A member of Sutherland's Real Estate Practice Group, Ed Hales focuses his practice in virtually all aspects of commercial real estate including acquisitions, construction and development, financing and syndication, joint ventures and other forms of co-investment, equity formation, and creditor's rights litigation involving real estate, including bankruptcy practice. His principal clients are private equity firms and institutional investors, including large insurance companies, tax-exempt investors, public and private pension funds, leading investment managers, and advisory firms. Ed devotes a significant portion of his time to transactions involving hotels, conference centers, resorts and golf courses, with substantial involvement in public/private strategic alliances and Caribbean development. He frequently advises clients in connection with creating appropriate entity structures to facilitate complex financial transactions, such as multi-tiered, multi-party real estate co-investment transactions, partnerships and joint ventures.
Before joining the firm, Ed served as a law clerk to the Honorable Griffin B. Bell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Representative Experience
Ed's experience includes the following matters:
· Representing a large domestic insurance company in connection with the formation of a programmatic joint venture to develop a portfolio of branded hotels in central business districts in core markets throughout the United States.
· Representing a major public employee pension fund in connection with the formation of a series programmatic, co-investment joint ventures with publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other institutional investors and operators to acquire existing portfolios of properties in various asset classes, including retail, health care, multi-family and suburban office properties.
· Representing a major public employee pension fund in connection with the formation of a series of programmatic, co-investment joint ventures with various developers, owners and operators to construct new multi-family projects.
· Representing a private equity fund in connection with its formation of 12 separate funds over the preceding 10 years and the acquisition and disposition of properties on behalf of such funds in the ordinary course of their investment activities.
· Representing the owner/developer of Christoph Harbour, a luxury 2,300-acre resort, golf, marina and residential community on the island of St. Kitts.
· Providing extensive real estate workout and bankruptcy counsel, including both creditor and debtor representations in connection with virtually all asset classes.
Professional Honors And Awards
· Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the area of real estate (2009-2011)
· Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of real estate (2008-2010)
· Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the area of real estate law (2005-2012)
· Selected for inclusion in Georgia Super Lawyers® (2006-2012)
Professional And Community Involvement
· Member, American Bar Association
· Member, Atlanta Bar Association
· Member, Lawyers Club of Atlanta
· Member, American College of Real Estate Lawyers
· Fellow, American College of Mortgage Attorneys
· Member, Pension Real Estate Association
Recent Publications And Speaking Engagements
· Member, Standing Faculty, ALI/ABA annual seminar on developments in partnership and LLC law
· Author, "Thinking About Leveraging Plan Assets? Think Some More: UBTI and Prohibited Transactions," Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal (Fall 2004)
· Co-chair and speaker, "Structuring the Transaction, Identifying Problems, and Tax Planning," and "Limited Liability Companies: Series LLCs and Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies," ALI-ABA Partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs Continuing Legal Education Course (June 10-11, 2010)
· Speaker, The Lodging Conference (September 28-October 1, 2004)
· Speaker, Caribbean Hotel Conference
Industries
Financial Services
Hospitality and Leisure
Timber and Forest Products
News
39 Sutherland Attorneys Named as 2012 Georgia Super Lawyers
March 2, 2012
Sutherland Attorneys, Practices Top Chambers USA 2011 Rankings
April 14, 2011
More than 40 Sutherland Attorneys Recognized as 2011 Georgia Super Lawyers
March 24, 2011
The Legal 500 United States Recognizes Sutherland
July 7, 2010
Sutherland Earns Top Chambers USA 2010 Rankings
July 7, 2010
Sutherland Attorneys Named 2010 Georgia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
March 1, 2010
The Legal 500 United States Recognizes Sutherland
June 29, 2009
Legal Alerts
Legal Alert: Ninth Circuit Ruling that Rainwater Runoff from Logging Roads Is a Point Source Discharge Requiring NPDES Permitting Is Under Fire: Relief May Be on the Way
January 20, 2012
Legal Alert: Hospitality Industry Stalls, Imposition of Significant Potential Burdens Related to the ADA Continues Unabated
January 29, 2009
Legal Alert: Supreme Court Rejects Pre-Confirmation Tax Exemptions
June 18, 2008
Publications
Thinking About Leveraging Plan Assets? Think Some More: UBTI and Prohibited Transactions
Fall 2004 Posted with permission from the American Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal
Events
ALI-ABA Partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs Course
June 10-11, 2010
ALI-ABA Partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs: Uniform Acts, Taxation, Drafting, Securities, and Bankruptcy
July 16-18, 2009
The Lodging Conference
September 28-October 1, 2004