Tara Gorman approaches the practice of law like great chefs approach cooking. Anything her clients can conceive, Tara can combine all the ingredients and ideas and create a masterpiece agreement that meets the needs of all the parties and gets the deal done. She focuses her practice on hospitality law, advising clients domestically and internationally on a broad spectrum of matters, including hotel acquisitions, licensing, branding, financings, operation, and development. She has extensive experience in management, licensing, and branding agreements for hotels, restaurants, water parks, and casinos. A trusted advisor, Tara is known for her practical, business-focused counsel, her creative solutions, and her ability to see beyond legal and business issues to create consensus quickly.
Tara maintains a diverse real estate practice, concentrating on commercial real estate acquisitions and sales; office, retail, and data center leasing; and telecommunication license agreements. She has represented a range of institutional investors in connection with their real estate investments, as well as governmental and quasi-governmental agencies with respect to their real estate holdings.
In addition to her practice, Tara is the Chair of the Timesharing and Interval Use Committee of the Hospitality Group of the Real Property and Probate Section of the American Bar Association; Professor in Residence (Adjunct) at the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, D.C., as part of the Hospitality and Tourism Law Program; and on the Board of Advisors of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Hotel & Lodging Legal Summit. She regularly speaks at conferences and seminars on real estate and hospitality topics and is the author of The Law Goddess Blueprint and a contributing writer to the textbook Hotel Law – Transactions, Management and Franchising.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Represented the owner and developer of the Trump International Hotel & Tower Panama in connection with the development and operations of a multifaceted condominium consisting of hotel, residential, office, commercial, and casino components.
- Drafted and negotiated all types of agreements in connection with such hotels and resorts as St. Regis, Ritz, Auberge, The Element, Coloma River Hospitality, Hilton Hotels, 50 Bowery, Park Hyatt, Trump Soho, Trump Ocean Club, Wyndham, Embassy Suites, The Sanderling Resort & Spa, Hotel St. Jane, Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Hotels, Fairmont, Echelon Place, and MGM for National Harbor, among others.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- American Bar Association, Real Estate Property and Probate Section, Hospitality Group, Timesharing and Interval Use Committee, Chair
- Georgetown Law Center, Hotel & Lodging Legal Summit, Board of Advisors
- Professor in Residence (Adjunct) at the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, D.C., as part of the Hospitality and Tourism Law Program
- Commercial Real Estate Women
Honors & Awards
- Connect CRE 2022 Annual Lawyers in Real Estate Award
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow, 2022
- Up With People International Alumni Association, James E. MacLennan Everyday Hero Award, 2016