A specialty of Sam’s is multi-family. Over the years Sam has represented apartment and condominium developers from beginning to end, starting with undeveloped land and preparing and/or negotiating reciprocal easement agreements (REA’s), condominium declarations and development agreements, as well as loan documents with national lending institutions. Sam currently represents two multi-state entities based outside of Georgia that have acquired several existing apartment developments during the market downturn, and also currently represents a local ownership entity selling apartment projects in the metropolitan Atlanta market.

Sam prepares, evaluates and negotiates leases for office, retail and warehouse/service/industrial facilities. The documentation process involves everything from leases in multi-tenant office buildings and shopping centers, to ground leases for build-to-suit facilities.

Sam’s commercial finance practice involves the representation of developers and owners as well as commercial banks and financial institutions. This area of practice includes the drafting and negotiation of loan commitments, pre-closing documents and loan securitization instruments, as well as the coordination of the loan closing process. Sam’s lending practice also includes loan workouts, foreclosures and disposition of distressed properties.

Previous experience includes practicing law with some of America’s largest national law firms, namely Alston & Bird, LLP based in Atlanta and McGuire Woods LLP based in Virginia.

Sam is a member of the Georgia Bar Association and an active member of The Real Estate Group of Atlanta (REGA). He is a co-leader of the Atlanta Real Estate Prayer Breakfast, one of Atlanta’s commercial real estate industry’s largest annual events.

Sam frequently chairs and speaks at numerous legal seminars, including:

• Speaker, ICLE Seminar, February 2013. Author: “Guaranties: Make Them Worth More Than the Paper They’re Written On.”
• Speaker, ICLE Seminar, December 2012. Author “Commercial Leasing 2013: We Survived the Attack but are Still Fighting Back!”
• Co-Chair and Speaker, Understanding Commercial Real Estate Loan Workouts & Remedies in the New FDIC Era”, Community Bankers Association of Georgia, July 2010. Author: “First Line of Defense: Prudent Loan Workouts and FDIC Policy”
• Speaker, Who’s On the Line? With Banks Living in Perilous Times, Do You Really Know Your Borrowers and Guarantors?, October 2010.
• Speaker, Landlord Tenant Law, April 2009. Author: “Leasing Up in a Down Economy: You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
• Co-Chair, Moderator and Speaker, Commercial Leasing for Business and Legal Professionals, January, 2005. Author: “Rental Abatement and Other Financial Opportunities: Be Creative!”
• Co-Chair, Moderator and Speaker, Commercial Leases, CLE International Seminar, February 2004. Author: “Buyer Beware: Evaluating Lease Issues Before Purchasing Income-Producing Property.”
• Speaker, Commercial Leases: Practical Advice for Today’s Market, CLE International Seminar, February 2003. Author: “Expanding Onward and Upward: A Practical Guide for Navigating your Way Through Lease Expansion Opportunities.”
• Speaker, Commercial Leases: Remedies, Enforcement and Answers for the New Economy, CLE International Seminar, January 2002. Author: “Negotiating Effective Leasing Commission Agreements.”
• Speaker, Landlord-Tenant Law, ICLE Seminar, December 2001. Author: “Landlords, Don’t Let Your Usufructs Grow Up to be Leases.”
• Chair, Moderator and Speaker: Commercial Leasing 2001 for Business and Legal Professionals, September 2001. Author: “Brokerage Agreements: Breaking Down the Key Elements of a Leasing Commission Agreement.”
• Chair, Moderator and Speaker: Commercial Leasing 2000 for Business and Legal Professionals, May 2000. Author: “The Landlord is Not the Only One Calling the Shots: The Important Role of Lenders in Commercial Leases.”