After receiving an honors degree from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, Gregory headed south by southwest– to Austin where he attended The University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas. While in law school, Gregory was an editor for the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law and attended Queen Mary University in London, England for a study abroad program.
Before joining Vela Wood, Gregory worked in the energy sector, handling a range of matters for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small independent businesses. It was during this time, Gregory served as in-house counsel for a company who sold their primary assets (located in Martin County, Texas) for the largest price per acre metric ever seen in a private sale -totaling nearly six hundred million dollars.
Gregory’s experience assisting companies as both in-house counsel and working for private law firms has allowed him to develop a sophisticated practice for a wide variety of matters, specifically in real estate and finance.
At Vela Wood, Gregory has further developed his practice by continuing to assist companies and individuals with all transactional needs in the real estate, finance, and corporate sectors. He represents both sellers and purchasers for any real estate transaction, conducts lease negotiations on behalf of landlords and tenants, and assists companies and financial institutions with financing and debt restructuring.
Gregory has a wide range of community involvements and has served as past President of the Board of Directors of Casa de Amigos, a West Texas based non-profit that provides food, clothing, shelter, health care, and senior services to underserved Latino communities in West Texas. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts of the Desert Southwest.
In his free time, Gregory is an avid fly fisherman and also enjoys skiing, birding, traveling, and barbecuing. He is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and has a wonderful blended family which he adores.
Select Representations
*Some transactions reflect Gregory’s work at prior firms.
- Represented the purchaser for a well-known bar and restaurant on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, for a $4.5M acquisition
- Developed a reflective loan backed security offering for a large East Coast fund
- Represented a franchisee for the development of a large, nationally known, fast food chain in its metroplex entry
- Represented landlord for a series of medical office buildings in negotiations with tenants
- Represented the senior lender in complex debt restructure for a medical supply company
- Represented a 130+ member seller group in the divestiture of primary energy assets in the amount of $600M or ~$60K per net acre (the largest price per acre achieved in a large-scale private sale)*
- Negotiated a shared ground lease between the client and a private Dallas area school for large, shared-use sporting facilities
- Represented a large real estate fund in a debt restructure
- Represented client in securing a $26M Construction Loan
- Represented client (large veterinary clinic) in a corporate restructure
- Negotiated commercial leases for clients in office, restaurant, retail, and industrial sectors
- Restructured corporate holdings for large ranching and energy backed family assets in Midland County, Texas
- Represented a family seller group in a land and asset sale totaling $25K in Ward and Winkler Counties, Texas*
Speaking Engagements
- “Usury-Identification, Practice Tips, and Real World Implications” CLE (August 21, 2024)
Fun Facts:
- Once did English language dubbing for a German deodorant commercial. His line? “Don’t sweat it.”
- Has an autobiographical locational memory. Meaning he can always get back to anyplace he’s already been.
- Has been told by his family that his true calling should have been cartoon voice work.
- His family is from Scranton, Pennsylvania – yes, “The Office” Scranton.
Education:
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D.
- Saint Louis University, Honors B.A., Summa Cum Laude
