Legal Work Highlights

Serves as the Senior Real Estate Counsel for The Champion Companies where he has led a team of over 25 lawyers and paralegals in approximately 50 transactions involving thousands of market rate multifamily apartment units in the past decade.

Represented life insurance company lender closing a two-tiered $150 million portfolio of cross-collateralized loans secured by seven properties located in six states.

Assisted a large private equity firm as real estate counsel in connection with the acquisition of over 25 properties with industrial and warehousing improvements located in the northwestern United States, and assisted in negotiation of a joint venture with the seller and private equity firm to acquire properties in a joint manner post-closing.

Represented a publicly traded hotel REIT client in closing nearly $500 million in loans and approximately $150 million in acquisitions for properties located in Arlington, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Jeffersonville, Indiana (Louisville, Kentucky market).

Managed a team of over 20 attorneys and paralegals representing a national developer in closing the financing of a luxury hotel in the Mid-South with a complicated combination of equity and debt financing exceeding $150 million, and the subsequent refinance of the asset following completion of construction and the change of the hotel manager.

Lead a team of over 25 attorneys and paralegals that have reviewed the real estate due diligence (title, survey and zoning) on over 500 triple net lease retail properties for a real estate private equity firm for its sale-leaseback (SLB) platform.

Managed a team of 17 attorneys and paralegals representing a national developer in closing the financing of a luxury hotel in the Mid-South with a complicated combination of equity and debt financing exceeding $150 million.

Led a 15+ attorney team with a student housing project involving the acquisition of a parking lot used by a commercial campus consisting of a hotel and multiple office buildings that will be turned into a large, mixed-use development.

Lead a team of over 15 attorneys representing a national car wash operator as its primary sale leaseback counsel in closing over 200 NNN properties, including portfolios of both traditional SLB projects and reverse build-to-suit (RBTS) projects with a mix of landlords ranging from large, publicly traded REIT landlords to small, individual or family office investors in connection with 1031 exchanges.

Led a team of over a dozen attorneys and paralegals in closing a 24 property self-storage CMBS loan transaction for a lender client approximately six weeks after the term sheet was executed.

Managed a team of five attorneys closing 17 FHA-insured loans totaling approximately $100 million for a nursing home REIT client in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky utilizing Section 232 LEAN processing.

Led a team of 15 attorneys in closing the refinancing of Westport Village, a retail center in Louisville, Kentucky, with a CMBS and mezzanine loan that collectively totaled $25.3 million two weeks after securing the engagement and within the client’s strict budget.

Represented a large Big Ten-based student housing company in connection with the refinancing of a multifamily portfolio of over 1,000 rental units comprising 10 different loans made by seven lenders, totaling approximately $150 million.

Represented CMBS special servicer in closing (a) a deed in lieu of foreclosure of a full-service hotel property in Louisville, Kentucky that included a de-flagging and re-flagging of the hotel at the closing and (b) the subsequent sale of the hotel that included the de-flagging, closing and re-flagging of the hotel.

Assisted life insurance company lender in multi-tiered loan modification for a retail property with mortgage and mezzanine loans totaling $25.7 million following bankruptcy of two national tenants in order to introduce two replacement national tenants to anchor the project.

Represented CMBS lender closing a $69.5 million loan secured by a full-service hotel featuring historic tax credits.

Law School

University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 2003, cum laude

Undergraduate School

Mary Washington College, B.A., 2000, magna cum laude

Geoff is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Ohio, 2003

Kentucky, 2006

Local & National Recognition

Member of Beshear/Coleman Kentucky Gubernatorial Transition Team; Finance and Administration Cabinet

Chambers USA, Real Estate, 2011-2024

Selected for inclusion in Kentucky Super Lawyers®, 2013-2024

The Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Law, 2015-2025, “Lawyer of the Year,” 2020

AV® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

Frost Brown Todd Mentor of the Year, 2010, 2012

Leadership Louisville Center, 2010 “Connector”

Louisville Business First 2009 Forty Under 40 Award Winner

LEED Green Associate™ accreditation received, 2009

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Member

Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), the Metro Chamber of Commerce, Member

International Council of Shopping Centers, Member

Kentucky Bar Association, Member

Kentucky CCIM Chapter, Member, Board of Directors, 2019-2023

Louisville Bar Association, Member, Real Estate Section Chair, 2014

Mortgage Bankers Association, Originations Council and Servicers Council, Member

Civic & Charitable Organizations

American Red Cross – Louisville Chapter, founding members of the Crossing Generations Society

Bingham Fellows, Class of 2021 (Leadership Louisville Center)

Farmington Historic House, Board of Regents, 2008-2009

Focus Louisville, Class of 2008 (Leadership Louisville Center)

Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), Board of Directors, 2010-2011

Ignite Louisville, Class of 2010 (Leadership Louisville Center)

Kentucky Board of Housing, Building and Construction, 2015-2016

March of Dimes, Greater Kentucky Chapter, REACH Award Committee 2014-2015

Leadership Louisville Center, Board of Directors, 2010-2011; 2018-2023, Counsel 2020-2023

Legal Aid Society, Justice for All Campaign Member, 2018-2022, Chair 2018

Louisville Energy Alliance (LEA), Board of Directors, 2011-2014

Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Board of Trustees, 2016-2018

University of Michigan Alumni Association, Louisville Chapter, Board of Directors, 2007-2011

Young Professionals Association of Louisville (YPAL), Board of Directors, 2008-2012

Geoff serves or has served in the following leadership role(s) at Frost Brown Todd:

Executive Committee, Member

Former Partner-in-Charge, Louisville office

Former Real Estate Service Team Leader

Opinion Committee, Member

Sustainability Committee, former Member and former Chair

Geoff was invited to speak at the following events:

Geoff frequently presents on legal issues impacting the real estate industry at local, regional and national conferences and seminars. He has made continuing education presentations for lawyers, real estate professionals, engineers, architects and accountants for the following organizations: the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Kentucky Chapter of CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), Louisville Bar Association (LBA), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), Health Enterprises Network, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), Lorman Education Services and the National Business Institute. He has recently discussed real estate finance, sustainability issues for retail properties, lender liability, green leasing and ethics in real estate transactions. He also regularly writes articles on a variety of commercial real estate issues in business journals and legal periodicals.