Katz Durell, LLC

Josh is a co-founder of the Firm. He practices in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, commercial litigation and creditors’ rights, with an emphasis on residential and commercial closings.

Mr. Katz serves as counsel to national financial institutions where he assists in the structuring and closing of real estate transactions involving office, retail, multi-family and mixed use projects. He also represents lenders in connection with the negotiation, documentation and financing of CMBS mortgage originations intended to be securitized, and represents institutional lenders in residential closings, loan workouts and real and personal property commercial foreclosure actions.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Katz spent several years as a bankruptcy attorney, representing debtors, creditors, and trustees in all phases of bankruptcy litigation.

Education and Admissions

Mr. Katz graduated from Emory University in 1998 with a dual degree in Political Science and Sociology. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2003. While in law school, Josh served as Associate Editor of the Emory Law Journal and was a judicial extern for the Honorable Paul W. Bonapfel, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Georgia, 2003

United States District Court (Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia)

Awards & Recognitions

Legal Elite, Georgia Trend Magazine, December, 2012

Top 40 Under 40 in Georgia, American Society of Legal Advocates, June, 2013

Matt is the other founder of the Firm whose practice is focused on real estate, litigation and intellectual property litigation involving a wide range of technologies, including local area network management and power line communications, Java acceleration hardware and software, smartphone application processor architecture and wireless controllers, Bluetooth and WiFi systems, digital image processing, medical devices, and consumer products. Prior to founding the Firm, Mr. Durell spent several years as an attorney in the Boston office of several international law firms.

Education and Admissions

Mr. Durell graduated from Emory University in 1997 with a degree in Chemistry. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2004.

Georgia, 2003

Massachusetts,

United States District Court (Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia)

US Patent and Trademark office

Publications

Co-author, Supreme Court Delivers Unanimous Decisions in Two Important Patent Cases: What Do This Week’s Limelight and Nautilus Decisions Mean for You?, Intellectual Property Alert (06.06.2014)

James Budd has over fifteen years of real estate experience representing clients in commercial real estate and finance matters across the country. His expertise includes representing both lenders and borrowers in financings on office, retail, multifamily, industrial and mixed use projects. Additionally, he has expertise representing developers in the acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing of commercial real estate across all asset classes. He has also assisted clients with reviewing all aspects of due diligence associated with distressed notes and/or commercial assets and has closed a variety of acquisition transactions.

In his career, he has represented national banking institutions and community banks as outside counsel in real estate transactions, as well as in the acquisition and sale of both distressed commercial loans and commercial assets. Mr. Budd was previously responsible for managing the CMBS “Small Loan Program” (loans under $25,000,000) for a major national investment bank as outside counsel. His expertise has facilitated the loan closing of CMBS loan transactions totaling in excess of $1,500,000,000.00, as well as secondary market securitizations totaling in excess of $13,000,000,000.00.

Education and Admissions

Mr. Budd graduated from Dartmouth College in 1996 with a double major in Government and Economics. While at Dartmouth, Mr. Budd was recognized as a Rufus Choate Scholar. He graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2000 with honors. While in law school, he served as the Articles Editor of the Bankruptcy Developments Journal.
 

Georgia, 2000

Legal Elite, Georgia Trend Magazine, December, 2012

Seth Katz is a civil litigator, assisting clients with business and employment disputes in state and federal courts nationwide. Seth is an experienced trial lawyer and has successfully tried cases in a wide-range of matters involving business torts, breach of contract and other business issues.

Seth also advises employers on workplace concerns including employee discipline, hiring and firing, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, trade secrets, business contracts, litigation avoidance, policy review and management training.

Seth served as Chairman of the Young Lawyers Division Business Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia from 2006-2010.

Education and Admissions

In 2006, Seth earned a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law. While in law school, he served as an intern for the National Labor Relations Board. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1998 from the University of Georgia.

Georgia, 2006

Jessica was born in Albany, Georgia. After passing the Georgia Bar, she practiced corporate and real estate law at two small law practices in Atlanta. In 2008, she transitioned her practice focus to real estate default and was the Senior Attorney over the Georgia Foreclosure Department at McCurdy & Candler, LLC. Jessica joined Halperin Lyman, LLC, in November of 2014, as Senior Attorney over title and residential closings. At Halperin Lyman, LLC, Jessica created the firm’s best practice and procedures for ALTA. In January of 2016, Jessica became a founding Partner at DRL LAW, LLC where she focuses on title, compliance and residential real estate transactions.

When Jessica is not working, she enjoys attending boot camp in Piedmont Park with her husband. She is also an avid runner and is always up for an obstacle race.

Education and Admissions

After graduating from Deerfield Windsor School, she pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia where she obtained her A.B.J. in Public Relations, magna cum laude. Jessica obtained her Juris Doctorate at the University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude in 2005.

Georgia, 2005.