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J. Kearney Shanahan
Education
Graduate of Princeton University and Georgetown University Law School.
Prior Firms
Prior to joining the firm, practiced with a large law firm (Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur) with six offices. He was a member of three practice groups within the firm, Corporate Practice Group, Financial Institutions Practice Group, and Real Estate Practice Group. Had offices in three of the firm’s offices – Washington, D.C., Columbus, and Cleveland from which he served the needs of the firm’s clients. Prior to joining that firm, he practiced with a medium sized firm (Burke, Haber, & Berick) for which, at various times, he served as one of the Managing Partners, chair of the Corporate Practice Group, and chair of the Real Estate Practice Group.
Corporate Practice
The corporate, real estate, and general legal needs of a variety of businesses, organizations and institutions, both for profit and not for profit, around the United States and abroad have asked for his counsel. Within the corporate, financial institution, and real estate community, he has served a number of operating businesses of all kinds and types; institutional, entrepreneurial, and corporate holders of real estate; underwriters; venture capitalists; lenders; issuers; broker-dealers; governmental agencies; etc. As a counselor to a number of businesses, organizations and institutions, he is regularly asked to assist them and their ownership or membership in various operating and strategic decisions.
Real Estate Practice
The real estate legal needs of a variety of corporations, businesses, institutions, entrepreneurs, developers, joint ventures, lenders, governmental agencies, underwriters, community and city development corporations, commercial and industrial real estate brokerage firms, and individuals have been served.
Real estate engagements have included the representation of developers, multiple site buyers or sellers, owners, tenants, lenders, investors, joint venturers, landlords, receivers, and trustees with respect to a wide spectrum of types of real estate, including office buildings in the central business district, suburbs, or office parks; shopping centers, whether strip, neighborhood, regional, etc.; hospitality properties; raw land; ground leaseholds; industrial, whether light warehouse or heavy; and apartments, whether urban, suburban, or rural, whether high rise or garden.
Not For Profit Organizations Practice
Not for profit organizations within the Firm’s communities have sought the firm’s and his counsel on a broad variety of issues facing those organizations, including joint ventures, consolidations, compliance with selected federal and state laws and regulations, tax, employment law, governance, contracts, real estate, financing, intellectual property and litigation.
Professional Involvements
Within the legal community, has served a number of leadership positions, including Chair of the Corporate, Banking and Business Law Section of one of his Bar Associations, Chair of the annual Institute put on by the Corporate, Banking and Business Law Section of that Bar Association, and member of the Executive Committee of the Securities Section of one of his Bar Associations. Bar Association memberships and Sections of those Associations of which he is or has been a member include the American Bar Association – Sections on Business Law, Real Property, Probate and Trust, and on Taxation; Ohio State Bar Association – Sections on Antitrust Law, Corporate Counsel, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, Intellectual Property Law, Labor and Employment Law, Litigation, and Real Property Law; Cleveland Bar Association – Sections on Corporate Law, Banking and Business Law, Real Estate Law, and Securities; District of Columbia Bar – Sections on Corporation, Finance and Securities Law, Labor and Employment Law, Intellectual Property Law and Real Estate, Housing and Land Use; Florida Bar Association – Sections on Business Law, Real Property Law and Tax.
Speeches and Presentations
Periodic speaker at conferences and institutes on the legal aspects of various transactions and legal entities, including acquisitions of a business, private placements, securities issues in certain offering types, annual securities developments, joint ventures, venture capital transactions, leases, limited liability companies, real estate acquisitions, etc.
Industry Memberships
Have included the National Association of Venture Capitalists, National Association of Broadcasters, Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks.
Civic and Community Involvements
Within the Firm’s communities, involvements have included serving as a Trustee of a world-renowned Orchestra, chair of its Development Committee, and a member of its Finance Committee and Long Range Planning Committees; as a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of a land bank and development organization serving some of the principal university, arts, museum and health care institutions in the community, chair of its Development Committee, a member of its Property Committee, and a member of the three person committee to review and recommend on the development proposals for pivotal parcels; a member of the Visiting Committee for the School of Management of a major University; advisor to a major University on technology transfer and a member of the Board of the affiliated company formed to transfer technology; chair of the Board of the Hospice Council for the seven county region of a metropolitan area; and trustee of a Unit of the American Cancer Society and the chair of its Public Education Committee.
Governmental Service
Governmental service has included serving as an advisor to a State on economic development policies and oil and gas regulatory policies, serving as a governor’s appointee as Chair and a member of a State’s Development Financing Advisory Board and a member of that state’s Development Advisory Board, and serving as the governor’s appointee to the Interstate Oil Compact Commission.