Blank Rome Hospitality Team Expands with Addition of Market-Leading California Group

Blank Rome LLP has announced the addition of nationally recognized hospitality lawyers Jim Butler, David Sudeck, Mark Adams, Jeff Myers and Joe Mellema as partners. The group previously practiced at Jeffer Mangels & Mitchell LLP, where Jim Butler was a founding partner and established and built its market-leading hospitality group, for which he and Sudeck most recently served as co-chairs.

(L-R) Jim Butler, David Sudeck, Jeff Myers

Butler, Sudeck and Myers are now based in the Los Angeles office of Blank Rome and are members of the Real Estate group and industry team and the Hospitality practice. Butler and Sudeck will serve as co-chairs of the Hospitality practice, together with Christy Reuter, who has served as the chair since 2021.

Adams and Mellema are based in Blank Rome’s Orange County office and are members of the Business Litigation group, the Hospitality practice and the Real Estate industry team.

(L-R) Mark Adams, Joe Mellema

With decades of combined experience shaping the hospitality industry, this team brings accolades and industry firepower in connection with advising owners, developers, lenders, operators and capital providers on thousands of hotel and mixed-use projects worldwide, bringing insight into the transactions, litigation and business strategies that define this complex sector.

Their experience covers every stage of the asset lifecycle – from acquisition and development to financing, branding, management and restructuring – with noted strength in negotiating complex management and franchise agreements, purchasing and selling hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects, and structuring sophisticated capital stacks that frequently include C-PACE and EB-5 financing.

This strategic expansion strengthens Blank Rome’s coast-to-coast Hospitality and Real Estate industry teams and deepens the firm’s capabilities in complex domestic and global transactions, finance, franchise and management agreements, restructurings and high-stakes disputes, including the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

“We are thrilled to expand our hospitality practice with the addition of this truly outstanding team of legal leaders in the hospitality industry,” said Grant S. Palmer, chair and managing partner of Blank Rome. “Jim, David, Mark, Jeff and Joe have established the preeminent hospitality practice serving leading clients around the world for several decades. The team’s extensive experience and leadership in the sector and multi-faceted practices will add tremendous value to clients needing comprehensive and strategic advice in today’s hospitality market.”

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jim, David, Mark, Jeff and Joe to the firm, and I am looking forward to partnering with David and Jim to lead our hospitality group,” said Christy Reuter, Partner, Hospitality Real Estate. “Jim, David and Jeff bring unparalleled experience in hotel and real estate finance, including advising on complex hotel management agreements and innovative capital solutions, which will help clients seize opportunities and navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Mark is an accomplished trial lawyer who will add significant litigation strength with his proven ability to terminate long-term hotel management and franchise agreements and resolve other high-stakes hospitality disputes and bet-the-company litigation. Joe’s extensive experience in IP litigation and business disputes will help clients safeguard their brands. Together, their experience and skills position us to expand our hospitality capabilities to support our clients’ long-term strategies and assist them to mitigate risk.”

Information for this article was sourced from Blank Rome LLP.