Dentons Strengthens Hotel Sector Capabilities with Addition of Three Leading Transactional Lawyers

Dentons Strengthens Hotel Sector Capabilities with Addition of Three Leading Transactional Lawyers

Dentons has recently welcomed partners Adam Docks, Lindsay Jewell, and Jordan McCarthy to its Global Hotels and Leisure Practice.

Docks and McCarthy will be joining the Chicago office, while Jewell is to be stationed in Phoenix. This group of highly skilled lawyers specialising in hospitality transactions brings extensive expertise in supporting clients with various aspects such as acquiring and selling properties, developing projects, securing financing, restructuring investments, and establishing lodging and leisure-focused ventures and enterprises.

With his prior experience as co-chair of the hospitality industry group at his previous firm, Docks brings a wealth of expertise in a broad range of areas. He has a proven track record of representing highly active and innovative private equity funds, sponsors, and family offices in various transactions within the hotel and leisure industry. Docks has worked closely with renowned hotel owners and developers, gaining comprehensive knowledge across the entire spectrum of hotel asset classes.

His proficiency also extends to handling distressed hotel investments, regularly providing counsel to commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) special servicers, as well as opportunistic originators or acquirers of debt, in matters concerning the origination, servicing, workout, and restructuring of hotel loans.

Additionally, Docks' practice extends beyond traditional hotel assets to encompass other distinctive real estate asset classes, such as concert venues, theatres, golf courses, social clubs, branded residential projects, and student housing projects.

Jewell specialises in local, multistate, and portfolio real estate transactions and has substantial experience in the hospitality industry. This encompasses matters involving acquisitions, dispositions, ground leasing, hotel and construction finance, as well as real estate investment trust structuring, joint ventures, and development and asset management.

Jewell advices clients on matters such as drafting and negotiating hotel and brand management agreements, franchise agreements and other hospitality project-related agreements. She has also worked widely on various aspects of CMBS and specially serviced commercial real estate loans.

McCarthy, a real estate transaction lawyer, has extensive experience in acquisitions, dispositions, hotel finance, REIT structuring, joint ventures, franchise and hotel management agreements. Her background in bankruptcy and creditors' rights gives her a unique perspective that she brings to her practice, helping clients to structure or evaluate transactions in a way that protects their interests. She also has experience prosecuting claims for breach of guarantees and negotiating non-judicial workouts and resolutions, including deeds instead of foreclosure, discounted payoffs, and loan modifications.

“Adam, Lindsay and Jordan underscore our commitment to investing in top-tier talent and building on strategic practices to position our Firm for the future,” Sonia Martin, Dentons US CEO, said while welcoming the new “dynamic team” to Dentons.

“We are thrilled to welcome Adam, Lindsay and Jordan to our outstanding team of lawyers in the Hotels and Leisure practice," said Rick Ross, global chair of the Hotels and Leisure practice.

"Their extensive experience and profound commitment to being problem solvers for their clients align seamlessly with our commitment to providing best-in-class value-added service to clients in the hotel and leisure sector. Our Firm’s practice in this industry has consistently been recognised as one of the world's best, and we are strengthened by their addition. We are confident that they will enhance our ability to serve our clients in the hotel and real estate sectors. Most importantly, they are a perfect culture fit for our team and our Firm. Our clients will enjoy that, as will we," Ross added.