Tara Annweiler represents a diverse group of business clients designing and executing a wide variety of financial transactions and processes, including commercial and residential real estate loans, acquisitions, and sales.
A Galveston native, Tara spent the early years of her practice as an insurance and commercial litigator, which has informed her work advising clients on the negotiation and drafting of complex commercial real estate transactions. Over the last two decades, she has concentrated most of her practice in this area, developing a deep professional background in banking, creditor rights, creditor bankruptcy and other real estate issues. Tara has negotiated and executed real estate lending vehicles on behalf of life insurance companies and other commercial clients, and her expertise includes collateral recovery and bankruptcy stay and claims litigation, as well as acquisitions, sales and divestitures. In addition, she handles residential real estate loans for purchases, refinancing and construction, and brings to bear her collateral recovery expertise in this capacity as well.
Along with the lending arms of insurance companies and other corporate clients, Tara also represents national banking associations, as well as an historic preservation non-profit, whom she represented in the purchase of a National Historic Landmark property from the Galveston and Houston Archdiocese.
Education
- South Texas College of Law – J.D., 1992
- University of Houston-Clear Lake – B.S., cum laude, 1986
Admissions
- Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 1993
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 1994
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2003
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, 2003
Professional Activities and Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- Galveston County Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association, Southern District of Texas Chapter
Civic Activities
- Galveston Island Meals on Wheels, Volunteer
- Galveston Historical Foundation, Member
Representative Cases
- Represented a historical foundation client in the negotiation and purchase of the 1892 Bishop’s Palace (a.k.a. Gresham House), which is an ornate 19,082 square feet Victorian-style house designed by architect Nicholas Clayton and registered as a National Historic Landmark, from the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston Catholic Archdiocese.
- Represented a life insurance company client as the mortgage lender in the closing of a $28 million loan secured by 32 convenience store/gas stations located in 4 states (16 counties), including document preparation, coordinating with local counsel in each state, reviewing title and survey issues and resolving environmental issues for the 32 properties.
- Represented two corporate clients in the joint sale of multiple tracts of real property consisting of 1,000 plus acres of grazing land and wetlands to a public land trust
- Represented a life insurance company client as the mortgage lender in the closing of a $30 million loan secured by two tracts of property consisting of approximately 26 acres with 71 residential buildings containing 302 luxury apartments and amenities.
- Represented a life insurance company client as the mortgage lender in the closing of a multi-phase business park loan for $29 million secured by 21 acres with eight commercial buildings leased to 17 commercial tenants.
- Represented a life insurance company client as the mortgage lender in the closing of two loans totaling $13 million secured by an urban renewal project consisting of mixed-use multi-building properties with more than 120,000 square feet of rentable area among 35 residential and commercial tenants.
