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PRINCIPAL PRACTICE AREAS
Commercial Real Estate, Commercial Finance and Communication Systems Procurement and Reconfiguration
EDUCATION
University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, J.D. (with Honors), 1987, The Order of the Coif
University of Texas, Austin, Texas, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1983
ADMISSIONS / CERTIFICATIONS
Licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, 1987
Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- State Bar of Texas
- San Antonio Bar Association
- Former Exam Commissioner – Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Exam Commission, Commercial Real Estate Law
- Real Estate Council of San Antonio
- Former Director – San Antonio Economic Development Foundation
- Speaker at various professional and continuing education programs
Experience
REAL ESTATE
Mr. Morell has over 20 years of experience in representing clients in a wide variety of real estate transactions, and is Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In his real estate practice, Mr. Morell works with clients on projects involving development and construction, acquisition and sale of operating properties, leasing, farm and ranch property, and land use. Mr. Morell's real estate clients have included real estate developers, individual investors, end-users, financial institutions, municipalities, real estate investment trusts, and tenants-in-common sponsors. Through his many years of experience in working with real estate developers, builders, local governments, real estate lenders, investors, architects, engineers, contractors, brokers and regulatory agencies, he has developed an understanding of all aspects of the real estate industry, as well as strong working relationships with people in South and Central Texas involved in that industry.
Development and Construction
Mr. Morell represents clients in the various phases of real estate development, including structuring and forming development entities, tract assemblage and acquisition, financing, infrastructure development, subdivision platting, implementation of protective covenant regimes, co-development with adjoining projects, lot and out-parcel sales, and building construction. The following are representative development matters on which he has worked:
- Multi-phased Development of over 400 acres of industrial subdivisions in Laredo, Texas
- Assemblage, acquisition and initial phases of infrastructure development (roads, utilities, rail spurs, etc.) of over 2,600 acres in San Antonio, Texas, for development of a Toyota vehicle manufacturing plant
- Development of over 600 acres in Laredo, Texas for multi-phased, mixed-use project (residential, school, parks and retail)
- Acquisition of 120 acres in San Antonio, Texas, for development of mixed-use project (hotel, multifamily, office and retail)
- Development 100,000 square foot rodeo, night-club and live concert entertainment complex in San Antonio, Texas
- Representation of “big box” discount retailer as co-developer, anchor tenant and lender in the development of an 85,000-square-foot retail shopping center in McAllen, Texas
- Development of over 20 acres of land in north San Antonio for mixed-use project (restaurant, hotel and retail)
- Development of 200-room all-suites hotel facility in San Antonio, Texas
- Construction of “on-site” logistics and sequencing center for components supplier at Toyota plant in San Antonio, Texas
- Development of retail strip shopping center in San Antonio, Texas
- Negotiation of lot take-down program with national home builder in multi-phase residential development in Laredo, Texas
- Completion of development of over 5000 acres of rural residential subdivisions acquired through foreclosure
Acquisition and Sale of Operating Properties
Mr. Morell represents clients in acquiring and selling a variety of types of operating properties (income and end-user), including multi-family projects, industrial properties, office buildings and retail centers. The following are representative operating property acquisition and sale transactions in which he represented clients:
- The simultaneous acquisition of six shopping center, office/warehouse and multi-family properties in Texas and Florida
- Acquisition program covering three multi-family projects, with over 160 apartment units in total
- Acquisition of a 34,000 square-foot mixed-use (restaurant, retail and residential) building on the San Antonio Riverwalk
- Acquisition of golf driving range operation in San Antonio, Texas
- Acquisition of 80,000 square-foot warehouse facility in McAllen, Texas
- Sale of a school campus complex in San Antonio to community college district
- Sale of large feedlot and meat packing operation in Eagle Pass, Texas
- Sale of 20,000 square-foot building in downtown San Antonio, Texas
- Sale of a low-rise office building in San Antonio, Texas
- Sale of 200-room hotel property in San Antonio, Texas
- Sale of 14,000 square-foot restaurant building in Dallas, Texas
Leasing
Mr. Morell represents landlords and tenants in office, industrial and retail leases, as well as long term ground leases. This work has included representation of:
- Tenant in office lease covering over 100,000 square feet in a central business district building in San Antonio, Texas
- Tenant in 10,000 square-foot “build-to-suit” restaurant lease for stand-alone restaurant building in a mixed–use development
- Tenant in ground lease for “on-site” logistics and sequencing center for components supplier at Toyota plant in San Antonio, Texas
- Landlord in industrial lease program covering numerous buildings in industrial developments along the Texas/Mexico border
- Landlord in restaurant lease covering a 12,000 square-foot, single-tenant building in San Antonio, Texas
- Tenant in 12,000 square-foot industrial lease covering office/warehouse space in Novi, Michigan
- Landlord in 6,800 square-foot medical office lease
Farm and Ranch
Mr. Morell represents landlords and tenants in office, industrial and retail leases, as well as long term ground leases. Examples of farm and ranch projects on which Mr. Morell has worked include:
- Acquisition of an 18,700-acre ranch in Presidio County near Marfa, Texas
- Acquisition of a 129,000-acre ranch in west Texas
- Sale of 235 acre ranch in Medina County near San Antonio, Texas
- Acquisition of 320 acre ranch in Bexar County south of San Antonio, Texas
- Acquisition of 1180 acre ranch in Uvalde County, Texas
Land Use
Mr. Morell played an integral role in representing a major central Texas city in a series of large-scale land development agreements employing protective covenants, conservation easements and water rights transfers to effectuate land use regimes, including comprehensive Development Agreements covering:
- 3,000 acres over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone
- 4,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the Lake Austin area.
- 1,200 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the Barton Creek watershed
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Morell has represented clients in large, economic development/site selection projects, including:
- Representation of the City of San Antonio in the site selection process and the negotiation of the 18-party Project Agreement for Toyota’s 5th North American automotive manufacturing facility
- Representation of a south Texas city’s economic development organization in efforts to present and promote a potential automotive assembly plant site to automotive manufacturers
- Representation of client in site selection for a large bio-diesel production facility
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM PROCUREMENT AND RECONFIGURATION
Mr. Morell represents a several cities and governmental agencies in communication system procurement and reconfiguration projects. This work includes negotiating the necessary contracts with equipment vendors and others, and acquiring (through lease or purchase) sites for the communications towers and equipment. These projects have included:
- Reconfiguration of the following clients’ 1.9 GHz point-to-point microwave public safety communications systems pursuant to a FCC mandated frequency relocation program:
- City of Dallas, Texas
- Arkansas State Police
- Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services District
- West Virginia EMS Technical Support Network
- Procurement by the City of San Antonio of its public safety two-way radio system.
- Procurement by West Virginia EMS Technical Support Network of a state-wide automatic vehicle location system.
- Reconfiguration of the following clients’ 800 MHz public safety two-way radio systems pursuant to a FCC mandated frequency relocation program:
- City of Dallas, Texas
- County of Kauai, Hawaii
- City of Grand Prairie, Texas
- Collin County, Texas
- City of Garland, Texas
- City of Richardson, Texas
COMMERCIAL FINANCE
Mr. Morell has represented various companies in their credit facilities, and in the covenant negotiations for their corporate commercial paper, note and bond offerings, including representing companies in the following transactions:
Bank Credit Facilities
- $400 million secured syndicated bank credit facility, including revolving credit facility, acquisition credit facility and term loan credit facility (medical equipment manufacturer)
- $47 million secured syndicated bank credit facility (oil and gas well drilling company)
- $40 million secured syndicated bank credit facility, including revolving credit facility and term loan credit facility (energy company)
- $500 million secured syndicated bank credit facility (medical equipment manufacturer)
- $50 million revolving credit facility secured by retail loan portfolio (financial institution)
- $30 million secured syndicated bank “add-on” credit facility, including revolving credit facility and term loan credit facility (medical equipment manufacturer)
- $125 million unsecured syndicated bank credit facility (marketing company)
Bond, Note and Commercial Paper Offerings
- $205 million high-yield bond offering (medical equipment manufacturer)
- $215 million high-yield Senior Notes offering (energy company)
- Establishment of $100 million Commercial Paper/Medium Term Note Program (automotive engine manufacturer)
- $200 million high-yield Senior Subordinated Notes offering (medical equipment manufacturer)
- $60 million high-yield Senior Notes offering (energy company)
- $6 million Convertible Secured Subordinated Notes offering (communications company).
- Establishment of $50 million Euro Commercial Paper/Euro Medium Term Note Program (financial services company)
- $63.5 million of high-yield Senior Secured Notes (energy company)
- $196.8 million of high-yield Senior Secured Notes (energy company)
- $10 million of Senior Subordinated Notes (retail grocer)
- $6 million of Convertible Secured Subordinated Notes (communications company)
- Establishment of $250 million Commercial Paper/Medium Term Note Program (petrochemical company)
- Exchange of $191 million of high-yield Second Lien Secured Notes for cash, equity securities and $109 million of new high-yield Second Lien Secured Notes (energy company)
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