President’s Message It seems like only yesterday that sum- session leaders, Suzanne Bessette-Smith, Sheila mer began. As I write this message in August, Nolan Gartland, and Meg Meister. The meeting it’s over 90 degrees outside. This message will will open on Thursday afternoon with program- appear in the September issue of ACREL’s news- ming addressing the impact on US letter, which means, among other things, that IN THIS ISSUE summer is coming to an end and ACREL’s An- ports of the expan- nual Meeting is just around the corner. sion of the Panama 6 Canal. Friday and The Current State of Saturday provide Federal Small Commercial Drone Baltimore Annual Meeting Regulation opportunities This year the Annual Meeting is in Balti- for the College’s 9 more. The meeting is from October 22-25, 2015 substantive com- ACRELades at the Four Seasons Hotel on the Inner Harbor in mittees to meet 9 Baltimore. We want a record crowd to partake in before the plenary In Memoriam the phenomenal program, activities and delights sessions begin on 10 of Baltimore. those dates (so, be Report of the 2015 ACREL on the lookout for Nominating Committee The Programs Committee has done an meeting agendas to come from sub- 11 extraordinary job with this program. Countless ACREL + ALTA Launch hours have gone into all aspects of the program- stantive committee International Transactions Library ming. You really need to see this program, or the leaders). The Plenary Sessions 12 loss will be yours. This program, like all meeting The ACREL Meeting App programs, is a collaborative effort involving a provide over 5 large number of members of ACREL, including hours of cutting- 14 the Chair, Jane Smith, the Chair-Designate, Ann edge CLE on Fri- Two Tax Court Cases Bookend Conservation Partnerships Waeger, the Fall Programs chair, Beth Mitch- day and Saturday. from 2002-2015 ell, the meeting leader, Larry Bensignor and the continued on p. 2 American College of Real Estate Lawyers Vol. 33 No. 3 September 2015 President’s Message continued from p. 1 The workshops on Saturday provide additional This meeting will also be the first op- CLE that allows for a deep dive into some of the portunity to meet our newest members. If you topics presented in the plenary session as well as recall we had 47 new members admitted in 2015 other topics. and many will show up for their first meeting in Baltimore. We have 47 mentors assigned to help Come for the CLE, but enjoy the social ac- them navigate the College, but please go out of tivities at the Baltimore meeting. Social activities your way to introduce yourself to them and fel- include a reception for newly admitted Fellows low members as it can be daunting to come to a in the class of 2015 and other first-time meet- meeting recognizing few, if any, faces. Collegial- ing attendees on Thursday evening, an all-hands ity is a hallmark of the College, so extend a warm Thursday evening welcoming cocktail reception, ACREL-welcome to these new Fellows. Many of a Thursday evening Women’s reception, a Satur- us became regular attendees only because other day evening reception for members of the classes Fellows reached out to us when we were new or of 2011-2015 prior to the main Saturday evening relatively new to the College. event, and, finally, the concluding Saturday eve- ning reception and dinner. Many tours are also Upcoming Meetings available if you are interested (see the registration materials). Baltimore has a rich history. Ideally, Please mark your calendars for next you’ll have time while you’re in Baltimore to year’s Mid-Year (Spring) meeting, March 17, consider its literary heritage. Many famous au- 2016-March 20, 2016, at the Grand Del Mar, in thors, including, Edgar Allen Poe, who died and San Diego, and Annual (Fall) meeting, October is buried there, have a connection to Baltimore. 6, 2016-October 9, 2016, at the Waldorf-Astoria, Other authors with a Baltimore connection include in New York. Planning for programming is well H.L. Mencken, John Dos Pascos, F. Scott Fitzger- under way for both meetings. Indeed, planning ald, Dashiell Hammett, Leon Uris and Anne Tyler. for programming starts almost a year and half in Check out the Book Riot blog (http://bookriot. advance of each meeting. Locations for 2017 are com/2014/04/13/literary-tourism-baltimore-mary- being investigated. Stay tuned… land/) and the Baltimore Literary Heritage Project (http://baltimoreauthors.ubalt.edu/) for additional Nominations Baltimore-centric literary information. Don’t for- get that Francis Scott Key penned the “Star Span- The College’s nominating committee, gled Banner” in Baltimore and that Fort McHenry consisting of Tom Kaufman (Chair), Deb Chun, is located in Baltimore. Baltimore has also been Gary Fluhrer, Marilyn Maloney, Mark Senn and the scene of many films, including Diner (directed Jonathan Shils has issued its 2015 report. Kathy by a director with a Baltimore connection, Barry Murphy, current President-Elect, automatically Levinson; this film helped launch the careers becomes President on January 1, 2016. The nomi- of Ellen Barkin, Paul Reiser, Steve Guttenberg, nees for the other officers for election at the 2015 Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rourke, Daniel Stern and Baltimore meeting to take office on January 1, Tim Daly), and TV shows, including Homicide 2016 are: and the Wire. continued on p. 3 2 President’s Message continued from p. 2 Roger D. Winston President-Elect 2. Mixed Use Project Allocations. Presented Jay A. Epstien Vice President by Matthew Leeds, Ed Peterson and David Van Steven A. Waters Treasurer Atta. February 25, 2015 (Programs Committee Marilyn C. Maloney Secretary coordinator: Lee Chilcote). The Nominating Committee nominated the 3. Professors’ Corner – Deficiency Judg- following persons for election as Governors at the ments: Recent Cases Involving Mortgagees’ Title Baltimore meeting to take (or remain in) office in Insurance and Guarantor Liability. Presented by 2016: Joyce Palomar and Jim Smith. March 18, 2015 (Programs Committee coordinator: Mark Brown). Diana C. Liu 4. 1031 Exchanges. Presented by Lee Chil- Jay A. Neveloff cote and Robert Gottlieb. April 21, 2015 (Pro- Jane S. Smith grams Committee coordinator: Rhonda Jolley). Gregory M. Stein Gordon W. Tanner 5. The ABI Commission Report On Bankrupt- Nancy R. Little cy Reform And How It Will Change Real Estate Bankruptcies. Presented by David Kuney and Laurence Dudek, May 28, 2015 (Programs Com- Additional Programming mittee coordinator: Lee Chilcote). In addition to the programming presented 6. Selecting The Right Project Delivery Sys- by the College at the Annual and Mid-Year tem For Your Construction Project. Presented by meetings, the College has robust programming Jeff Applebaum, July 8, 2015 (Program Commit- available through ACRELive to its Fellows and tee coordinator: Lee Chilcote). through ALI-CLE to the world at large. ACRE- Live programs are telephone-based programs ACREL also works with ALI-CLE to pres- presented at no charge to ACREL Fellows on a ent additional CLE programming. The ALI-CLE variety of subjects. Many ACREL Fellows pro- initiative generates additional revenue for ACREL vide opportunities for attorneys within their firms through a revenue-sharing arrangement, provides or clients to listen in as well. This has turned into additional exposure for panelists and an enhanced a nice perk provided by the College. Since the public image for the College. The ALI-CLE inception of ACRELive programming in February programming is available to ACREL Fellows on 2013, there have 15 ACRELive programs through a discounted basis. Four ACREL-CLE programs August 1, 2015 of which six have been presented have been presented through August 1 in 2015: as of August 1: 1. Insurance program to explore policy chang- 1. Issues in Real Estate Brokerage: A Sub- es in CGL policies and an update on Terrorism lease as a Window for Lawyers into the World of Insurance. Presented by Alan DiSciullo and Dan Commercial Brokerage. Presented by Neil Kes- Rubock. January 28, 2015 (Programs Committee sler and Earl Segal. March 12, 2015 (Programs coordinator: Jack Fersko). Committee Coordinator: Marie Moore). continued on p. 4 3 President’s Message continued from p. 3 2. Avoiding Common Mistakes with Con- Member Selection struction Bonds. Presented by Marilyn Klinger, Erin Banks and George Meyer. April 21, 2015 I’ve been happy to be a member of this (Programs Committee coordinator: George Mey- group that would have me as a member since er). 1999. Many of the readers of this newsletter will have the same opinion of the value of member- 3. Private Equity Investment Funds and ship in the College. To keep the College going as Programmatic Joint Ventures. Presented by Dean the vibrant institution that it is and to continue to Pappas and Josh Kamin. May 28, 2015 (Program provide opportunities for others to get the same Committee coordinator: Andy Lance). benefit as we did in being members of the College requires continued effort to include new Fellows. 4. Build to Suit Leases. Presented by Mi- Bear this in mind as the member selection process chael Rothpletz and Loretta Kelly. June 17, 2015 is critical for the survival of the College. (Programs Committee coordinator: Art Menor). The admission process for 2016 new mem- At this time, 2 additional programs CRE- bers begins on September 10, 2015 and ends at Live and 3 additional ALI-CLE programs are in 5:00 PM ET on November 6, 2016. The applica- the “works” for presentation during the remainder tion deadline will not be extended. If we are to of 2015. keep ACREL the vibrant, collegial organization it is today with cutting edge members and discus- In addition to ACRELive and ALI-CLE, sions, we need to admit new Fellows to, among ACREL has made arrangements with Bloomberg other things, replace Fellows that retire.