Lawrence C. Eppley

Lawrence Eppley is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and Office Managing Partner of the firm's Chicago office. He is also Leader of the firm's Hospitality Team.

Areas of Practice

Lawrence concentrates his practice on acquisitions, real estate finance, development, public and private finance, joint ventures and raising equity, particularly in the hospitality sector.

Previously, Lawrence was general counsel at Potbelly Sandwich Works, one of Chicago's fastest growing companies, and his clients rely on him as their principal outside legal counsel. He often works with middle-market and emerging growth companies, including those in the hospitality and restaurant sectors, and with structured and institutional finance.

Lawrence was named as one of Law360's Hospitality MVPs in both 2013 and 2016 for his extensive work in major transactions geared towards hotel development.

Honors

Hospitality Editorial Advisory Board, Law360, 2020

Illinois Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2014-2018

Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers, 2013-2020

Hospitality Sector Lawyer of the Year in Illinois, Corporate Intl, 2018

Real Estate and Construction, Legal 500, 2014-2016

Hospitality MVP, Law360, 2013, 2016

Designated a Distinguished Graduate of the College of Law by the University of Illinois School of Law, 2002

Insights

Articles

•Sanctuary housing: Key questions for hotels on front line
Hotels Magazine, 03.31.2020
•Preparing For New Calif. Hotel Housekeeper Regs
Law360, 06.14.2018

Lawrence writes articles on subjects of commercial real estate for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and has lectured for CLE International, Inc. He is a contributing author for IICLE's Commercial Landlord-Tenant Practice, 2020 Edition.

Real Estate, Land Use & Environmental Law Blog Posts

• Hotels Provide Sanctuary on the Front Lines; Saving Grace in the Time of Crisis, March 30, 2020
• Total Vacancy: Hotels Searching for Answers in Wake of COVID-19, March 23, 2020
• Commercial Real Estate Tips of the Week: Practical Answers from Sheppard Mullin’s Coronavirus Task Force, March 16, 2020
• California Executive Order Permits “Commandeering” Hotels, March 13, 2020

Media Mentions

•As Bankruptcies Surge, Sheppard Mullin Adds Kirkland Partner
The American Lawyer, 04.15.2020
•Thousands Of Hotels Offer Rooms For COVID-19 Patients
Law360, 03.25.2020
•New laws aim to protect hotel workers
Hotel Business Magazine, 11.07.2019
•The CEC and 1871 Elects Larry Eppley as Chairman of The Board of Directors
1871 Blog, 06.21.2019
•Art for the Sake of Community
Chicago Design Network, 05.22.2019
•Law360's Hospitality Editorial Advisory Board
Law360, 03.19.2019
•CA Hotels Focus on Training to Limit Housekeeping Injuries
Hotel Business, 11.2018
•Sheppard Mullin Steers $163M NYC Hotel Buy
Law360, 10.24.2018
•Q&A: Sheppard Mullin's Larry Eppley On The Chicago Hospitality Market
Bisnow, 09.04.2018
•Hospitality Cases And Trends To Watch For The Rest Of 2018
Law360, 08.27.2018
•Calif. Hotels Must Create Housekeeper Injury Prevention Plans
Hospitality Law, 08.2018
•Law360's Hospitality Editorial Advisory Board
Law360, 03.21.2018
•New Chicago Ordinance Requires Hotels to Equip Employees with Panic Buttons
Legal News Line, 11.07.2017
•New Chicago Sex Assault Law Aims To Protect Hotel Workers
Law360, 10.26.2017
•Law360 Hospitality Editorial Advisory Board
Law360, 02.27.2017
•Chicago's Hospitality Lawyer
Super Lawyers, 01.2017
•Hospitality Cases To Watch In 2017
Law360, 01.02.2017
•Hospitality MVP: Sheppard Mullin’s Larry Eppley
Law360, 12.12.2016
•4 Movies Every Real Estate Lawyer Should Watch
Law360, 09.12.2016
•Spaces: New Lease, New Look
Chicago Lawyer, 09.2016
•At This Accounting Firm, Every Day Can Be Casual Friday
Crain's Chicago Business, 01.20.2016
•What To Consider When Staring Down A Lateral Move
Chicago Lawyer, 09.04.2014
•An Office In A Startup State Of Mind
Chicago Lawyer, 09.2014
•Hospitality MVP: Sheppard Mullin's Lawrence Eppley
Law360, 11.21.2013

Speaking Engagements

•Lawrence moderated Alternative Investment Opportunities: How to Make Money in 2020 at Bisnow’s Multifamily Annual conference on November 14, 2019.
•He moderated “Hotel Investment, Finance & Development” at the Bisnow Los Angeles Hotel Summit on March 14, 2019. He also presented on Purchases, Sales, and Closing at PLI’s Annual Commercial Real Estate Institute on November 15, 2016, October 25, 2017, and October 24, 2018, and he moderated Bisnow Chicago Repositioning & Adaptive Reuse 2017.
•He also moderated Fireside Chat: The Opening of the ACE Hotel Fulton Market, at Bisnow Chicago Hotel Investment & Development Series 2017. Lawrence was the keynote speaker at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management’s Business Law Conference in February 2012.
•He has also served as a faculty member and lectured for the National Association of Bond Lawyers. Lawrence has also been a speaker and panelist at various National Association of Bond Lawyers seminars and conferences, and served as a panelist at real estate industry seminars.

Events

•Sanctuary Hotels - Providing Accommodation During the Pandemic
Via Zoom Webinar, 04.15.2020

•PLI's 20th Annual Commercial Real Estate Institute
University of Chicago Gleacher Center, 10.24.2018

•Hotel Transactions in Illinois
Lawline, 05.12.2017

•PLI's 18th Annual Commercial Real Estate Institute
University of Chicago Gleacher Center, 11.15.2016

•Hotel Investment & Repositioning Summit
The Westin Chicago River North, 12.17.2014

•THINC 2014
The Hotel Investment Networking Conference, Hilton Chicago, 05.2014