James G. Farris, Jr.

• Client attorney and lead outside counsel for one of the country’s largest privately owned national industrial development companies. In addition to handling various real estate transactions for this client, he also coordinated legal services provided by the various practice groups at Alston & Bird servicing this client. Jay led a team in this client’s programmatic joint venture program with a major state pension fund involving the formation of four joint ventures for the investment, financing, and development of more than $500 million of industrial properties across the country.
• Represented a number of multifamily developers and investors, including two of the country’s leading multifamily development companies. Jay and his team were involved in a multitude of multifamily development projects, typically involving zoning, environmental, tax incentive, ground lease and mixed-use components that require complicated reciprocal easement agreements for shared parking decks, common areas and infrastructure. He also represented institutional clients as investors in developed multifamily projects, both one-off and portfolio transactions.
• Represented pension funds and their advisors in their acquisition, leasing and disposition of all property types. Jay represented one of the largest pension fund advisors in its acquisitions, leasing and dispositions nationally. He handled a $750 million disposition of a portfolio of commercial real estate located in 10 cities across the U.S. for this pension fund advisor. Jay’s experience in this regard included analyzing and counseling on the various UBTI and ERISA issues facing pension fund investments in the real estate asset class.
• Represented a number of industrial distribution facilities developers in all aspects of their transactions. Jay was involved in these developments from cradle-to-grave, including land acquisitions, assemblages, development, redevelopment, leasing, protective covenants, financing, joint ventures, and sales.
• Represented the developer of a 1.5 million sq. ft. LEED Gold certified industrial distribution center build-to-suit lease with General Mills. His team was involved in all aspects of this development from land acquisition, rezoning, securing state economic incentives and grants, entering into a bond/sale-leaseback financing with the local economic development authority, negotiating a railroad sidetrack agreement, creating reciprocal easement agreements, and finally negotiating a joint venture to bring in a 75 percent equity investor after completion; and he negotiated a loan secured by the JV’s leasehold interest.

Jay Farris concentrated his nationwide practice on commercial real estate investment, joint ventures, borrower financing, development, and leasing involving all major property types. He represented institutional investors (including REITs and pension funds), well-capitalized developers, and corporate owners. Jay has extensive experience representing developers and owners of industrial distribution facilities, multifamily projects, office properties, and mixed-use developments.

Jay was featured as one of the leading Georgia lawyers for real estate in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, listed for commercial real estate in The Best Lawyers in America^®, and listed in Super Lawyers magazine. Jay was identified by his clients as part of a select group of 148 attorneys nationally—“2008 BTI Client Service All-Stars”—that delivers the best client service to Fortune 1000 clients.

Jay received a B.A., with high honors, in 1984 from Wesleyan University (CT). Prior to entering law school, Jay worked for a real estate development company in Raleigh, NC. He received his J.D., with honors, in 1989 from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he received the Order of the Coif and served on the North Carolina Law Review.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia

Education

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (J.D., 1989)
• Wesleyan University (B.A., 1984)

Memberships