SECTION UPDATE
Real Estate Section Update
By Charles H. Van Horn
Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.
T
he 2012-2013 Bar year is behind us. Our Section enjoyed
a remarkable year, and extends a sincere "thank you"
to our sponsors (Bennett Thrasher P.C., First American
Title Insurance Company and Bull Realty) for their support.
In addition, the Section’s accomplishments over the past
year would not have been possible without the contributions
of a large number of Section members, and especially the
contributions of our Board.
We kicked off the Bar year with a look at title issues and how
they affect real estate attorneys. Bill Dodson, one of the
most respected real estate attorneys in the State, provided
an informative and entertaining presentation.
In September, Buckhead’s representative in the General
Assembly, Ed Lindsey, spoke to our Section about legislative
developments that would impact our membership and a
general look of what was happening in the Capitol. As always,
Representative Lindsey’s presentation was well attended and
enormously informative for our group.
Our October program featured Jon Neville (Arnall Golden
Gregory) and Jennifer Gourley (Fuqua Development) who
spoke about franchising issues and how they impact real
estate transactions.
In November, the Section hosted Michael Bull (Bull Realty)
and A. Summey Orr, III (Hartman Simons), who gave a
riveting presentation, entitled "Broker and Attorney Influence
on Commercial Real Estate Transactions."
Paula Frederick, General Counsel for the State Bar of
Georgia, spoke to our Section in December. She addressed
timely issues facing real estate lawyers, including witness
only closings and other pressing items. Frederick's remarks
drew a spirited discussion about the Bar’s efforts to assist
our members.
In January, the Section moved its breakfasts for the Spring
term to Midtown, where Arnall Golden Gregory hosted the
second half of the breakfast slate. For our January breakfast
the membership was treated to a panel discussion by Ed
Schwartz, Robert Brawner and Alan Bressler, who spoke
about environmental issues and their impact on real estate
transactions. This primer on current environmental regulations
and their impact on real estate sales was well received.
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
June/July 2013
cvanhorn@bfvlaw.com
In February, Ricky Novak, a past chair of the Section, and
Trey Webb (Bennett Thrasher), gave a presentation on 1031
tax free exchanges and related issues. As the real estate
market shows signs of rebounding, this topic was quite timely.
In March, Barbara Lincoln (Kitchens Kelley Gaynes,
P.C.), Barbara Benson (Partners Certified Development
Corporation) and Craig Hall (Fidelity Bank) gave a
presentation on SBA Loan programs and how our membership
can utilize SBA facilities for their clients.
In April, the Real Estate Section joined forces with the
Litigation Section for a joint event. The joint event featured
Justice Keith Blackwell from the Georgia Supreme Court
who spoke on a variety of court and appellate issues, and in
particular those that would impact real estate practitioners.
The breakfast session was a sellout, and appeared to have
exceeded everyone’s expectations. The Section looks
forward to future joint events with Litigation.
In May, the final breakfast of the year, the Section returned to
the next chapter in its on-going presentation on retail leasing
issues. Its successful formula of a panel featuring Jon Neville
(Arnall Golden Gregory), Michael Bull (Bull Realty) and Ken
Clayman (Hartman Simons) gave a primer on the latest
issues parties face in retail leasing transactions in this current
environment. As always, the retail leasing session was well
received and extremely informative.
On June 21, 2013, Carter L. Stout of Stout & Hendrick will
receive the Member of Distinction Award. Carter’s many years
of dedicated service to the Section has been instrumental in
the Section’s success. Thank you Carter!
Finally, the Section continued its thriving pro-bono program
with the Fulton State Court System. We have completed our
second full year providing assistance to Landlords in Fulton
State Court Landlord-Tenant cases. The Section staffs a
desk in the courthouse one Friday morning each month and
assists Landlords with cases. A special thanks to Board
Member Cory Thompson for spearheading this valuable
program this past year.
The Section looks forward to an exciting 2013-2014 year
under the leadership of incoming Chair Michael Leavey
(Dorough & Dorough). Please come and join us at an event. ■
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association