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Mr. Sechrest recently joined the Firm in the capacity “Of Counsel.” Mr. Sechrest brings to the Firm forty years of experience in practicing law; most of that time being invested with the 300 person law firm he founded in Dallas, Texas in 1973, namely Winstead Sechrest & Minick. During this forty years, Mr. Sechrest has had the privilege of representing clients in a variety of matters including real estate acquisition and development; real estate finance; land use and entitlement issues; corporate, partnership and limited liability company structures; public finance and public/private partnership structures; equity and debt offerings; equity and debt structures and restructures (including reorganizations both outside and inside bankruptcy); commercial lending; and general corporate issues for both private and publicly held organizations including regulatory and financial reporting issues and most recently issues involving Sarbanes Oxley. Representative clients include financial institutions such as banks, savings banks, REITS, corporations, partnerships, joint ventures and funds of all kinds with counseling and legal work involving both organizational and operational matters.
Most recently Mr. Sechrest’s practice has involved:
Serving as general counsel for a major educational corporation, counseling it in both corporate and litigation matters.
Serving as special counsel to the largest U.S. “fulfillment provider” of rebate programs on issues (both business and litigation) involving escheat and unclaimed property laws in all 50 states.
Representing a major real estate client in negotiating and establishing a $50 million private equity fund for purposes of investing in real estate.
Representing a major real estate client in negotiating a joint venture relationship with a major institution for purposes of investing up to $400,000,000 in real estate.
Representing a wealthy individual in the litigating, negotiating, mediating and successful settling of a large estate in which the individual sued for tortious interference of her rights to inheritance and to gain control of assets in a family partnership.
Representation of a corporation as defendant in a wrongful death case including mediating and settling the matter.
The representation of a Texas home-rule City in the utilization of sales tax revenues and ad valorem tax increments to finance the infrastructure of a major development and the location of two major retailers in the development.
Organizing a bank and negotiating a sublease of space for the banking facility.
Organizing a limited liability company as a biotech company offering medical services.
Over the past almost forty years, Mr. Sechrest has worked with two types of clients: (i) those that need help in organizing, developing, financing or protecting a business or an idea; and (ii) those that have business or financial problems that need solving. In this regard, Mr. Sechrest has:
Represented a multi-county transportation authority in determining its authority to condemn a major metropolitan transportation system.
Organized a team of attorneys to represent the owner of 55 air quality emissions facilities located in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Galveston and El Paso for purposes of suing the State of Texas for the wrongful taking of these facilities. Our team obtained a $200,000,000 award and settled with the State of Texas for a major portion of the award.
Formed a consulting firm and serves as a consultant consulting banks, savings and loans and developers on matters involving real estate related matters. Representation included positioning real estate assets for sale and dealing with regulatory issues, workouts, insolvency matters and reorganizations both in and out of bankruptcy.
During the late 1980’s, represented three major savings banks in structuring forbearance and capital support agreements under the so-called Southwest Plan.
During the 1990’s, represented REITs in their structuring and closing of acquisitions.
Commencing in the 1990’s, represented a fiduciary for ERISA regulated institutions in structuring and closing for the fiduciary on behalf of the institutions real estate acquisitions.
Represented both corporations and financial institutions in matters involving the adequacy of their capital and, in doing so, addressed impaired capital and insolvency issues.
Formed numerous organizations including corporations, partnerships, banks, savings institutions and funds and supervised the tax, securities and regulatory matters of each in their diverse business undertakings.
Performed due diligence on, negotiated the acquisition of, and closed multiple real estate transactions involving (i) regional malls, retail centers, office buildings, farms, ranches, apartments, industrial parks, hotels, motels and recreational properties and (ii) handled the development of each of these property types as well as residential subdivisions, condominiums and golf course developments.
Represented financial institutions in closing construction loans, conduit loans, end loans, long term financings, co-agency loans, participations, mezzanine financings, combined loan and equity structures and equity placements.
Served as mediator in numerous matters including mediating a major workout with over 20 different lenders and one hundred loans.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Mr. Sechrest is a member of the Texas Bar. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). Mr. Sechrest is not a member of the California Bar.
Mr. Sechrest continues to practice law in Texas and continues to spend significant time in Dallas, Texas, servicing clients in Texas. Mr. Sechrest currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Men’s Warehouse, Inc. (listed on the New York Stock Exchange) and Ojai Community Bank, a publicly traded California state bank (a bank which he organized with six other individuals). Mr. Sechrest also serves as the chairman of the Audit Committee of each of these organizations and therefore has familiarity with both board and audit committee functions involving publicly held companies. Mr. Sechrest also serves on the Board of Directors of: (i) the Dallas based Real Estate Counsel (as a past president of that organization); (ii) The Real Estate Council Foundation (formerly the Community Development Assistance Corporation) which he previously organized and chaired; (iii) the Dallas chapter of The First Tee; (iv) the World Business Academy; and (v) the Vitamin Angel Alliance. Mr. Sechrest previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of Esalen Institute and the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.
EDUCATION
Mr. Sechrest received his BA degree from Stanford University in Economics and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University. |
