Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Ellen Smith as a partner in the firm’s Atlanta office. She joins Parker Poe’s Development Services Industry Team, which helps clients navigate the entire life cycle of real estate projects.

Ellen has worked on every kind of transaction in the commercial real estate industry. She has helped developers, owners, and operators close a broad variety of multimillion-dollar loans, sales, and acquisitions. She also advises residential care facilities on their real estate needs, including with specialized loans through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In addition, Ellen has secured land use entitlements for projects across the Southeast, ranging from permits for large telecommunications companies to small family developers. Her experience with land use and zoning at her old firm, Holt Ney Zatcoff & Wasserman, also included lobbying for clients at the local and state levels.

Ellen is extremely active in the Atlanta community. She has held leadership roles with Commercial Real Estate Women Atlanta and the Cobb County Library Foundation. She is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Council for Quality Growth and a board member of the Georgia Wireless Association.

“Ellen is a dynamic, outgoing, and respected attorney, with a thriving real estate and local government practice,” Parker Poe Managing Partner Tom Griffin says. “She is also incredibly well-connected in – and devoted to – the Georgia community.  We are thrilled to have her on our team as a valuable resource for our clients.”

“Ellen is a key addition to our Development Services Team,” team leader Jamie Schwedler says. “She brings a level of experience in land use and zoning that is rare in the Georgia market, and she adds depth to our overall commercial real estate transactional practice. Our clients expanding their real estate footprint in Georgia will benefit from Ellen’s diverse experience and vast knowledge of the industry.”