Allison Tanner
Attorney
Name: L. Allison Tanner
Career Overview: Ms. Tanner’s practice concentrates primarily in the area of commercial real estate. She has substantial experience in assisting both lenders and borrowers who are dealing with loan workouts, foreclosures, and loan modifications. She also has substantial experience in commercial leasing and in assisting landlords and tenants in lease modifications. She is licensed to practice in both Missouri and Kansas. She has also lectured on leasing and foreclosure topics for many groups, including small business groups and attorneys at continuing legal education seminars. Prior to joining Swanson Midgley, Ms. Tanner practice at Lathrop & Gage, LC for seven (7) years and the national law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP for five (5) years.
Experience Overview: In addition to practice in the area of foreclosure, workouts and loan modifications, Ms. Tanner handles a variety of commercial real estate development, financing, construction and leasing matters. Her representation has included office, industrial, retail and multi-family developments in Kansas and Missouri with both local and national developers. Her role in such projects includes land acquisition, development and leasing for build-to-suit transactions, office and industrial parks, and shopping centers throughout Kansas and Missouri. Ms. Tanner has represented both large national landlords and tenants and small business owners for retail, office, restaurant and industrial leases and has an extensive commercial leasing practice with numerous national and local tenants, including an international motion picture exhibitor, a national candy company, an international shoe store chain, an international discount grocery store chain, a national sporting goods chain and an international luxury goods chain. Ms. Tanner has finance experience representing major institutional lenders in bridge, development and permanent loans secured by retail, office, industrial, multi-family and other income-producing properties on a national basis. Ms. Tanner has worked extensively with various corporate clients in connection with the real estate aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including huge paper mill asset purchase transactions in the southeast, a regional hardware store chain stock purchase transaction, movie theatre exhibitor mergers and a candy store chain merger. Ms. Tanner handles cell tower and wind farm zoning and land use issues for wireless companies in Missouri and Kansas. Ms. Tanner has been successful in obtaining rezoning or conditional use permit approval even in the event of protests and/or lawsuits against the zoning changes.
Education: Ms. Tanner earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1997, graduating in the top ten percent (10%) of her class. She was elected to membership in Order of the Bench and Robe. She also served as the Technical Editor of the UMKC Law Review in 1996-97 and as a Law Review member in 1995-96.
Ms. Tanner earned her M.Ed from the University of Memphis in 1987 and her B.A. in English from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1984, graduating magna cum laude.
Bar Admissions: Missouri and Kansas
Professional Affiliations and Memberships: Missouri Bar Association; Kansas Bar Association; Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; American Bar Association.
Additional Information:
Seminars and Speaking Engagements:
5/12/09 – Presented Missouri Foreclosure – a Step by Step Guide to the KCMBA.
6/3/09 -- Presented Missouri Foreclosure – a Step by Step Guide to the Missouri Bar via an interactive telephone seminar.
9/11/09 – Presented When Should a Business Hire an Attorney (with respect to leasing issues) to the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce lunch and learn series.
9/29/09 – Participated in speaking on Missouri foreclosure in connection with a continuing legal education seminar presented by KCMBA on managing distressed commercial real estate.
12/11/09 – Presented on Missouri foreclosure for NBI continuing legal education.
Community Activities:
Membership Co-Chair for CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women, Kansas City chapter), Clay County Economic Development Council (marketing committee member), Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce (small business committee member), Liberty Arts Squared (sponsorship committee chair) and on the board of directors for the Fuller Center for Housing.
Ms. Tanner is involved in various Northland Democratic political groups and campaigns and has also worked with Habitat for Humanity and other non-profit groups to negotiate to try to obtain funding for rehabilitating foreclosed or abandoned properties pursuant to the Neighborhood Stabilization Act (one of the new federal stimulus plans).
At Swanson Midgley, we listen to our clients' needs in order to help them plan for the future and achieve their goals.
