Adams and Reese LLP

Attorneys at Adams and Reese represent both private and public interests related to economic development and incentive negotiation. Our knowledge and experience in understanding the need to create jobs, eliminate blight, improve the quality of life, and build a tax base, together with our ability to monitor and understand the incentives and how they legally can be offered, allow us to effectively facilitate public/private partnerships. Public investment in new private projects, expansion of existing projects, and other types of investment are often found in federal and state credits and in other incentive programs. Currently, new markets tax credits, property tax abatement, tax increment finance and other local and state provided incentives have successfully provided the necessary assistance to make projects attractive to pursue. 

With offices in multiple markets including Washington, DC, Adams and Reese is involved in state and federal legislation and the development of laws that can broaden the scope and results of public/private partnerships. Our team provides value far beyond the initial assistance in economic development efforts for a new project. We want to build a relationship as your go-to legal counsel for all aspects of your business.

Our Attorneys

In various transactions, we negotiate at times on behalf of private developers and at other times on behalf of public entities. Our understanding of negotiations from both sides of a transaction often helps result in an efficient negotiation process. Our clients have the support of traditional legal work such as real estate, tax, banking law and specialized legal services such as entertainment and energy.

Adams and Reese has a strong reputation for creative problem-solving and resources for stalled or difficult projects. If your project is missing a critical permit or faces zoning barriers, we apply proven negotiation and litigation skills along with knowledge of public processes to identify options previously unconsidered or recognized. We also stay active in lobbying efforts for more favorable tax environments and vehicles for business development.

Core Practice and Clients

Adams and Reese represents public/private partnerships for airports and public transit, commercial developments, health care, oil and gas, energy, higher education, utilities, port facilities, entertainment and recreation, industrial, manufacturing, storage and distribution, logistics, transportation, residential, urban developments and other types of developments.

Our core practices include:

Community Development/Revitalization: representing business owners and not-for-profit entities in partnership with site selection firms, economic development professionals and government agencies. We negotiate benefits and incentives for competitive local business climates, healthy tax bases and high-quality infrastructure.

Public Finance: investigation of tax or revenue-secured municipal bonds as well as corporate securities for private and not-for-profit development, cash flow and restructuring of existing debt.

Negotiation, Litigation and ADR: counsel for stalled projects, conflict resolution arising from questions of legality in public/private partnerships and development proposals and litigation for breach of contract or other underperformance claims.

Representative Matters: 

• Assistance to downtown development authorities and commissions in connection with development, modernization and redevelopment of downtown areas.
• Development of business and industrial parks for communities.
• Negotiation of hundreds of tax abatement transactions.
• Development, financing, permitting and legal work in connection with hotels, civic centers, libraries, public schools, alternative schools, hospitals, clinics, sports and recreation facilities and parking facilities.
• Representation of  borrowers, banks and other participants in state and federal New Markets Tax Credit programs and other tax credit programs such as movie and film tax credit matters.
• New Project development and expansion of high tech industries for international companies.
• Negotiation of major contracts of professional sport franchises, including licenses and use agreements and development or renovation of sports facilities.
• Negotiation of favorable reduced payments in lieu of tax (“PILOTs”) on hundreds of facilities.
• Major land acquisition, zoning and permitting with multiple jurisdictions, hundreds of lots and various degrees of construction and curing of all title related matters.
• Regularly write title policies including projects that have a value in excess of $250,000,000.
• Representation of auto industry companies.
• Represent businesses in negotiation of publicly owned land and facilities. 

Representative Experience:

• Represented one of the nation’s largest homebuilders in its purchase of building sites in multiple areas.
• Created multi-jurisdictional economic development entities and represented them in their collective economic development efforts.
• Drafting, oversight and passage of a significant portion of economic development laws.
• Structuring and creating a private foundation affiliated with a university system that facilitates the transfer and commercialization of university-based research and technology to the marketplace, including development of its first early stage venture capital fund.
• Negotiation of intellectual property licensing rights that help develop, test and bring to market an anticancer technology emanating from university-based biotechnology research in Louisiana.
• Assisted with negotiations resulting in the development of environmental projects and facilities such as bio-diesel, wood chip, solar and wind energy related projects.
• Negotiated Cooperative Endeavor Agreement among numerous public and private entities that have resulted in successful development and expansion of projects.
• Provided legal assistance and negotiation of Billions of Dollars of financings and incentives for an diversified group of projects throughout our footprint.

Our attorneys provide a first contact for developing the right relationships and understanding the local and regulatory climate for your next proposed development.