Sharon S. Millians

Biography

Sharon S. Millians joined Kelly Hart & Hallman in 1981, is a partner in its Real Estate and Intellectual Property and Technology practice groups, and has been a member of its Executive Committee since 1998. She obtained her juris doctor at Southern Methodist School of Law and served as Leading Articles Editor of the Southwestern Law Journal. Ms. Millians has represented clients in transactions in all areas of real estate ownership, real estate-based financing, and development of various real estate products, including office, hotel, resort, retail, ranch land, industrial and multi family uses. She also has represented various clients in the acquisition of millions of dollars of troubled asset portfolios consisting of real estate, loans, and other assets.

Additionally Ms. Millians’ practice has expanded to include representation of clients in the acquisition of technology, as well as in commercial contract matters, including strategic alliances and licensing and technology agreements. Ms. Millians is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and the Tarrant County Women’s Bar Association. She has been listed in the prestigious Woodward/White, Inc. list of “The Best Lawyers in America” since 1992.

In addition to her professional career, Ms. Millians currently is the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors of the Tarrant County Women’s Center, and effective June 1, 2010, Secretary/Treasurer of the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Chiapas Project, a global microfinance initiative to support women in poverty. She and her husband, Dan, have two grown sons, Michael and Robert. Sharon enjoys running, music, travel, and foreign languages.

Education & Honors

• Texas Christian University, B.A., summa cum laude, 1970
• Texas Christian University, M.A., 1973
• Southern Methodist University School of Law, J.D., 1981
  • Leading Articles Editor, Southwestern Law Journal, 1980-81
• Member, American College of Real Estate Lawyers
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., 1992-present
• Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers by Texas Monthly magazine, 2009
• Named as a Texas Super Lawyer in the area of Real Estate, Texas Monthly magazine, 2003-present
• Multi-year recognition as an Attorney of Excellence, Fort Worth Business Press
• Honored as a Great Woman of Texas, Fort Worth Business Press, 2003
• Listed as a Top Attorney in the area of Real Estate in Fort Worth, Texas magazine, 2001-present

Admission & Affiliations

• Texas, 1981
• State Bar of Texas
• American Bar Association
• Texas Bar Foundation
• Tarrant County Bar Foundation 
• Tarrant County Women’s Bar Association
• Member, Forum Fort Worth, 1993 to present
• Member, Leadership Fort Worth, 1992
• Alpha Lamda Delta
• Phi Sigma Iota
• Phi Delta Phi

Significant Matters

• Representation of a partnership that purchased the largest insolvent thrift in the U.S
• Represented a real estate development company in selling a portfolio of eight retail-related properties located in Texas and Mississippi for approximately $160 million 
• Assisted an investor group in acquiring approximately 140 acres of improved and unimproved property located near downtown Dallas
• Represented various clients in the acquisition and disposition of various ranch properties throughout Texas
• Represented clients in the purchase and development of a 450-acre site in Gaithersburg, Md, with a mix of product types: apartments, condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes
• Assisted clients in the development of a 900-acre project, including preparing the filings required under the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act and addressing other legal considerations in connection with the marketing and sale of lots in the development
• Negotiated the acquisition of a multi million dollar office complex under construction in Irvine, California
• Represented clients in their purchase, financing, refinancing, and sale of the $350 million flagship hotel in New York City
• Represented an international company providing healthcare communication, educational materials and services, including the negotiation of various strategic alliances and licensing and technology agreements

Publications & Speeches

• Author and Lecturer, “Due Diligence in Pooled Loan Sales,” Real Estate in Capital Markets: The Refinancing of America, presented March 31, 1995 to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, San Diego, California
• Author, “Standing to Sue Under Section 812 of the Fair Housing Act: Gladstone, Realtors v. Village of Bellwood,” 33 Southwestern Law Journal 917, 1979
• Co-Author and Lecturer, “Negotiating an RTC Purchase and Sales Agreement,” Real Estate in Capital Markets: the Refinancing of America, presented March 31, 1995 to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, San Diego, California
• Co-Author, “A Compliance Guide to Land Sales Marketing Regulation, Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law,” American Bar Association (with forms), 1992
• Co-Author, “Helping a Lender Develop an Environmental Risk Program,” The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, Vol. 8, No. 4, July, 1992
• Co-Author, “Regulation of Land Sales Marketing – A Practical Approach,” Advanced Real Estate Short Course and ABA Annual Meeting, 1997
• Co-Author, “Marketing of Real Estate in Texas (State and Federal Considerations),” State Bar of Texas Advanced Real Estate Course, 1984
• Co-Author, “Title and Survey Examination,” State Bar of Texas Institute, 1983
• Contributing Author, Texas Environmental Law, “Environmental Compliance and Risk Reduction Programs,” Texas Practice, Vol. 46, Chapter 24, 1-20, 1997