Online legal services part of changing landscape
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
Education
Law School/Year: University of Notre Dame, 1992
College/Year: University of Notre Dame, B.B.A., 1989
Bar Admissions
California; U.S. District Court, Central, Eastern and Southern districts of California
Practice Areas
Hotels, Resorts & Golf; Government Contracts; Renewable Energy; Commercial; Corporate Business; Real Estate
Major Cases
Whitton handled the dismantling and dissolution of a $200 million petroleum coke terminal in the Port of Los Angeles, including more than four years of complex litigation and settlement negotiations with the City of Los Angeles, labor groups, the operating management company, equipment lessors, salvage purchasers, the tax assessor, and environmental agencies, involving claims in excess of $400 million.
He served as lead counsel in the acquisition of service station portfolios throughout the Western United States from a global petrochemical company, and the related debt and equity financing arrangements.
Whitton represented a leading self storage owner and developer in acquiring significant holdings and operations throughout California, including the related joint venture and financing deals.
He played a significant role in the Diocese of San Diego bankruptcy, developing a novel strategy whereby the parishioners intervened in the bankruptcy claiming the churches and schools belonged to them and not the Diocese, ultimately leading to protection of the assets for the parishioners and pressuring settlement of the case.
Whitton also served as lead counsel for Arnold Palmer Golf Management in the development of a number of golf courses and country clubs in partnership with nationally recognized universities.
Professional Background
Partner, Troutman Sanders LLP, 1994-present (includes predecessor firms of Ross, Dixon & Bell, LLP and Miller, Boyko and Bell, LLP). Whitton advises and counsels public and private companies, real estate investment trusts, and lending and financial institutions on a variety of sophisticated and complex real estate and business transactions throughout the country. His practice focuses on large-scale joint ventures, portfolio acquisitions, real estate development, and debt and equity financing and restructuring. A considerable portion of Whitton’s practice involves the purchase, sale, joint venture formation, and debt/equity financing for businesses with significant real estate assets, such as automobile dealerships; golf, resort and marina properties; automobile service stations; self storage businesses; manufacturing and power plants; and port storage and ship loading facilities.
Whitton is considered one of the leading experts in transactions and other legal matters involving golf courses/country clubs, marinas, hotels and other resort properties. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including being named one of ten "Best Attorneys in the Golf Industry" by Golf, Inc. (2011); achieving an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell; and being selected as California Leading Lawyer in Real Estate by Chambers USA (2007, 2008, 2009).
Professional Affiliations
• Century Club of San Diego, Officer and Board Member;
• City of Solana Beach Budget & Finance Committee, Member;
• St. James Academy Advisory Board, Chair;
• LEAD San Diego Leadership TRUST, Member [Graduate of 2012 IMPACT and 2011 INFLUENCE Programs];
• National Law School Advisory Council, University of Notre Dame, Former Board Member;
• CleanTECH San Diego, Former Board Member;
• United Way of San Diego County, Former Campaign Cabinet Member;
• Boy Scouts of America, San Diego-Imperial Council, Former Vice Chair of the Champions of Scouting Committee.
Personal Background
Whitton grew up in a military family and moved to San Diego at the age of three. He was raised in Oceanside and attended University of San Diego High School. He returned to San Diego to start his career upon graduation from Notre Dame. Whitton now lives in Solana Beach with his wife and three children. He is active in various civic and charitable organizations in support of the community he has called home for more than 40 years.
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
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