William W. Burton

Walt Burton is a Partner and Co-founder at Thompson Burton PLLC.

Walt Burton has extensive experience representing developers, investors, lenders, borrowers and all users of commercial real estate. His practice includes lending, acquisition, disposition, development, leasing, and foreclosure/work out of office, industrial, retail, and multi-family real estate. Because of Walt’s broad range of experience and knowledge of real estate transactions, he possesses a perspective and eye for detail that is unmatched in the industry. Walt’s real estate skills were sharpened during his more than 6 years of practice with Atlanta based international law firm Troutman Sanders LLP, where he worked on numerous real estate and corporate transactions.

Walt is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Walt has written numerous articles regarding commercial real estate and has appeared in panel discussions throughout the country regarding issues facing the real estate industry. Walt also maintains a commercial real estate blog where he blogs about local and national commercial real estate legal issues.

Recently, the University of Tennessee College of Law recognized Walt as one of the Top Ten Alumni, Ten Years Out. Walt has also been featured in an executive profile by theAtlanta Business Chronicle.

Walt is active in the community, having served as a mentor to high school students through the Odyssey program, a non-profit organization partnering with the Atlanta public schools to serve economically disadvantaged children.

Walt and his wife, Melissa, live in Nashville with their 2 year old son, Liam, and their dog, Bocephus. Walt enjoys spending weekends at his family farm in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Prior to attending law school, Walt served as a Lieutenant in the weapons department onboard the USS SHILOH (CG-67), based in San Diego, California.

Representative Experience:

• Representation of both: (i) national, regional and community banks; and (ii) corporate and individual borrowers/guarantors in the workout, modification, restructuring and foreclosure of hundreds of troubled loans involving major residential and commercial real estate projects located throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

• Representation of sellers and purchasers in portfolio sale of REO properties, including thousands of residential lots and homes located throughout the Southeast.

• Representation of lender in acquisition of loan portfolio from the FDIC.

• Representation of purchaser of REO commercial office property located in Atlanta, Georgia.

• Representation of national REIT in the leasing of hundreds of thousands of square feet of industrial space.

• Representation of lenders in the purchase and sale of loan portfolios.

• Representation of purchasers and sellers of multi-family apartment complexes.

• Representation of lenders and borrowers in financing the purchase of commercial real estate.

• Representation of industrial real estate investment trust in the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of numerous industrial properties throughout the Southeast.

• Representation of a national quick-service restaurant in the acquisition and ground leasing of outparcels in more than 20 states for the development of dozens of free-standing restaurant buildings.

• Representation of national lender in acquisition and ground leasing for the development of dozens of financial service centers in Virginia, Maryland, and DC.

• Representation of real estate investment trust in the $ million acquisition of 38-story, 774,000 square foot office tower Promenade II, Atlanta, Georgia.

• Representation of a national office/retail developer in the acquisition and development of “lifestyle centers” in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (811,000 square feet), Gwinnett County, Georgia (385,000 square feet), and Forsyth County, Georgia (545,000).

• Representation of a national cellular company in its acquisition and leasing of hundreds of ground, tower and rooftop space for cellular communications facilities.