analysis, negotiation, and litigation.
Pleasant Surprise
An unexpected benefit.
“The ability for non-legal staff to handle lease drafting with confidence was an unexpected benefit that transformed how our entire team operates.”
C.H. Waterman, Director
“For any CRE company managing a large portfolio with a lean legal team, LeasePilot is transformative.”
C.H. Waterman, Director
Your first draft could take 30 minutes
CASTO hasn't used outside counsel in years. Let's talk about what changes for your team.