BALTIMORE, MD / WASHINGTON, DC (August 18, 2004) – Kevin L. Shepherd, co-chair of Venable LLP’s Real Estate Practice Group and chair of its Finance Committee, has been elected chair-elect of the nearly 30,000-member Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Shepherd, 46, will serve a one-year term as chair-elect, and will become chair of the Section in September of 2005.
“I’ve enjoyed my years of membership and involvement in the ABA, which does so much to improve the practice of law through its educational programs and its considered stances on issues of importance to the legal profession and the country as a whole,” said Mr. Shepherd, who has served on numerous task forces, advisory boards, and committees within the Section and the ABA itself. “I’m looking forward to continuing to serve the members of this Section as chair.”
Mr. Shepherd served as Real Property Division vice-chair of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section from 2003-04 and has been editor-in-chief of its highly-regarded bi-monthly magazine Probate & Property.
Kevin Shepherd has a national practice of property acquisition and development, commercial leasing, and real estate financing. He represents large national and multinational institutions in complex real estate transactions, ranging from the development of electric generation power plant facilities to world-class resort complexes to the world headquarters of a multinational biotechnology and life science firm.
Locally, he was involved in the purchase and sale of 100 East Pratt Street, the premier office tower in Baltimore, the development of the most recent additions to Baltimore’s skyline (Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel and 750 East Pratt Street, the first office tower to be built in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the last decade), the sale of the corporate world headquarters campus of Life Technologies, Inc., and the acquisition of 1333 New Hampshire Avenue in Washington, D.C.
“Kevin not only has a very prolific practice, but he also keeps current – through his professional activities, lectures and writing – on such a wide range of issues that affect real estate from the impact of the USA Patriot Act to the implications of radon and freon to the importance of professionalism in transactional practices,” said James L. Shea, Venable’s managing partner. “He’s an ideal choice to lead an organization that is at the forefront of real estate and related practice areas.”
Mr. Shepherd is a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, arguably the most prestigious and selective membership organization for real estate lawyers in the United States. Nominees must meet strict selection criteria including recognition as a distinguished practitioner and real estate specialist with an outstanding reputation for excellence and integrity in the practice of law, and a substantial contribution to improving the practice of real estate law. Mr. Shepherd is also a member of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute, an organization comprised of 50 United States real estate lawyers and 50 United Kingdom real estate barristers and solicitors. He recently concluded a two year term of the Character Committee of the Court of Appeals of Maryland.
Mr. Shepherd’s article “The USA Patriot Act: The Complexities of Imposing Anti-Money Laundering Obligations on the Real Estate Industry” will be published in the Summer 2004 issue of theReal Property, Probate and Trust Journal.
He received his B.A. from Frostburg State College in 1979, and his J.D. in 1984 from University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.
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