Meet David Reid | Commercial Real Estate Attorney

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I am a commercial real estate lawyer that works on transactions. I spend my day preparing and negotiating contracts. I spent fifteen years as a lawyer at a large law firm, with 8 of those years as a partner. I had a great experience and worked with many excellent lawyers and clients. However, large law firms are geared more and more to serving very large institutional clients. To the extent I wanted to serve smaller or more entrepreneurial clients, the business model of the large law firm made less sense. I decided that I would be better able to serve clients in a smaller, more nimble format, where I had ultimate control over what types of work to take on and what types of work to refer elsewhere. In addition, I have five children and wanted to be able to spend more time with them. I have both the authority and the responsibility now to be in charge of my workload to make that happen. Almost a year and a half into starting my own law firm, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The work product that transactional lawyers deliver is a written contract. There is a lot of learning and technical acumen that goes into preparing accurate and effective contracts, and clients should expect technical proficiency from their lawyers. However, sound practical judgment is a commercial lawyer’s greatest value to their clients, who need advice on how to proceed in concrete situations. Sound judgment is only gained through hard experience and many repetitions. I credit my former law firm, Eversheds Sutherland, with giving me the opportunity to work on large, interesting, and varied transactions with sophisticated clients, surrounded by some of the smartest people that I have ever met. Being able to work on these matters with these people, day in and day out, for 15 years was an arduous journey but developed my experience and judgment to the point that my clients value me for it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I moved to the Fort Worth area two years ago so I am still getting to know the city myself. However, I love going to the Stockyards to see the rodeo and then go to Billy Bob’s. There is nothing like either one of these in Atlanta, where I was for 15 years before moving here!

Dinosaur Valley State Park and Mineral Wells State Park are also great places for a family with children.

We really just love driving through the countryside seeing the rolling hills and cattle ranches. It is beautiful here!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Bea Reid, has been my number one supporter. She has given me encouragement through law school, through long days and nights as an associate attorney and later as a partner at a large law firm, and through taking the scary plunge to starting my own business. She has always believed in me and pushed me to accomplish as much as I can. I wouldn’t be where I am without her love and support!