Real Estate Manager

Elizabeth Parker Cowart

**** **** *********, #*** ******, Texas 75062

Cellular: 214-***-**** *********.******@*****.***

Senior Corporate/Real Estate Paralegal and Administrator

**/** – 04/09: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Dallas, Texas

Real Estate Closing Coordinator supporting Senior Partners in Real Estate section

Responsibilities included, but were not limited to, the following:

Reviewing title commitments, surveys, appraisals, zoning reports, leases, and property condition reports and

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environmental assessments.

Formation of new corporate entities, acquisition of EIN's, drafting of corporate resolutions and issuance

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of stock certificates, upkeep of minute books for numerous corporate entities in various jurisdictions, including

international entities; significant work with Partner in Corporate section.

Extensive contact with clients, title companies, outside counsel, local, county, and state authorities.

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Drafting and reviewing conveyance documents, loan documents, and closing instructions.

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Attending commercial real estate closings and reviewing closing documents, including closing settlement

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statements.

Reviewing and drafting lease amendments for renewals, relocations, subleases and expansions, in addition to

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contract and license review for properties included in acquisitions or dispositions.

Closed transactions with total values in excess of $1,500,000,000.00 since 09/07, inclusive of hospitality

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properties, resorts, an oil refinery, miscellaneous commercial real estate projects and the regeneration of three

electrical distribution plants which included maricultural production leases with a state authority.

02/05 – 06/07: Accor North America, Inc., Carrollton, Texas

Manager of Corporate Compliance

Responsible for the maintenance of corporate minute books and records for numerous corporate entities,

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requiring significant interaction with the staff located in the company’s headquarters located in Paris, France.

Drafted corporate formation documents, corporate resolutions, obtained EIN's, worked extensively with tax

department to maintain good standing status of numerous corporate entities.

Drafted corporate organizational documents including articles of incorporation, bylaws, limited partnership

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agreements, corporate resolutions, and prepared annual report filings.

Prepared all due diligence necessary for the sale of a 75% ownership interest of eight U.S. based Sofitel

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Hotels in a complex joint venture transaction with a value in excess of $625,000,000.00; included the indexing

and uploading of thousands of documents into a web-based data site. Significant interaction with a huge team

of outside counsel located across the United States. Required retrieval of most of the necessary

documentation from the individual hotel properties, including review of all leases, permits, agreements, and

contracts for current status and accomplishing any necessary updates thereto.

Protracted work with the City of Los Angeles surrounding the multi-million dollar remodeling of the Sofitel-Los

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Angeles, which included the addition of a French style spa and restaurant including a celebrity chef, and the

addition of a bar specifically constructed to attract the L.A. celebrity crowd.

Significant work on condemnation/eminent domain issues involving Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn properties.

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Responsible for obtaining new liquor licenses and maintaining existing liquor licenses for all hotels.

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07/03 – 02/05 Contract Paralegal and Administrator

Due to the death of my husband and mother-in-law during April, 2003, in addition to the long-term

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hospitalization of my mother during the same period, it was necessary for me to work as a contract paralegal

during this time frame. For almost one year of this time, I worked for Dean M. Fuller, Esq., a solo practitioner,

specializing in corporate litigation and financial restructuring.

09/98 – 06/03 FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated, Irving, Texas (NYSE REIT)

Senior Corporate/Real Estate Paralegal

Assisted the Vice President/Sr. Real Estate Counsel and the Vice President/Associate General Counsel

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handling mergers, acquisitions and dispositions; compiling and reviewing due diligence for numerous

transactions involving hospitality properties across the United States

Drafted Letters of Intent, Purchase and Sale Agreements inclusive of all exhibits, Franchise Agreements,

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Leases, Contracts, Permit Applications and renewals thereof, including liquor license applications.

Review of title commitments, surveys, leases, permits, contracts, agreements, and all documentation

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associated with the operation of full service hotel properties.

Independently responsible for the filing of Annual Reports and maintenance of good standing status for

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over 100 corporate entities qualified in excess of 300 jurisdictions. Extensive contact with state and local

authorities regarding corporate compliance.

Worked extensively with General Counsel and Tax Department in order to insure compliance with SEC

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regulations.

Assisted the Vice President/Manager of Special Real Estate Projects with condemnation actions affecting

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owned properties and/or the sale of underutilized parcels of land.

05/95 – 09/98 Law Offices of Dean M. Fuller, Ronald Z. Aland and J. Scott Chase – Dallas, Texas

Corporate/Real Estate/Business Litigation/Family Law/Intellectual Property Paralegal and Office Administrator

Assisted with the initial office location, lease negotiation, phone system, billing system, computer system, etc.,

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necessary for an office share wherein three solo practitioners with varied practices shared office space and

related expenses.

Provided legal secretarial and paralegal support primarily to Dean M. Fuller (Bankruptcy, Corporate Litigation

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practice), but assisted the other two attorneys as time allowed with the preparation of pleadings and legal

research.

Assisted with clients for all attorneys as necessary.

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12/89 – 05/95 Performance Automotive Parts and Accessories – Irving, Texas

Vice President

(See related information/experience below).

01/75 – 12/89 Sigman Superior Performance, Inc. – Dallas, Texas and Qualitex Manufacturing, Inc.

(Southwest’s Largest High Performance Parts and Specialty Automotive Equipment Wholesale Distributor/Large

specialty seat/chrome products manufacturing firm.) President

Began as Secretary to the President; immediately promoted to Credit Manager.

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Managed sales with 30 franchised van accessory retailers across the U.S.

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Inside telemarketing sales to automotive parts stores, dealerships, tire dealers, and automotive chain stores

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across the U.S. and Mexico.

Achieved record sales in a territory that had historically been towards the bottom in the local market.

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Negotiated the purchases of finished goods for resale and raw materials for manufacturing. Inventories

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averaged in excess of $4,000,000.00.

Negotiated leasehold improvements in excess of $100,000.00 for the addition of retail space to existing

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wholesale warehouse facility.

Appointed Vice President in 1985 when privately held company was purchased by Houston based investment

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group.

Appointed President in 1987.

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Negotiated sale of company in 1989 to large national warehouse chain.

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In response to my success in managing and operating these businesses, I was elected by national ballot to the

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Board of Directors of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (“SEMA”) and was the first woman to ever

be appointed to the Executive Committee of SEMA, a non-profit organization dedicated to the automotive

aftermarket.

REFERENCES FURNISHED UPON REQUEST.

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