Holland & Knight Welcomes Real Estate Team Led by John Decker
ATLANTA (May 4, 2015) – Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that John Decker has joined the firm's Atlanta office as a partner. Mr. Decker was previously a partner with Hunton & Williams, where he led the firm's Atlanta real estate practice.
Mr. Decker will lead a team of three associates: Matt Joe, an existing Holland & Knight associate with a diverse real estate practice, and two associates, Drew Gandy and R. Michael Schreiner, who have also joined the firm from Hunton & Williams. In addition, Marie Wooldridge, a real estate paralegal also from Hunton, will round out the experienced real estate team.
"As the Atlanta real estate market continues to rebound, we thought it was crucial to reinvigorate our local real estate practice," said Allen Maines, executive partner of Holland & Knight's Atlanta office. "John impressed everyone at our firm with his diverse transactional experience and entrepreneurial approach to practicing law. Our new Atlanta real estate practice has room to grow and we expect to keep building the team with high-quality individuals."
Mr. Decker focuses his practice on commercial real estate finance and development. He represents a wide range of clients in diverse matters such as corporate and asset-based lending, real estate investment trusts (REITs), acquisitions and dispositions of owned and leased assets, general corporate and business matters, and contract issues. Mr. Decker is admitted to practice in Georgia and Tennessee.
"Holland & Knight is well known for its strong real estate capabilities in almost every U.S. market," said Mr. Decker. "My team is excited about developing a Georgia practice for the firm while continuing to offer our clients first-class counsel and service."
With more than 200 lawyers and professionals, Holland & Knight's Real Estate Section is one of the largest of any U.S. law firm. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" 2015 guide selected the Real Estate Law and Land Use and Zoning Law practice groups for national first-tier rankings.