Commercial Real Estate and Development Attorney

Michael H. Ward, Esq., CPA

The Law Office of Michael H. Ward, Esq.

**** ******* ***, *.*., Suite A

Atlanta, Georgia 30318

T+ 404-***-****

Email: *****@**********.*********:**********@*****.***

SENIOR REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT COUNSEL

With 24 years of accomplished and integrated legal, business and transactional experience spanning all real estate market segments on behalf of public entities, and small to mid-cap to Fortune 100 corporations.

Consistently recognized for legal competence, business acumen, and solutions-driven/results-oriented performance, along with unique and effective problem solving abilities. Excellent leadership, communication and collaborative skills, having achieved top national and local rankings and recognition – at the individual and group levels - for outstanding performance.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Ward’s practice spans the gamut of commercial real estate transactions, including property acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, licensing, construction, development, lease-purchase transactions and financing, principally serving in a lead counsel role in each area. Principal representations include those of developers, contractors, lenders, equity providers, franchisees, public entities and other stakeholders on a wide range of single and multi-purpose/mixed-use projects. In each engagement, Mr. Ward serves principally as lead counsel on all matters pertaining to the each segment of the client's involvement, including (among others) corporate (JV/owner and affiliate entity creation), land acquisition/site control, entitlements, financing (construction and permanent, single and portfolio loan origination, purchase, refinancing and restructuring transactions), construction, development, and other related matters.

Representative industries include hospitality (full and limited service hotels), commercial office, retail, warehousing, residential (including for sale and rental, market and affordable, multifamily

and single-family housing), education, and public sector. Representative projects within these industries have included:

Full and limited service hotel development (including. e.g., lead counsel to co-developer on 750-room, 4 star, branded hotel project)

Acquisition and/or repurposing of public and private properties for public educational and private uses (including, e.g. serving as lead counsel to State acquisition and repurposing of large, federally-owned military installation for use as a college medical campus; serving as bond and owner's counsel on acquisition and financing of historic civil rights museum and institute)

Acquisition, financing and redevelopment of large, subsidized multifamily housing projects (including, e.g., serving as lead owner's counsel on a series of multifamily affordable housing project acquisitions and developments, utilizing a combination of tax-exempt bond, low income housing tax credit, HUD Section 8, conventional debt and equity financing).

Combined with his general corporate, public accounting, auditing (independent and internal), tax and transactional experience, Mr. Ward brings a unique blend of talents, knowledge, problem solving, closing abilities and overall guidance and direction to each real estate and transactional engagement.

Mr. Ward's background also includes owning and managing his own private law firm, The Ward Law Group, LLC, representing clients on a full range of commercial real estate, corporate and multi-layered commercial financing transactions, and serving as Corporate Secretary and General Counsel of H. J. Russell & Company, the nation's largest African American-owned construction and real estate firm, where he was responsible for handling, directing and overseeing all corporate legal matters for the company, including the negotiation and contracting for a wide range of construction and real estate development projects spanning the country, with total construction and development costs exceeding $6 billion.

Areas of Concentration:

-Commercial Real Estate ("CRE")

Acquisitions

Construction

Development

Financing

Leasing

Site control

-Public Entity Representation in CRE-related matters

- Subsidized CRE Projects

- CRE aspects of public/private partnerships

Bar Admissions:

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama

State Bar of Georgia

Alabama State Bar

Education & Credentials:

Juris Doctorate

University of Texas School of Law (1990)

Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting

University of Texas at Austin (1981)

Certified Public Accountant – Texas (1986), Alabama (1991)

Professional & Community Involvement/Memberships (Current and Former):

Advisory Board Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta

Atlanta Bar Association – Board Member (2004-2005); Corporate Counsel Section Chair (2003-

2004); Construction Law Section Board (2000-2004)

Member, American Bar Association

Member, State Bar of Georgia

Member, Alabama State Bar (Task Force on Minority Participation and Opportunity, 1990-1991)

Atlanta Bar Association

Rotary Club of Atlanta

Cascade United Methodist Church (Trustee – 2005/2007, Development Task Force member,

Building Committee member (subcommittee chair), Expansion Assessment Task (Chair)

Former Memberships:

Gate City Bar Association (Member, Scholarship Committee, 2001-2002)

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Institute of Internal Auditors

National Association of Bond Lawyers

National Association of Securities Professionals

Texas Society of CPAs

Awards & Recognition:

Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, "Top Tier" Firm in Real Estate, 2013

Listed, Chambers USA Guide, 2012-2013

Listed, Georgia Trend magazine, "Legal Elite," 2010 and 2012-2013

Team Member, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2010 and 2013

Team Member, a Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2011 and 2012

Listed, America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals, 2003-2004

Listed, Madison's Who's Who, June 2003 and August 2004

Other Experience:

Internal Audit Specialist with National Insurance Company

Public Accounting (audit focus) with "Big 6" CPA firm

Articles, Lectures & Publications:

Articles

Featured, GC South magazine, June 2003 and August 2004

Author, "Winning My Business," GC South magazine, June 2003

Lectures

Presenter/speaker, "Current Commercial Real Estate Legal Issues", Commercial Real Estate

Show, April 11, 2013

Presenter/Panelist, "Choosing Your Personal Board of Directors", Professional Development

Seminar Series, National Back MBA Association, Atlanta Chapter, February, 2014

Panelist, "The Role and Responsibilities of In-House vs. Outside Counsel," American Bar

Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, 2004

Co-Presenter (with GA Gov., Roy Barnes), "Pro Bono Opportunities for Transactional Lawyers,"

Georgia Bar Association and Atlanta Bar Association CLE Seminar, 2004

Author and Speaker, "Complex Construction Financing," Atlanta Bar Association, Construction

Law Section Meeting, 2003

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