Biography

I joined the firm in 1997 in the Business Group. My practice has been primarily devoted to transactional law, commercial transactions, general corporate representation and commercial real estate law. My transactional practice includes mergers and acquisitions, asset and stock purchase and sale transactions, private equity investments, formation of business entities, restructuring, capital formation, contracts and similar agreements and general corporate matters. My real estate practice includes the financing, acquisition, development and disposition of commercial real estate, with an emphasis on hospitality and commercial office and retail. I place the utmost emphasis on providing clients with the highest quality of service in an efficient and effective manner.

Representative Matters

• Represented Valley Baptist Health System in connection with a joint venture transaction with Vanguard Health System.
• Represented a hotel operating company in connection with the formation of a $100 million private equity joint venture for acquisitions in western Europe and continued representation in connection with acquisition, disposition and financing of hotels throughout Europe.
• Represented South Texas Bolt & Fitting, Inc. in connection with the sale of the business to Lamons Gasket Company, a subsidiary of Tri-Mas Corporation, a NASDAQ traded company.
• Represented the owner and operator of emergency stand-along hospital rooms in connection with the lease construction financing facility of up to $30 million from a nationally recognized REIT.
• Represented the Bryan, Texas-based Freebirds, L.P. in connection with capital formation, expansion of Freebirds World Burritos concept throughout Texas as well as the sale of the company to Tavistock Group.

Education

• JD, South Texas College of Law
• BA, University of Texas

Affiliations

• Houston Bar Association
• Texas Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Association for Corporate Growth

Community

• Tony's Prostate Cancer Research Foundation
• Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association (Soccer Coach)
• SIRE Therapeutic Equestrian Centers
• Boy Scouts of America — Cub Scout Den Leader

Representative Matters

• Represented Valley Baptist Health System in the acquisition of a 312-bed acute care hospital bought from Tenet Healthcare Corporation. 
• Represented a Texas-based hospital system in acquisitions, dispositions, financing of real estate, formation of joint ventures for imaging centers, cardiac catheterization labs and ambulatory surgery centers and acquisitions and dispositions of health care-related businesses.
• Represented the owner of a portfolio of buildings in connection with loan workout discussions with a national lender.
• Represented a group of real estate investors in connection with the formation of a joint venture to acquire a distressed small property in San Antonio, Texas.
• Represented a group of investors in connection with the formation of a joint venture fund to acquire distressed retail properties and the debt associated therewith.
• Represented a building owner in connection with the refinancing and discounted payoff of a securitized loan.
• Represented California investors acquiring and disposing of over six million square feet of Class A and B office buildings in Houston and Dallas.
• Sale of a company valued at $50 million involved in the distribution of marine boating parts, products and accessories into large, publicly traded marine parts manufacturing and distribution company.
• Represented a Texas-based restaurant company in connection with the sale of assets to national restaurant operators.
• Ongoing representation of several restaurant and hospitality groups based in Houston and surrounding areas.
• Represented Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group, LLC, a Houston, Texas-based, multi-concept restaurant company, in connection with corporate and real estate matters, growth strategies, capital formation and operations.

Publications

Owner Can Ease Transition Pain by Signing a Buy-Sell Agreement
Houston Business Journal
May 31, 2002

What's the difference between a preferential right and a right of first refusal, and why should the landlord or tenant care?
Houston Business Journal
May 18, 2001

Presentations

Purchase and Sale of Income-Producing Properties
University of Houston Law Center, Advanced Real Estate Short Course
October 1999

Awards and Recognitions

• Selected for inclusion as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Martindale Hubbell — AV Peer Rated

Alerts

Texas Recognizes New Entity: Series Limited Liability Company
by Stephen Johnson
October 30, 2009

As of September 1, 2009, Texas recognizes a new entity called a "series limited liability company." This is a special form of limited liability company (LLC), originally permitted in Delaware, that allows owners to compartmentalize or isolate certain assets and related liabilities within the same limited liability company.

Here's how it works: Instead of forming a parent limited liability company as a holding company with subsidiary LLC's, or forming several sister LLC's, one can now form a limited liability company with designated series or cells. Each series or cell would own distinct assets and incur liabilities separate from other series within the LLC. As long as certain formalities are followed, the assets of each series are protected from the liabilities of any other series within the series LLC. In other words, the liabilities of a series are enforceable only against assets within that series and not against the LLC generally. This reduces the costs and administrative burdens of maintaining several separate LLC entities.

Press Releases

May 11, 2011

March 17, 2010