ATLANTA (October 4, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that firm client, CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT), has agreed to purchase 18,063 acres of prime Oregon timberlands, known as the Brandon Property, from Forest Investment Associates (FIA) for $88.8 million. Separately, CatchMark has agreed to sell 56,000 acres of timberlands in East Texas and western Louisiana of the Southwest Region to FIA for $78.5 million. Advising CatchMark on the transaction is an SGR legal team led by Atlanta Real Estate Practice Section Head Mark Pottorff, and Atlanta Real Estate’s Sharon Duvall, Partner and… Read more

ATLANTA (September 26, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce the firm served as legal counsel to Bessemer Trust in connection with its approximately 237,000-square-foot office lease in 1271 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. The deal is one of New York City’s largest new office leases of 2018. Bessemer Trust completed an extensive search within New York City before finalizing plans to move its current headquarters within a city block on the other side of Rockefeller Center to 1271 Avenue of the Americas. One of the world’s largest advisors of high-net-worth clients, Bessemer… Read more

ATLANTA (September 10, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that U.K. attorney, Jonathan Russell has been selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition of Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) Guide, the publication’s first specifically aimed at the international private wealth market. Mr. Russell has been recognized for his work in the Private Aircraft – Global-wide practice area. Based in the firm’s London office, Jonathan Russell is a Senior Associate in SGR’s Global Transport Practice. He is a UK qualified transaction lawyer specializing in the sale, purchase, financing, ownership, and operation of corporate and private… Read more

ATLANTA (September 6, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce the firm served as legal counsel to Big V Acquisitions, a subsidiary of Big V Property Group, in two of its recent shopping center acquisitions. The New York-based investment management company acquired Willow Oak Plaza in Waynesboro, Virginia and Belvedere Plaza in Anderson, South Carolina. The two recent acquisitions bring Big V’s portfolio to 40 neighborhood and community shopping centers, totaling more than 4.4 million square feet in New York state and throughout the Southeast U.S. Willow Oak Plaza is a 163,000-square-foot shopping center located… Read more

ATLANTA (August 20, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce its partnership with Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) for the 2018-2019 school year. This is the fourth year SGR has served as a Job Partner with the five-year-old program which helps students envision a future that includes a college degree and a successful professional career and equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to realize that vision. Through the innovative CWSP, students work five full days a month at top local businesses, called Job Partners, in a job… Read more

ATLANTA (August 15, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce the firm served as legal counsel to GigaMonster, one of the nation’s leading fiber-based broadband companies, in its merger with Fibersphere Communications, along with a $45 million investment with Post Road Group. Both transactions closed on June 1, 2018. Since its formation in 2015, Georgia-based GigaMonster has grown its footprint more than six-fold reaching more than 25 markets nationwide in the multifamily internet provider industry. The $45 million capital investment with Post Road Group provides GigaMonster the financial capability to continue its growth organically and… Read more

ATLANTA (August 15, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce the firm’s three attorneys who were recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©, the leading peer-review-based directory of legal practitioners, as 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas: Dana G. Bradford II was named the Best Lawyers® Litigation-Insurance 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in Jacksonville. Leah Ward Sears was named the Best Lawyers® Appellate Practice 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta. Kathryn M. Zickert was named the Best Lawyers® Litigation-Land Use and Zoning 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in Atlanta. Only… Read more