Kevin L. Shepherd, co-chair of the Real Estate Group of Venable LLP, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He joins an elite group of attorneys nationally recognized for their leadership and professional excellence.
The ABF is a national nonprofit legal institute whose research faculty concentrate on the functioning of law and legal processes, legal institutions and the legal profession. Attorneys must be nominated by their peers to be considered for membership by the ABF, and few of those make the highly selective cut of being in the top third of one percent of all lawyers in America. Of the approximately 6,000 Fellows nationwide, only one out of every 300 Maryland attorneys gains membership at a given time.
The ABF selection comes on the heels of Mr. Shepherd becoming Chair of the American Bar Association’s 30,000-member Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the ABA Task Force on Gatekeeper Regulation and the Profession, and the ABA Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight, and has served on the Character Committee of the Court of Appeals of Maryland.
“It’s a great honor to see Kevin’s efforts acknowledged by the American Bar Foundation,” said Venable Chairman Benjamin R. Civiletti. “He has worked tirelessly with the ABA and other organizations to advance the practice of real estate law, promote social justice, and encourage professional development, and is extremely deserving of this recognition.”
Mr. Shepherd joins 11 other Venable attorneys previously recognized for their roles in helping to shape legal policy through their work in voluntary associations. The firm’s current ABF Fellows – Emilio W. Cividanes, Benjamin R. Civiletti, William D. Dolan, III, James J. Hanks, Jr., John B. Howard, Thomas J. Madden, Russell R. Reno, Nell B. Strachan, Paul F. Strain, Gerard Treanor and Alan D. Yarbro – reflect a diverse range of talent, legal experience and pro bono bar involvement, as well as their colleagues’ high esteem.
“The ABF’s scholarly research on social and legal issues is well known and highly respected,” Mr. Shepherd commented. “I am truly flattered that my contributions to the real estate bar have been recognized as significant, and I’m very pleased to be able to continue to give back to the larger legal community through involvement with the ABF.”
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law (J.D., 1984), Mr. Shepherd has a national practice encompassing complex property acquisition and development, commercial leasing and real estate financing. He has particular experience representing pension fund investors and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in connection with the buying and selling of commercial real estate investments. Mr. Shepherd, who also chairs Venable’s Finance Committee, is a frequent lecturer and writer on topics ranging from real estate issues to law firm economics.
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia.