Heartsill Ragon III
Practice Areas:
Attorney Bio
Education:
Washington & Lee University (B.A., 1978);
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (J.D., 1982)
Biography:
Mr. Ragon is a shareholder and director of Gill Ragon Owen, P.A. His practice focuses on the structure and documentation of sophisticated business, commercial real estate, and lending transactions; the representation of sellers and purchasers of real estate and business ventures; the formation and administration of business entities; the representation of institutional investors in private equity and real estate transactions; the drafting of private placement memoranda related to securities offerings; and the representation of the issuers and purchasers of tax-exempt municipal bonds; and service as general legal counsel to a number of private business concerns.
Notable activities include Mr. Ragon’s service as:
- Diligence counsel to several of the state’s largest pension funds, charitable foundations and family offices in connection with their substantial private equity investments
- Loan documentation counsel to the state’s largest banks
- Primary and local counsel to national law firms, lenders and borrowers in connection with their commercial real estate and health care acquisition, disposition, and financing transactions
- Primary counsel to a number of the nation’s largest resort development companies in connection with their lot, timeshare, and condominium regime creation; registration and marketing activities; and receivables loan documentation transactions
- Bond and project counsel to a number of the state’s municipal and rural water utilities in connection with their expansion and operational issues
- Counsel to the state’s largest electric utilities in connection with their real estate related issues
Mr. Ragon has been awarded and AV “preeminent” rating by Martindale Hubbell; has been recognized by Chambers and Partners, an international lawyer rating organization, in its corporate and commercial category; has been “Top Rated” as a banking and finance attorney by The American Lawyer & Corporate Counsel magazine; has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®; has been top ranked in Mid-South Super Lawyers as a corporate/commercial, mergers/acquisition and real estate attorney; has been awarded Best in Real Estate Finance—Arkansas by Corporate America Legal Elite; and has been selected as “Top Lawyer” by Arkansas Life Magazine in 2017.
Practice Areas:
- Commercial real estate acquisition, development, disposition and finance
- Bank loan documentation and work-out documentation for both lenders and borrowers
- Commercial business transactions; corporate and commercial law; mergers and acquisitions
- Health care, nursing home, assisted living acquisition, disposition and finance
- Municipal bonds
- Water utilities development
- Condominium, timeshare and resort real estate development
Publications:
“An Overview of the New Arkansas Business Corporations Act”
“Off Balance Sheet Financing Techniques”
“New School District Legislation and Financing Techniques— Sale-Leaseback Opportunities”
“School District Finance—Public Private Partnership Opportunities”
“Monetization of Energy Services Contracts”
“Long-Term Financing of HVAC Equipment”
“Land Sales Registration: Potential Pitfalls for Noncompliant Subdivision Developers”
“Public Water Authorities— The Legislature Breathes Life into a New Creature”
“The Use of Improvement Districts to Fund Subdivision Infrastructure Projects’
“Arkansas Proposed Public-Private Partnership Act”
“Telephone Solicitations from Arkansas Telemarketers to Non-Arkansans”
“The Use of Revenue-Backed Lease-Purchase Agreements in the State of Arkansas”
“New Legislation Could Impact the Manner in Which PFB Water Utility Board Members Are Elected”
“Overlay Timeshare Declarations Provide Alternative Sales Strategy to Troubled Whole Unit Condominium Developers”
Speaking Engagements:
National Governor’s Conference Speech: Public – Private Partnership Structures and Alternatives
Arkansas Department of Education Speech: Use of Public-Private Partnerships in School Facility Development
National Association of Energy Service Companies Speech: Monetization of Energy Services Contracts
Arkansas Rural Water Association Speech: 7 USC 1926b Protection of Service Territories
Arkansas Rural Water Association Speech: Freedom of Information Act
Accreditations & Awards
