Acquisitions, Debt, and Equity

Represented a multifamily developer in connection with the acquisition of over $1 billion of apartment communities throughout the country, including Austin, Chapel Hill, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Raleigh, and Tempe; lead counsel for purchase and sale agreement negotiations, joint venture documents, and mortgage loan financing

Represented a family office in the contribution of land and cash equity to a joint venture to facilitate construction of an office park

Represented the sponsor in the negotiation of a joint venture agreement with an institutional equity partner related to a mixed-use development near Chicago, Illinois

Represented the sponsor in the negotiation of a joint venture agreement related to a lender’s right to convert a portion of its debt into equity in the sponsor’s project

Represented a commercial mortgage lender in the drafting, negotiation, and closing of over 15 loans secured by office and multifamily properties located in several states

Represented an institutional investor in its acquisition of a portfolio of mezzanine loans secured by equity in entities that own hospitality properties in multiple U.S. states

Represented a retail developer in (i) the $135 million acquisition of the retail portion of a mixed-use development in California comprised of air-space parcels (i.e., platted lots with upper and lower elevations) containing retail, restaurant, theatre, and related development, (ii) two related financings, and (iii) the sale of air parcels to a condominium developer

Represented an office developer in the acquisition of a 1.5 million-square-foot office tower

Represented an office developer in the $32 million acquisition of an office tower, including assisting with negotiating and drafting the joint venture agreement; negotiating and drafting contract amendments and closing documents; coordinating and advising on due diligence (zoning, lease review, and significant environmental issues); and negotiating and closing a $25 million mortgage loan secured by the building

Represented a retail developer in the acquisition of a 70,422-square-foot retail center located outside of Chicago comprising the ground floor of a mixed-use development that includes condominiums and city-owned parking facilities

Represented a retail developer in the acquisition of a 65,000-square-foot shopping center, including the negotiation and closing of a senior mortgage loan secured by the center

Represented a Fortune 500 company in the purchase and sale of multiple automobile dealerships throughout the country

Distressed Debt

Represented a commercial mortgage lender in the sale of a $10 million loan secured in part by a nuclear bunker, then represented the purchaser of this loan in a borrower bankruptcy filing and a successful non-judicial foreclosure sale of the bunker

Represented a REMIC trust in the resolution of a $197 million defaulted CMBS loan secured by approximately 20 apartment complexes located in three U.S. states, including negotiation of an agreed receivership in United States District Court, structuring entities to take title to the properties by foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, and directing due diligence activities

Represented a REMIC trust in a non-judicial foreclosure action that involved threats of a lawsuit against the trust by a bankruptcy trustee, a potential borrower bankruptcy filing, and a possible lawsuit against the trust by a limited partner in the borrower; successfully used the then-recently enacted Texas Assignment of Rents Act to recover thousands of dollars of rental income for the trust directly from the tenants and completed the non-judicial foreclosure sale of the property, selling it to a third-party bidder at the foreclosure sale

Represented a REMIC trust in negotiations involving environmentally-contaminated collateral and advised on multiple possible exit strategies, including a discounted payoff transaction with the borrower, a receivership over the property, and a loan sale

Represented a REMIC trust in a multi-state deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transaction involving nine properties securing over $130 million of CMBS debt

Represented a commercial mortgage lender in the resolution of two non-performing loans through a discounted payoff transaction, multiple requests for injunctive relief by the borrower, an involuntary bankruptcy filing by the lender against the borrower, and a non-judicial foreclosure sale

Represented multiple REMIC trusts in the disposition of an $80 million portfolio of non-performing CMBS loans

Represented a REMIC trust in the structuring, negotiation, and closing of a discounted payoff transaction involving two cross-collateralized and cross-defaulted CMBS loans secured by retail properties in different U.S. states

Represented a REMIC trust in the resolution of a defaulted $69 million CMBS loan secured by an approximately one million-square-foot regional mall in Ohio, including negotiation of an agreed receivership for the mall; multiple negotiations with counsel for the borrower, receiver, and property manager; and the negotiation and closing of a loan sale transaction and a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transaction

Member, State Bar of Texas

Co-Founder, St. Philip’s Legal Clinic (a monthly, all-volunteer legal clinic adopted by the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program) (2004-2016)

Member, 2016-2017 Class of the Leadership Arts Institute

Member, 2005-2006 Class of The Real Estate Council’s Associate Leadership Council