Hill Ward Henderson is proud to announce that shareholders Katherine “Katie” E. Cole, Kamala “Kami” E. Corbett, S. Katherine Frazier, Jerilyn H. Reed, and R. James “Jim” Robbins Jr. were named Florida Trend’s Legal Elite NOTABLE Real Estate / Land Use Attorneys.
Inclusion on the NOTABLE Real Estate / Land Use Attorneys list is a distinguished recognition of outstanding leadership, deep expertise in property development, real estate transactions, and zoning and land use regulation, as well as impactful advocacy that serves individuals, businesses, and communities alike.
Cole heads the firm’s land use practice in Pinellas County. She represents property owners in the development of commercial projects and residential subdivisions throughout Pinellas as well as Pasco counties. She guides clients from land acquisition through permitting and approvals, helping them launch with all necessary entitlements in place.
She works closely with government staff members and elected officials throughout Pinellas County negotiating agreements, code amendments, and plans to allow her clients’ projects reach the construction stage.
In 2017, Cole was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees and twice reappointed by Governor Ron DeSantis. She served for two years as chairperson of the Board. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for both Morton Plant Mease Hospital and BayCare Health System. In addition, she is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Corbett leads the firm’s land use practice in Hillsborough County. She has extensive experience in the areas of land use, comprehensive planning, annexation, Developments of Regional Impact (DRI), zoning, variances, tree removal permits, design exceptions, subdivisions, sign permitting, alcoholic beverage permitting, concurrency agreements, development agreements and all aspects of governmental permitting, including stormwater and environmental permitting. In addition to her land use practice, she also has experience with matters relating to real estate transactions, code enforcement, public records laws, sunshine laws, the Fair Housing Act, ADA accessibility, with unique experience specializing in hospitality facilities and sports facilities.
Corbett is active in the business community and serves in leadership roles for NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association Tampa Bay Chapter and the Tampa Bay Builder’s Association. She also serves on the all-volunteer board of Housing First, Steps Forward, Inc.
Frazier has been practicing real estate law for more than 30 years. Her practice focuses on various types of commercial transactions in both the real property and business areas. She represents local, regional, and national clients in connection with their commercial transactions in Florida, including, but not limited to, land acquisition and development, entity formation, leasing, financing, survey, and title insurance matters. She has actively represented automobile dealerships, with a particular emphasis on dealership acquisitions and dispositions and related real property transactions.
Frazier is immediate past chair of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law (RPPTL) Section of The Florida Bar, and she has served as an executive committee member of the Section since 2013. She has been actively involved in the Section since 2004. Frazier also serves on the Foundation Board of Directors for H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.
Reed is chair of the firm’s Real Estate Group. Her practice includes institutional lending, real property purchase and sale transactions, commercial development and commercial leasing. Reed’s client base is diverse, ranging from real estate developers, national homebuilders, hoteliers, local, regional, and national banks, as well as multifamily owners and operators.
She is active in the community, devoting time to philanthropic and professional organizations. As one of her priority commitments, Jerilyn serves as a trustee on the St. Joseph’s Baptist Board of Directors, part of the BayCare Health System.
Practicing law for over 40 years, Robbins is president of the firm and one of the founding attorneys of Hill Ward Henderson. He served as managing shareholder for nearly 20 years. Robbins has experience in a wide range of sophisticated commercial business and real estate matters, including land acquisition and development, mergers and acquisitions, leasing and financing transactions. He also regularly acts as outside general counsel to a variety of clients.
In addition, Robbins has actively represented automobile dealerships, with a particular emphasis on dealership acquisitions and dispositions, as well as related real property transactions. He has represented a NYSE dealership group in multiple acquisitions of significant auto dealership real estate portfolios.
Robbins is active in leadership positions with several Tampa-based civic, charitable, and social organizations. He is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and serves on the Executive Council of the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. In addition, Robbins is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and he has served on or is a member of the Boards of Directors of The Florida Aquarium, The Tampa Bay History Center, Jesuit High School, The Academy of the Holy Names, and Positive Coaching Alliance of Tampa Bay. Robbins was also a long-time youth baseball coach.