R. Culver Schmid

Culver Schmid, office managing shareholder in the Firm’s Knoxville office, is a member of the Real Estate/Finance Group. Mr. Schmid’s practice focuses on commercial transactions including real estate development and finance, business acquisitions, secured lending, commercial and residential condominium law, municipal corporations and administrative law.

Mr. Schmid represents banks, commercial real estate developers, manufacturing concerns and acts as legal counsel to The Industrial Development Board of the City of Knoxville. Mr. Schmid currently serves as chairman of The Episcopal School of Knoxville Board of Trustees. He also serves by appointment of the Governor of Tennessee as a member of The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments.

He has previously served on several community boards of directors including The United Way, The Webb School of Knoxville, East Tennessee Historical Society and as chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation.

EDUCATION:

• University of Tennessee School of Law, J.D., 1984
• University of Virginia, B.A., with distinction, 1981
• The Webb School of Knoxville, 1977

ADMISSIONS:

• Tennessee, 1984
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, 1984
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1984

Representative Matters:

• Represented a pet product supplier in the acquisition of one of its distributors. The transaction included purchase of all the outstanding stock of the seller, assignment of numerous commercial leases and due diligence review of corporate assets.
• Represented the developer in the creation and financing of a theater in downtown Knoxville which included the use of empowerment zone bonds and new market tax credit financing; and tax incremental financing.
• Formed and represented a U.S. subsidiary of a Chilean corporation in the acquisition of a U.S. plastics manufacturer.
• Served as landlord’s counsel to the municipal corporation in payment in lieu of tax lease projects (PILOT).
• Represented the developer in the acquisition and financing of a convention center hotel in downtown Knoxville.
• Served as legal counsel and state of Tennessee lobbyist to the Tennessee Oil and Gas Association in connection with the development of fracking regulations for the oil and gas industry in Tennessee.

Professional Honors & Activities:

• Member – Knoxville, Tennessee and American (Section of Business Law) Bar Associations.
• Member – Knoxville Bar Foundation
• Member – Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
• Member – Tennessee Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments