Womble Expands Real Estate Practice in Charlotte With Three New Lawyers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 19, 2023) – Womble Bond Dickinson has continued the expansion of its transactional practices with three new real estate lawyers in Charlotte. The additions include partner Kent Jones and of counsels Ellen Lloyd and Josh Stone. Jones and Stone join Womble from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, where they practiced together for several years. Lloyd returns to the firm from Circle K Stores Inc., where she most recently served as Director of Legal Affairs, Real Estate, USA.  

“Kent, Ellen, and Josh are talented lawyers and valuable assets to our real estate practice,” said Scott Schaaf, Real Estate Practice Group Leader. “They provide tremendous transactional capabilities for clients across many sectors, and we are excited to add their strategic and complementary practices to the firm.”

About the new lawyers: 

Kent Jones has over two decades of experience practicing in the areas of commercial real estate development, finance, commercial leasing, loan workouts, and general corporate law. He assists developers, public/private partnerships, investors, and lenders in managing and closing commercial real estate transactions, including land use, financing, and development matters, and drafting and negotiating purchase contracts, commercial leases, loan documentation, development agreements, and related agreements. His general business practice includes advising businesses and business owners in entity choice and formation issues, equity structures, and the negotiation and preparation of shareholder agreements, operating agreements, service contracts, manufacturing and consulting agreements, and franchise and licensing agreements.

Ellen Lloyd advises clients on commercial real estate projects that create jobs and sustain communities. Her experience includes guiding clients in acquiring, developing, leasing, managing, and selling commercial properties, including retail, office, manufacturing, and mixed-use space. She also has experience advising clients in the timber and agricultural sectors. Her practice includes negotiating and drafting purchase and sale agreements, ground leases, and ancillary real estate documents; performing due diligence; closing commercial real estate transactions; and advising clients on development and construction matters. Lloyd also counsels borrowers and lenders in commercial lending transactions and has served as local counsel on multistate financing deals. 

Josh Stone focuses his practice on commercial real estate transactions. His expansive transactional experience includes real estate acquisitions and development, finance, commercial leasing, and general corporate law. He also regularly counsels borrowers and lenders in commercial lending transactions, negotiates and drafts purchase contracts, commercial leases, loan documentation, and related agreements, performs due diligence on commercial real estate transactions, and closes commercial real estate transactions. Stone began practicing law in his home state of West Virginia, where he worked extensively with clients in the oil and gas industry.