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Christy Pennington

Senior Counsel

Christy Pennington assists clients with all facets of commercial real estate transactions, from acquiring raw land to developing, owning, managing, and leasing commercial real estate projects, and completing the commercial real estate life cycle through divestiture.

With experience in both private practice and as in-house counsel, Christy utilizes her combined legal knowledge and business acumen to assist clients in driving forward their business so they can meet goals while minimizing risk.

She represents healthcare systems, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities, and physician practices in asset purchases, joint ventures, and acquisitions and dispositions of real property. Christy also supports healthcare clients with owning, managing, and leasing hospital and medical office space within regulatory guidelines by implementing policies, procedures, and processes to significantly reduce regulatory compliance risks.

Owners, developers, and investors seek Christy’s experience with the acquisition, ownership, development, leasing, and disposition of office buildings, shopping centers, planned community projects, and raw land.  Her specific work includes, but is not limited to, drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements and all ancillary closing documentation; asset purchase agreements and all ancillary closing documentation; lease agreements (retail, office, medical office, and ground leases) and related amendments, assignments, subleases, terminations, estoppel certificates, and subordination and attornment agreements; development agreements; listing agreements; commission agreements; confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements; easement agreements; declarations of covenants, conditions, and restrictions; and property management agreements.

Additionally, Christy counsels parties through the formation and structuring of new entities and ventures. She drafts and negotiates limited liability company agreements, partnership agreements, joint ventures, buy-sell agreements, and other organizational documents in connection with real estate transactions.

Education

Certificate in Mediation, Lipscomb University Institute of Conflict Management, 2014
J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 2003
B.B.A., Austin Peay State University, 1997

Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America® Real Estate Law (2025)

Memberships

American Bar Association (Health Law and Real Estate sections), Member (2023-present)

American Health Law Association, Member (2016-2019, 2023-present)

State Bar of Texas (Real Estate Law Section), Member (2003-present)

Dallas Bar Association (Real Property Section), Member (2003-2012; 2015-2022)

Collin County Bar Association (Real Estate Section), Member (2023-present)

Collin County Women Lawyers Association, Member (2023-present)

Commercial Real Estate Women – Dallas, Member (various-present)

Attorneys Serving the Community, Multiple Committee Positions (various-present)

Texas Women Lawyers Association, Member (2023-present)

Pro Bono Attorney for Human Rights Initiative of North Texas (2009-12)

AncoraTN (f/k/a End Slavery Tennessee) (Board Member, 2014-17)

Prosper Ladies Association, Prosper, TX (Member 2022)

State Bar Licenses

Texas

Experience

  • Represented international, national, and regional institutional clients in connection with the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and management of class-A office buildings and multifamily complexes.
  • Represented publicly traded and privately held healthcare systems in connection with the acquisition, divestiture, and leasing of hospitals, medical office buildings, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care facilities, and physician practices.
  • Served as lead or co-lead real estate counsel for multimillion dollar healthcare system acquisitions and divestitures; oversaw the real estate due diligence review therefor; and negotiated and drafted asset purchase agreements, purchase and sale agreements, and ancillary agreements and advise real estate executives regarding agreement interpretation.
  • Negotiated and drafted hospital, medical office building, and retail leases and related agreements for hospitals, physician practice groups, and urgent care centers and advised real estate executives regarding lease interpretation and potential violations of the Stark law and Anti-Kickback Statute.
  • Served as lead real estate counsel for the disposition of real property in bankruptcy for a national healthcare company, negotiated and drafted purchase and sale agreements and ancillary agreements, and advised real estate executives regarding agreement interpretation.
  • Developed and implemented policies, procedures, and forms for best practices in healthcare real estate lease transactions to ensure legal and regulatory compliance system-wide.
  • Served as subject matter expert in retail real estate matters and provide guidance and analysis to executives, brokers, property managers, and construction managers in alignment with legal policies and procedures and corporate goals and objectives for a private, full-service retail real estate company with a $2.3B portfolio consisting of 150+ retail projects across four states.

Articles & Presentations

  • Speaker:  Where is the Evolution of “Retailization” and the “Consumer Facing Model” of Healthcare Delivery Going, and What Does it Mean for Healthcare/MOB Real Estate?, Interface Healthcare Real Estate, Dallas, September 2018
  • Speaker/Author: The Greening of Commercial Office Leases, Landlord-Tenant Law in Texas, November 2010
  • Speaker: Tip-Toeing Through the Mitigation Minefield – Lease Termination, Advanced Real Estate Strategies, Fredericksburg, October 2010
  • Speaker/Author: The Greening of Commercial Office Leases, Houston and San Antonio, January 2010
  • Author: Green-Tinted Commercial Office Leases, Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, January 2010
  • Speaker: Legislative Update – Real Estate Law, Webinar, Austin, 2009
  • Speaker/Author: Show Your True Colors: The Greening of Commercial Office Leases, Advanced Real Estate, San Antonio, 2009
  • Speaker: Legislative Update – Real Estate, State Bar Annual Meeting, State Bar of Texas, Dallas, 2009
  • Speaker: Legislative Update – Real Estate, State Bar College “Summer School,” State Bar of Texas, Galveston, 2007
  • Speaker: Legislative Update, Real Estate Law Conference, South Texas College of Law, Houston 2007
  • Co-Author: Legislative Update: Significant Bills of the 81st Texas Legislature Affecting Real Estate, Lending, and Other Commercial Matters, Real Estate Legislative Affairs Committee, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Texas (2009)
  • Co-Author: Legislative Update: Significant Bills of the 80th Texas Legislature Affecting Real Estate, Lending, and Other Commercial Matters, Real Estate Legislative Affairs Committee, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Texas (2007)
  • Co-Author: Form Updates Resulting From Legislative Changes, Real Estate Legislative Affairs Committee, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Texas (2006)
  • Co-Author: Legislative Update: Significant Bills of the 79th Texas Legislature Affecting Real Estate, Lending, and Other Commercial Matters, Real Estate Legislative Affairs Committee, Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section, State Bar of Texas (2005)

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