biography

John focuses his practice on a variety of real estate and finance matters, with an emphasis on the representation of funds, investment banks and other institutional lenders and market participants in connection with commercial mortgage loan origination and servicing, securitization and other secondary market transactions. He has significant experience in all aspects of commercial real estate finance, including structuring and advising clients with respect to warehouse and repurchase facilities, preferred equity, mezzanine, subordinate and pari passu financings, as well as whole loan sales, participations, splits and syndications. He handles acquisitions and dispositions of distressed assets, including the representation of buyers and servicers in workouts and restructurings, foreclosures, discounted payoffs and REO sales. He has also represented lenders and borrowers in syndicated and non-syndicated credit facilities and other types of asset-backed financing transactions.

John is also experienced in representing REITs, private equity funds and other investors in the acquisition, disposition, financing and development of all types of commercial real estate. Additionally, h...

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  • Representative Transactions
    • Lead counsel to multiple securitized lenders, structuring and negotiating commercial mortgage loans secured by all asset classes and involving, among other things, leasehold and subleasehold financings, mezzanine and subordinate debt, preferred equity, bifurcated and multi-tranched notes and capital stacks, credit-tenant-lease transactions, tenant-in-common structures, hyperamortization features and fractured condominium regimes.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the origination of mortgage loans to repeat sponsor totaling $41,200,000, secured by two single tenant retail centers in Miami and Dania Beach, Florida.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lenders in the origination and securitization of mortgage loans to repeat sponsor totaling $45,000,000, secured by 491-unit multi-family complex in Miami and several multi-family complexes in Texas.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the $23,300,000 joint venture financing of eight industrial and office properties located in New York, involving, among other things, Industrial Development Agency leases, PILOT programs and PILOT mortgage.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the $35,000,000 refinancing of an anchored retail shopping center located in Pennsylvania and involving subordinate debt.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the refinancing of two self-storage properties located in Brooklyn, New York, totaling $31,500,000.
    • Represented CMBS lender in two affiliated mortgage loans totaling $47,750,000, secured by two office buildings located in Manhattan.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the refinancing of a GSA single tenant office building in Louisiana, totaling $36,000,000.
    • Represented investment bank in the origination and securitization of two companion mortgage and mezzanine financings, secured by multiple properties in Massachusetts.
    • Lead counsel to foreign bank in the origination and securitization of a $58,000,000 sub-leasehold mortgage loan structured as an IDOT and reverse 1031 exchange transaction, secured by a Class A office building located in Baltimore.
    • Lead counsel to investment bank in the origination and securitization of ground lease mortgage financing of flagged hotel and convention center located in Austin, Texas.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lenders in mortgage loans to repeat sponsor totaling approximately $53,000,000 and secured by various single and multi-tenant retail properties in Florida and Texas, involving, among other things, a fractured condominium regime.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in the refinancing of several multi-family complexes in Tennessee, totaling $65,000,000.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in multi-property self-storage portfolio loan, totaling $21,500,000.
    • Lead counsel to CMBS lender in multi-property, multi-state, retail portfolio loan in the amount of $19,800,000, involving, among other things, Industrial Development Agency leases and PILOT programs.
    • Representation of investment bank in the origination and subsequent securitization of two companion mortgage loans totaling $114,500,000 secured by two Class A office buildings and involving mezzanine debt totaling approximately $15,000,000.
    • Representation of national statistical rating agency in connection with its pre-securitization evaluation of commercial mortgage loans containing mezzanine debt, subordinate debt, preferred equity, A/B and pari passu features.
    • Lead counsel to securitized mortgage lender in the origination and securitization of a $37,000,000 financing of an industrial portfolio located in Charlotte, North Carolina, involving mezzanine debt.
    • Represented national bank in the $230,500,000 sale-leaseback financing of multiple franchised restaurants located in 22 states, and subsequent bifurcation of such financing into an A/B note structure.
    • Represented national bank in the $75,000,000 sale-leaseback financing of multiple franchised restaurants located across multiple states, and subsequent bifurcation of such financing into a pari passu note structure.
    • Representation of commercial mortgage loan originators in whole loan sales, splits, participations, securitizations and other secondary market transactions.
    • Representation of lenders and borrowers in warehouse and repurchase facilities.
    • Lead counsel to senior lender in the senior, subordinate and mezzanine financing of 16 franchised restaurants across multiple states.
    • Represented private fund in the acquisition, servicing and workout of distressed commercial mortgage loans.
    • Lead counsel to private fund in the mezzanine, subordinate debt and preferred equity financing of multiple properties located in multiple states.
    • Represented financial institution in the acquisition from the FDIC of the assets of multiple failed banks across the United States and the accompanying acquisition and sale of servicing and sub-servicing rights and participation interests.
    • Represented national bank in the $149,578,000 acquisition of a regional bank.
    • Lead counsel to private fund in the first and second lien financing of an industrial site in Alabama totaling $60,000,000, and the take out of the first lien financing through the private issuance of debt securities.
    • Represented mortgage and mezzanine borrower in the workout of two crossed securitized mortgage loans totaling $261,600,000 and accompanying mezzanine loans totaling $28,400,000, and the ultimate conveyance-in-lieu-of-foreclosure of the collateral securing such mortgage loans.
    • Represented public REIT in joint venture in connection with the $94,930,000 acquisition, financing and development of a Class A, “LEED”-certified, office building in Virginia.
    • Represented public REIT in the refinancing of a portfolio of 25 multi-family complexes in Texas.
    • Represented public hospitality REIT in multiple acquisitions and financings of first class hotels and resorts across the country.
    • Represented private equity fund in numerous acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio companies across the United States.

 

 

Dallas

Credentials

Admissions

Texas

Education

Southern Methodist University, 2001

University of Alabama, 1997

Prior Law Firm Experience

Andrews Kurth LLP (now Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP)

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Practice Areas