David Pratt is committed to helping his clients achieve their business goals through responsive, pragmatic, forward-thinking legal counsel. He delivers value-added service across a wide range of commercial real estate, commercial lending and closely held business transactions.
David represents a diverse group of clients, including financial institutions, real estate developers, investors, insurance companies, REITs, healthcare providers, hedge funds, family offices, professional services firms, and nonprofit organizations.
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Rated Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow Dallas Bar Foundation, Fellow Listed in Texas Super Lawyers Listed in D Magazine, “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” Real Estate Law Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Banking & Finance Law, 2025 Acquisitions & dispositions Represents investors, owners and developers in the purchase and sale of commercial real estate properties, including warehouses, office buildings, shopping centers, regional malls, hotels, multi-family projects, mixed-use developments, and raw land. Entity & transaction structure Advise on structuring transactions and forming entities, draft partnership and company agreements, and handle acquisitions and sales of interests in private companies, as well as mergers, acquisitions, and ownership restructurings. Finance Represent lenders and borrowers in a wide variety of debt and equity transactions, including construction loans, bridge loans, permanent financings, lines of credit, preferred equity investments, syndications, participations, and mezzanine loans. Development Counsel developers and investors through all phases of commercial real estate development, including land use, entitlements, platting, zoning, permitting, due diligence, acquisition, financing, construction, leasing, and disposition. Property management Advise property owners and managers in the negotiation of property management and leasing agreements and provide ongoing guidance on operational matters for income-producing assets. Leasing Represent landlords and tenants in complex leasing transactions across retail, industrial, office, healthcare and mixed-use sectors, with deep experience in lease review, abstraction, drafting, and negotiation. Workouts & restructuring Assist lenders and borrowers in loan workouts, modifications, forbearance agreements, recapitalizations, note sales, and foreclosures. Asset management Advise owners and asset managers post-acquisition – often following foreclosure – on repositioning strategies, including leasing plans, construction completions, and stabilization for eventual disposition. Dispute resolution Represent clients in disputes involving joint venture breakups, loan defaults, guarantor liability, and contract enforcement, often in the context of mediation, arbitration, litigation, receivership or bankruptcy. Eminent domain Focus on representing property owners in condemnation proceedings, successfully defending owners against local, county, and state condemnors in cases involving fee takings, easement takings, and partial takings for infrastructure projects, including roads, pipelines, and transmission lines. Local counsel Regularly serve as local Texas counsel for multi-state transactions, providing enforceability opinions and advising on real estate collateral located in Texas. Outside general counsel Provide cost-effective, tailored legal services to banks and private businesses, acting as their outside general counsel.
