Ronald L. Holmes is the Firm’s founder and leads the Firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Mr. Holmes has been practicing law for more than thirty years, primarily in the field of commercial real estate law, although he has also served as lead counsel on numerous civil litigation matters in both State and Federal Courts and has served as outside general counsel to many companies on a broad range of corporate and employment law matters.
His real estate law practice is as broad as it is deep. Mr. Holmes has served as lead counsel on real estate transactions all across the United States (more than twenty States), representing public and private companies, both domestic and international, in all manner of real estate transactions, including large scale multi-use land developments and high rise residential condominiums, to acquisitions and sales of operating property portfolios, office, industrial and retail leasing and virtually every other form of real estate development, construction, financing, investing and leasing.
Representative Experience
Real Estate:
Acquisition and Sales
- Representation of seller in the portfolio sale of 22 commercial properties in the Dallas CBD.
- Representation of purchaser in the portfolio acquisition and financing of 14 skilled care facilities in Maryland and Pennsylvania as replacement properties in a 1031 Exchange arising from the sale of a 400 unit residential rental property in Dallas, Texas, combined with an additional equity raise with private investors not involved in the sale of the initial property.
- Representation of private developers in conveying via UpReit and DownReit transactions numerous self storage facilities in Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Minnesota.
- Representation of private developer in the portfolio sale to an institutional purchaser of 19 multi-family residential properties, consisting of approximately 7,000 units located in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
- Representation of purchaser in the portfolio purchase and syndication of 43 shopping centers located in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
- Representation of the owner of 250,000 square feet office building in the sale to a private German investment group.
- Representation of numerous owners/buyers in sales/acquisitions of office buildings, warehouses, shopping centers and free-standing retail properties.
- Representation of buyers in acquiring, renovating and re-positioning historic office buildings
Courtesy of GDA Architects https://gda-architects.com/gda-the-travis.html
Vertical Development
- Representation of private developer in partnership with a domestic institutional investor in the development, financing and equity raise for a 54 story, 414 unit residential rental development in the CDB of City of Austin, Texas, including the statutory termination of an active condominium regime.
- Representation of private developer in partnership with a domestic institutional investor in the development, financing and equity raise for a 463 unit, 30 story luxury residential rental development in the Victory Park area of Dallas, Texas.
- Representation of development partnership in the development, financing and equity for a 556 unit, twin-tower high-rise luxury residential condominium development in Long Beach, California. This project was 20 years in its realization, the last two years directed by Holmes Firm PC’s client.
- Representation of development partnership among a private developer and domestic institutional investors in the development, financing, and construction of a 512 unit multi-family garden style complex in Austin, Texas.
- Representation of development partnership, with various equity investors, including an institutional investor, for the conversion of the historic Titche-Goettinger Building in downtown Dallas into 130 loft residential units which included the sale of historic tax credits to an institutional investor. Of note, financing was both public and private (a consortium of the five largest lenders in Dallas and the City of Dallas), a public/private sector undertaking in furtherance of the Dallas Downtown Revitalization Program. As part of this same undertaking, also representation of an affiliated public/private sector joint venture in the redevelopment of another portion of the Titche-Goettinger Building into the Dallas Education Center.
- Representation of development partnership in the development, financing and construction of an 85 unit condominium complex in Austin, Texas, including the FNMA end-loan package.
- Representation of equity in the development, financing, and construction of a 294 unit multi-family development in the inner-city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Representation of equity in the development, financing, and construction of a 450 unit multi-family development at US 75 and Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, Texas.
- Representation of clients in the development, financing and construction of numerous office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses/distribution facilities, multi-family, condominium and free-standing retail.
Land Use / Land Development
- Representation of Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa, Lajitas, Texas: acquisition and development, and ongoing operations of a 26,000 acre destination Resort near Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas, including Resort Hotel, Golf Course, Municipal Water Plant and other Municipal services; facilitation of State legislative passage of an almost 3,000 acre broad powered utility/economic development district.
- Representation of developers, lenders and investors in various single family lot developments in the DFW area.
- Representation of Fountain Grove Ranch, Santa Rosa, California: 247 acres consisting of 656 single-family housing units and 5 commercial acres which involved structuring of a joint venture between a private developer and the wholly owned development subsidiary of a public financial services institution.
- Representation of Rolling Hills Estates, Fairfield, California: 598 acres consisting of 638 single-family housing units.
- Representation of Calavera Hills, Carlsbad, California: joint venture between a private developer and one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. in the development of 476 acres, with 1,156 single-family housing units and 9 commercial acres.
- Representation of Sky Valley Ranch, Vallejo, California: 760 acres of mixed use, including 1,481 single family and townhouse lots, retail, hotel, police and fire protection, and an Arnold Palmer designed golf course.
- Representation of investor in the acquisition and horizontal development of 115 acres in Austin, Texas ETJ.
- Representation of private developer in a 32-acre retail site development at US 80 and LBJ Freeway in Mesquite, Texas.
Industrial:
- Representation of developer in the development, construction and finance of a bond financed electric co-generation facility for the cities of Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, including the installation of the natural gas and electric transmission facilities.
- Representation of private company in the development and construction of a 55,000 square foot aviation hanger at a city owned airport, including the ground lease with the City.
- Representation of multiple development partnerships, including those among private developers and offshore investors, in the development, financing, and construction of numerous industrial warehouses/distribution centers and office/showroom/warehouse facilities.
Construction:
- Representation of developers, general contractors and major subcontractors in all manner of construction contract work.
- Representation of both developers and general contractors/subcontractors in various construction disputes (at arbitration and in litigation), one of which, against the developer, involved more than $30,000,000 in claims.
Leasing:
- Representation of numerous owners and asset managers of office buildings, industrial properties and retail projects in lease-up, lease renewals, lease expansions and lease work-outs.
- Representation of restaurants in multiple free-standing and in-line leases.
- Representation of high-end drycleaners in opening multiple locations through ground leases and in-line leases.
- Representation of cell tower and billboard owners and users, including a large-scale cell tower roll out for a telecommunications company.
Farm and Ranch:
- Representation of ranchers as landlords in renewable energy leases (solar and wind), electric power distribution easements and land sales/easements for electric power substations.
- Representation of ranch owners in the re-development of ranches into ranchettes, and the sale thereof.
- Representation of ranch owners in the purchase, sale and exchange of ranches, including reverse 1031 exchanges.
- Representation of farmers and ranchers in eminent domain proceedings.
- Representation of ranchers in the development of commercial wild game management and hunting programs.
Wealth Preservation:
- Representation of wealthy individuals and families in real estate divisions, partitions, 1031 exchanges, consolidations, and roll-ups into family limited partnerships and trusts (including Delaware Statutory Series Trust), as well as formation of wealth preservation trusts (domestic and offshore).
Corporate:
- Structure and formation of limited partnerships, limited liability companies, C Corporations, S Corporations and joint ventures, and the handling of compliance matters.
- Preparation of private placement memoranda and equity platforms, including Blue Sky compliance.
Employment:
- Drafting Employment Agreements, Independent Contractor Services Agreements and Non-Compete Agreements.
- Advising clients in general employment matters.
Lending:
- Representation of national banks, state banks, savings and loan associations, Fannie Mae and private lenders in all manner of real estate secured lending.
- Representation of a national bank in aviation and maritime lending.
- Representation of a private company in acquiring and financing aircraft.
Litigation:
- Enforcing and defending against Employment Agreements, Independent Contractor Servicer Agreements and Non-Compete Agreements.
- Enforcing and defending against rights of secured creditors, including suits on promissory notes and guarantees, foreclosures and UCC sales.
- Breach of Contract suits.
- Construction Disputes (arbitration and litigation).
- Breach of lease suits (landlords and tenants).
- Estate and probate suits.
Professional and Personal Highlights
Ron Holmes standing on the steps of the US Supreme Court
Bar Admissions
Supreme Court of the United States (2018)
State Bar of Louisiana, 1974
State Bar of Texas, 1978
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Admitted Pro Hac Vice in California, New York and Colorado State and Federal courts
Education
Louisiana Tech University (B.B.A., 1970)
Louisiana State University (J.D., 1973)
- Louisiana Law Review (published)
- Order of the Coif
Professional and Community Involvement
- Speaker at CLE and business seminars on various subjects, including Construction Loan Agreements, 1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges, Legal Ethics, The Art of Negotiation and Debt Restructure
- Expert witness at trial on legal ethics and real estate partnerships
- Moderator of business panels on various real estate subjects, including industrial, retail, multi-family, office and capital markets
- Board of Directors, Chairman
Pathways Core Training, Inc., a 501(c)(3) from 2002-2010
Honors & Awards
AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell for 26 consecutive years
Lifetime Service Award, Pathways Core Training, Inc.
Memberships/Affiliations
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Louisiana
Dallas Bar Association
- Real Estate Section
American Bar Association
- Real Estate, Property, Probate and Trust Section
- Litigation Section
The Real Estate Council
Military Service
United States Army, Officer, Commissioned May, 1972, active duty through November, 1973.
Ready Reserve through May, 1980.
