17 February 2022. After announcing the opening of its new office in November of last year, Buchalter is pleased to announce that Shareholders Douglas Farr, Lance Lehnhof, and Blake Cooper have joined in Salt Lake City along with Karl Israelsen.
“We are thrilled to welcome Doug, Lance, Blake C., Blake T., and Karl to Buchalter,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Bass. “As highly respected attorneys who will each make significant contributions in Salt Lake City and to the Firm, they are fantastic additions.”
Farr focuses his practice on commercial litigation helping clients navigate complex legal issues. He assists clients across a variety of industries, including real estate, financial services, bankruptcy, construction, renewable energy, and direct sales/multi-level marketing. Farr’s experience also spans from representing creditors through the complexities of bankruptcy cases to litigating cases with legal issues involving secured transactions, judgment collections, water rights, construction defects, securities, partnership disputes, land use and zoning disputes, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Clean Water Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Farr has been recognized as a Mountain States Super Lawyers® “Rising Star,” Business Litigation from 2014-2021. He was also named “Utah’s Legal Elite: Up and Coming” in Civil Litigation from 2015-2021, by Utah Business Magazine.
“Given Buchalter’s extraordinary commitment to client service, I am eager to integrate my practice and collaborate with the highly regarded litigation practice attorneys,” said Farr.
Lehnhof advises clients on a wide range of corporate and transactional matters, including mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt financings, strategic ventures and transactions and general corporate law matters facing companies ranging from start-ups to seasoned industry leaders.
“My team and I are very excited to join Buchalter’s growing Salt Lake City office,” said Lehnhof. “The Firm’s entrepreneurial mindset, remarkable caliber of attorneys, and exceptional full-service platform allows us to offer clients a wider range of legal solutions while continuing our personal and tailored approach to client service.”
Cooper closes complicated mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, and navigates fundraising transactions to get clients access to capital. He has counseled clients ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies. He also has extensive experience in helping mid- and small-cap public companies manage SEC reporting and capital markets issues.
Israelsen, who will work out of both the Salt Lake City and Los Angeles offices, counsels clients on venture capital and angel financings, mergers and acquisitions, fund formation, private equity transaction, public offerings, SEC reporting, business formation, and corporate governance. He advises entrepreneurs, companies and investors ranging from small startups and individual investors to national and multinational companies and large investment funds.
Fugate rounds out the team and focuses on assisting with corporate and transactional matters.
Last November, Buchalter announced the opening of its new Salt Lake City office with the addition of seven lawyers - Shareholders Keven Rowe, Jed Burton, and Blake Terry along with Landon Hardcastle, Trevor Vincent, Carly Briggs, and Clayton Smith. In addition to five staff members, the office also now has three law clerks - Jack Darrington, Zachary Marquez, and Clayton Smith.
Rowe, recently named as Firm-wide Chair of the Real Estate Commercial Finance Practice group, represents clients in commercial finance, complex real estate development and leasing, and corporate law. He has closed numerous complex asset-based, commercial, construction, syndicated, and securitized loans throughout the United States for lenders such as Wells Fargo Bank, and for numerous individual and corporate borrowers.
Burton, a member of Real Estate Practice group, has extensive experience navigating both the legal complexities and business realities of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. He offers clients a unique perspective as former in-house counsel for a publicly traded REIT. His expertise includes acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, real estate finance (representing both lenders and borrowers), and mezzanine debt with special proficiency in transactions involving self-storage, shopping centers, and drive-thru retail.
“We could not be happier with the additions of Doug, Lance, Blake C., Blake T., and Karl and the growth of our office so soon after we opened,” added Burton. “We are excited to see what lies ahead.”
Terry, also a member of the Real Estate Practice group, handles projects across the entire United States, in each province of Canada, as well as parts of Central America. His practice encompasses all aspects of real estate law, including sales, purchases, leasing, financing, development and redevelopment, easements, CC&R’s, owners’ associations, development agreements, due diligence review for title and survey matters, and associated agreements.
“The talented lawyers who have joined us in Salt Lake City are a natural cultural and business fit,” added Bass. “We look forward to further expanding our footprint in the Utah region in the near future.”
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