Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to
announce that Douglas A. Yeager and Jeffrey M. Smith have joined
the firm as partners in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use &
Environmental practice group in Houston. They were previously
partners at Winston & Strawn LLP.
Yeager and Smith follow several recent real estate hires across
the firm, including Southern California partners Rockard “Rocky”
Delgadillo, Lorie Soares Lazarus and Peter Ballance and Dallas
partners Michelle Brown, Andrew Bengtson, Ian Lange and Shane
Trawick.
Yeager has more than 30 years of experience representing owners,
investors, private equity funds, landlords, tenants and developers
in the acquisition, development, financing, leasing and disposition
of commercial real estate. His practice includes handling leases
(office, industrial, retail, build-to-suit, ground and
sale-leaseback), acquisitions and dispositions (including
multi-family and mixed-use), and financing (interim, construction
and permanent) for properties in Texas and around the country. He
has also worked extensively in the loan workout, distressed asset
and debt areas, including restructuring and bankruptcy transactions
and foreclosures. Yeager has been recognized as a leader in his
field by Chambers and Legal 500, among others. He is a Fellow in
the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, a Member of the
Houston Real Estate Lawyers Council and a Former Member of the
Governing Council of the Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law
Section, State Bar of Texas. He received his B.B.A., summa cum
laude, from Southern Methodist University and his J.D., cum laude,
Order of the Coif, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School
of Law, where he was Notes and Comments Editor of the SMU Law
Review.
Smith has more than 20 years of experience with a national
practice representing developers, private equity funds, net lease
providers, family offices, investors, large corporations, landlords
and tenants in complex commercial real estate transactions related
to the acquisition, development and disposition of industrial,
multi-family, office, retail and hospitality properties. He has
significant experience in sale-leaseback transactions across a
multitude of industries and property types. He regularly handles
joint ventures for acquisitions, dispositions and financings across
multiple asset classes, including single-family build-to-rent
communities. He has also worked extensively on the acquisition and
disposition of distressed loan portfolios as well as loan workouts,
foreclosures and receiverships. Smith earned his B.A., magna cum
laude, from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D., summa cum
laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College
of Law, where he served as Symposium Editor for the University of
Illinois Law Review.
“We are excited to continue our growth in Houston with Doug and
Jeff," said Luca Salvi, chair of Sheppard Mullin. “They have a
dynamic national real estate practice, as well as deep ties in
Houston that will allow us to serve our clients’ needs in a key
growth market.”
Sheppard Mullin Real Estate, Energy, Land Use &
Environmental practice group co-leader Michael Leake added, “As the
economic market in Texas continues to expand, so does our need for
deeply experienced attorneys like Doug and Jeff who can navigate
clients through the complexities of their real estate-related
transactions. We are thrilled to welcome them to our team.”
“Jeff and I are thrilled to join Sheppard Mullin and its
top-notch real estate practice and full-service capabilities,”
Yeager said. “It’s important for us to work with a team of
excellent lawyers whose depth of experience and client-first
approach will allow our clients to accomplish their goals, not only
in Texas but also throughout the country.”
About Sheppard Mullin’s Real Estate, Energy, Land Use &
Environmental Practice Group
With more than 120 attorneys, Sheppard Mullin has one of the
largest, most diverse and experienced real estate, energy, land use
and environmental practices of any AmLaw 100 firm. We represent
builders, developers, investors, lenders, owners, retailers, major
landowners, nonprofits and local agencies in key markets in the
United States and internationally. We leverage the breadth of our
experience, industry connections and market knowledge to deliver
full-service counsel and holistic solutions to meet our clients’
needs. Our attorneys work as a seamless team with a single goal –
to help clients create value in an ever-changing environment.
About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sheppard Mullin is a full-service AmLaw 50 firm with more than
1,000 attorneys in 16 offices located in the United States, Europe
and Asia. Since 1927, industry-leading companies have turned to
Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters,
high-stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the
U.S., the firm's clients include nearly half of the Fortune 100.
For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.
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JILL SCHACHNER (312) 499-0558
jschachner@sheppardmullin.com