Justin Shipley

Justin Shipley is a finance partner in the firm’s Dallas office. Justin represents financial institutions and borrowers on a wide range of complex commercial finance and real estate transactions. His practice is national in scope and his clients include some of the largest financial institutions in the country.

His experience is diverse and spans across a variety of industries, types of financing and clients. Justin excels at assembling and managing top-notch legal teams which take into consideration the unique aspects and legal budgets of each transaction.

He also has extensive experience with loan workouts and foreclosures. In the years following the 2008 global financial crises, he helped clients with the foreclosure of hundreds of commercial properties.

Justin has been included in The Best Lawyers in America since 2022, D Magazine's “Best Lawyers in Dallas" (2020-2021), and Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters (2015-2019).

Justin is also active in his community – he currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dallas Zoo and is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas.

Dallas Zoo - Board of Directors, Chair, 2025-2026; Vice Chair, 2023-2024; Former General Counsel

The Texas Lyceum

Salesmanship Club of Dallas

Leadership Dallas, 2016 Class Member

Young Risk Manager’s Association, Past Board Member

The Real Estate Council (TREC)

Dallas Bar Association

Generally

Justin has broad experience encompassing both borrower-side and lender-side work on a variety of types of financing including:

- Syndicated Credit Facilities (both secured and unsecured)

- Construction Loans

- Multi-state real property portfolio loans

- Developments involving Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)

- Working lines of credit

- M&A financing

Real Estate

Justin’s real estate experience is deep and has encompassed nearly every facet, property type and geographic area of the United States. His clients include both owners and lenders. He excels at construction lending for complex developments and large (often syndicated) loans for multi-property, multi-state collateral portfolios. He has experience with virtually every real property asset class, including, mixed-used, multi-family, office, retail, industrial, single-family for-rent (SFR) developments, condominiums, self-storage, hotels and rail facilities. He also has substantial experience with properties which involve low income housing tax credits (LIHTC).

Commercial Lending

Justin helps clients in a variety of commercial lending transactions, spanning industries, collateral packages and structures. Most recently he has represented lenders and borrowers on credit facilities for private equity acquisitions, cross-border equipment financings, and secured working lines of credit for companies in construction, technology, manufacturing, food and beverage production/distribution and oil and gas industries.

Restructuring, Foreclosure and REO

Following the 2008 global financial crises, Justin helped lenders and special servicers restructure, exercise remedies and exit hundreds of troubled credit facilities. Beyond real property foreclosures, his experience also includes personal property foreclosures, note sales, and the negotiation and settlement of competing lien claims, such as mechanics liens. He also worked closely with the firm’s litigators on the enforcement of guaranties and pursuit of deficiencies. After foreclosure, he helped clients navigate asset management issues and eventually sell REO properties.

Texas A&M University

B.S., Mechanical Engineering Technology

SMU Dedman School of Law

J.D.