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Bio
Ron Gart, Partner, Real Estate Law, Seyfarth
Commercial real estate transactions have become increasingly complex and fast-paced—so much so that counsel must be simultaneously proactive and reactive to the business and legal concerns that arise. Ron and his team understand the priorities of clients in connection with these transactions, and address those priorities quickly, thoroughly, and to the satisfaction of his clients.
Having practiced for more than 40 years representing owners, operators, lenders, tenants, developers, and investors, Ron has gained the perspectives of most of the parties to a transaction. He uses those perspectives to the advantage of his clients in order to achieve the clients’ goals and objectives. Clients appreciate that Ron understands their business, and his advice on how to achieve those objectives efficiently and successfully.
Ron has represented clients in real estate development, finance, lending, asset management, asset purchase and sales, commercial leasing, mixed-use development, and planned communities, including condominium ownership.
As counsel to commercial banks, thrift institutions, and the former Resolution Trust Corporation, Ron has represented lenders in loan originations, including construction and term loans, mezzanine and conduit financings, and loan workouts, restructurings, and foreclosures, some of which have involved complex litigation and bankruptcy issues. Projects for which his clients have made secured loans include student housing, hotels, multifamily, mixed-use, office, and retail developments; several projects have involved unsubordinated ground leases.
Ron seeks collegiality in his interactions with clients and adverse parties, including counsel, with the expectation that this approach will result in a more efficient execution of these complex transactions.
Ron enjoys being part of a collaborative and cohesive firm, with attorneys and staff who work together to provide value. The team members he has worked with over the years have enthusiastically provided assistance, a quality he has come to expect from Seyfarth colleagues.
Education
- JD, The George Washington University School of Law
Cum laude - BA, The George Washington University
Degree with distinction
Phi Beta Kappa
Show Notes
- Head of Real Estate Group in DC and Leadership Team of entire firm around the country (7:30)
- 125 lawyers with real estate practices in the country (8:00)
Origins & Education
- Grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY and adjacent Arlington, NY where his Dad was a salesman in a jewelry store (9:00)
- Walked to everything (IBM & Vassar College)
- Moved to Montgomery County, MD in 1968 and attended Kennedy HS in Silver Spring, MD (10:30)
- Baseball coach at Kennedy H.S. referred him to George Washington University (12:10)
- Attended George Washington University (12:30)
- Wanted to be a lawyer as early as 4th grade (sent away for a Highlights magazine pamphlet about law) (13:40)
- Studied Political Science and Speech- wanted to be a litigator eventually
- Also attended George Washington Law School (15:50)
- Lived nearby while in both undergraduate and law school
- Married in law school and decided to stay in the DC area
- While in law school he was a paralegal for a small law firm in real estate law
- Internships and clerkships involved in both litigation and real estate law
Career
- Offered a job with Wilkes Artis and worked with Bob Gorham there (19:50)
- Worked on litigation and real estate finance and didn’t fit in there over time (21:10)
- Interviewed with Shaw Pittman and John Engel there referred him to Colton & Boykin law firm (22:15)
- Was hired by Peter Segal of Colton & Boykin– He was the 10th attorney in the firm (23:00)
- Was intending to be a real estate transactional attorney
- Firm closed in 1993
- He and Peter joined Miles & Stockbridge firm (25:00)
- Ron was offered an opportunity with Holland & Knight with Dick Dunnells
- Decided to join Powell Goldstein instead in 1995 (25:30)
- Powell Goldstein (27:15)
- Team oriented with Peter Segal there and other attorneys in practice
- They were the sole RE practitioners in the DC office
- Opportunity to grow a practice
- Team oriented with Peter Segal there and other attorneys in practice
- How many counsels on a deal or matter? (30:45)
- Christa Dommers and Adam Walsh were his associates who would take on the initial efforts on transactions where he would add guidance (33:20)
- Today, when a matter comes in he asks an associate to take the first stab at the drafting and he would review (34:00)
- Expects his junior associates to review his work as much as he would review their work (34:50)
- Generalists vs. Specialists- his generation was more general in their practice and have a broader perspective; however, the industry has become more specialized (37:30)
- He refers clients to other firms, if necessary, when he isn’t an expert on an issue, like land use (40:10)
- He also refers clients within his firm from attorneys around the country (41:15)
Significant Transactions
- First “big deal”- DRG Ventures was client on project at the intersection of 28th St. NW and M St. NW while he was at Wilkes Artis (43:55)
- Complicated land condominium regime
- Construction loan
- He was in charge of the deal in 1984 as a fourth year associate
- Dan Karchem (his HS classmate) had the building at 9th St. NW and F St. NW under contract and he hired Ron to do all of the legal work (48:40)
- Gallup became lead tenant
- He integrated several legal aspects on this transaction
- 1717 Rhode Island Ave. NW– Karchem negotiated a ground lease with the Catholic Church to redevelop the project in partnership with Bentall Kennedy (David Antonelli) (51:10)
- All skills brought to bear and was able to gain Bentall Green Oak as a result of this relationship (53:00)
- City Center Project– He represented the DC government in negotiating with Hines, who was the developer of the project (53:30)
- Created “theoretical lots” internally- three tiered ground leases within the development regime to retain land ownership with DC (55:00)
- Complicated negotiation
- 9.4 acre site
- From 1986 to 1990 he was representing Perpetual Savings Bank for joint venture work at that time (Tom Farasy) while at Colton and Boykin (57:30)
- Losses had to be realized when the market changed dramatically
- RTC takes over Perpetual (59:45)
- Powell Goldstein represented RTC and eventually hired him (1:00:00)
- He then worked on behalf of the RTC
- CIG referred him to partners for acquisition of the Xerox site at Landsdowne in Loudoun County (John Abbett) (1:02:00)
- His client, two physicians, made a tragic mistake and couldn’t perform and had to file bankruptcy
- Worked on Leisure World site with Giuseppe Cecchi
- Powell Goldstein
- 50/50 developer and lender work
Seyfarth
- Decided to leave to join Seyfarth along with Christa Dommers and Adam Walsh in 2008 (1:06:00)
- Scale isn’t as important as matching up with clients’ goals (1:07:00)
- Seyfarth known as labor and employment firm- conflicts are common as a result…but usually no real “conflict” due to not waiving it due to issues (1:08:10)
Philosophy & Market Issues
- Successful transactional counsels will often offer “business” advice that coordinates with legal aspects with enough understanding (1:11:00)
- He wouldn’t go “in house” as an attorney because he wouldn’t want a “boss” (1:12:20)
- Clients are different than having a corporate boss internally (1:14:00)
- What makes a strong transactional attorney?
- Good judgement and common sense (1:15:30)
- Good communicator and listener
- Make a quick decision- unequivocal- a “quick study”
- Deadline to getting the deal done
- Deliver product with integrity and judgement done quickly (1:19:00)
- Negotiations with a sense of humor (1:19:45)
- Disarm people with humor to convince people to “like him” to get people to work with him both on the team and across the table (1:20:30)
- Good relationship with opposing counsel except NY attorneys (1:21:20)
- Challenges in real estate law (1:22:50)
- Hiring today is difficult- very competitive (1:23:00)
- Life balance has now become more important (1:24:15)
- Project based fee structure vs. hourly fee basis- difficult to make it profitable other than the hourly basis (1:26:45)
- Finding self motivated individuals (1:29:00)
- Choice of clients- Needs to like his clients or get along with them or he won’t represent them (1:30:00)
- Mentorship
- Advice to mentees- Think what is best for you and what benefits you…don’t try to do something on behalf of the firm only (1:32:00)
- Learn how to network and listen (1:33:00)
- Law firms need for office space
- Real estate office market in trouble (1:34:45)
- Downsizing of space in law firms (1:35:00)
- Attorneys can be productive at home and generates the hours and her clients like them (1:36:00)
- Mentorship is a problem; however, without people being in the office (1:36:50)
- Indirect influence is important
- A first year associate cannot learn without being in the office (1:38:00)
- Conversion to multifamily is challenging (1:38:45)
- His firm renewed recently for ten years with little reduction in space (1:40:00)
- US Government coming back will have a big impact in the DC office environment (1:42:20)
- Relationships
- Discusses his relationship with his partner, Christa, being important to manage (1:43:45)
- Maneuver around situations to maintain (1:44:30)
- Learning experiences
- He works as a clerk for a meticulous attorney as a first year law student and a memo was “torn apart” and he learned (1:45:00)
- Worked with Robert Falb on several matters and learning from him yet did not join his firm- has significant respect for him (1:46:30)
- Dave Osnos– he learned about “explaining” issues (1:48:45)
- Understand the other side and where they are going to help get there together (1:49:55)
- Networking
- DCBIA article about ADA legislation gave him more visibility (1:53:00)
- Now not doing client promotion to make a better presentation to the community and make the community better (1:53:30)
- Tells associates to find someone in the community that’s older than someone to become a mentor (1:54:20)
- Being a mentor is his passion (1:54:45)
- Surprised by his client’s behavior on a project in Indianapolis and was uncomfortable (1:56:20)
- His integrity was violated (1:57:00)
- ESG is now embedded in clients’ DNA now (2:00:00)
- Life priorities
- More balance yet work drives him (2:01:00)
- Family is more important now than in the past (2:01:20)
- Only takes on pro bono work where he brings expertise (2:02:00)
- Advice to 25 yr. old self- Put your nose to the grindstone and network (2:03:00)
- Being a professional with an expertise to provide input at “senior levels” (2:03:30)
- Enjoyed the practice of law (2:04:15)
- Billboard statement- “People are just people“(2:05:00)
Postscript
- Colin Madden’s perspective
- Generalist vs. Expert
- Multidisciplinary Approach to real estate
- Generalist to manage a team of specialists
- Work/Life Balance
- Gen Z issues
- Uncertainty about what is right regarding work/life balance
- He was fully remote and found it productive, but now feels that he is picking up things he wouldn’t have by not being in the office
- Tangential experience
- Need exposure to being present with more senior people
- Sophisticated real estate projects need a team of disparate professionals to manage and preferably in person
- Automation of law and AI- Legalzoom
- GPT3
- Dall-E
- People are just people concept- Sapiens
- Generalist vs. Expert
