Ellen Smith

Practice Areas

Real Estate & Commercial Development

Land Use & Zoning

Business Expansion & Location Solutions

Renewable Energy

Government & Public Policy

Telecommunications

Sports & Entertainment Facilities

Career

Ellen W. Smith is a skilled commercial real estate attorney, equally well-versed in the transactional, land use, entitlements, and regulatory needs of her clients. Clients turn to Ellen to drive transactional and regulatory solutions that serve their business goals. Her clients include Fortune 500 corporations and commercial real estate developers of all asset types, from traditional office, retail, multifamily, and industrial to emerging sectors such as data centers, renewable energy, and tech-related facilities.

Ellen is a leader in Georgia's commercial real estate industry, including through her service on the Executive Committees of the State Bar of Georgia's Real Property Law Section, the Georgia Commercial Real Estate Coalition, and the Council for Quality Growth. She is an active member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network and CREW Atlanta as well.

Ellen has worked on every kind of transaction in the commercial real estate industry. She has helped developers, owners, and operators close a broad variety of multimillion-dollar transactions, including construction and acquisition financing, whether through traditional lenders, complex capital stacks with equity components, or creative combinations thereof that incorporate economic incentives. She has advised on projects from assemblage (navigating title, survey, and environmental complexities) through construction (whether build-to-suit or spec) to lease, sale, or refinance.

Ellen has deep experience in land use and zoning as well. She has secured land use entitlements for projects across the Southeast, ranging from traditional commercial and residential projects to more sensitive projects such as affordable housing, corporate headquarters relocation and expansion, wireless telecommunications, utility-scale solar, and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Ellen began her career as a litigator 25 years ago, handling disputes that focused on real property, land use and zoning, and contracts. She continues to assist clients in dispute resolution, including citations and regulatory challenges. She has historically represented key wireless industry players in litigation involving the federal Telecommunications Act, and she has extensive experience with commercial landlord/tenant disputes.

Ellen is also a leader within Parker Poe, serving as the firm's Atlanta Office Development Partner. She has served as a guest lecturer and part-time instructor on commercial real estate law and negotiation for the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business master's in commercial real estate program.

Education