Practice Experience

• Ed Lester has been involved in numerous commercial and real estate transactions and regularly represents clients in:
  • Secured and unsecured loans
  • Asset-based loans
  • Real estate and equipment sales, leases and acquisitions
  • Loan workouts and settlement agreements
  • Lease-in/lease-out transactions
  • Purchases and sales of stock and other equity interests
  • Loan securitizations, synthetic leases, and timeshare receivables financing
• Mr. Lester serves as a title agent for:
  • Chicago Title Insurance Company
  • Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, Inc.
  • Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation
  • Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company
  • First American Title Insurance Company
  • Stewart Title Guaranty Company
  • Old Republic Title Insurance Company
• He serves as Chair of the firm’s Real Estate and Finance Practice Group, as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, and as Chair of the firm's Legal Opinion Panel.

Professional and Civic Activities

• Westshore Alliance, Board of Directors
• Real Estate Investment Council, Inc.
• American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers
• Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys
• American Bar Association
  Business Law Section 
  Commercial Finance Services Committee, Real Estate
  Finance Subcommittee, Assistant Chair
• The Florida Bar
• Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Leadership Tampa Alumni
• Rotary Club International
• Center for Ethics, University of Tampa, Advisory Board Member
• H.B. Plant Museum, Board of Trustees, Member and President
• University of Tampa, Board of Fellows, Board of Counselors (Former Chairman), Board of Trustees (Former Member)
• American Heart Association Metro Tampa Division, Former President
• Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Director, Board of Directors

Professional Recognition

• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2005-2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 editions
• Selected for inclusion in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite 2005, 2007, and 2009 editions
• Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Business Lawyers 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008, and 2009 (Real Estate) editions
• Selected for inclusion in Florida Super Lawyers 2007, 2008, and 2009 editions
• Listed in The Legal 500 (Real Estate Transactions and Finance)

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Florida

COURT ADMISSIONS

• Florida State Courts
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

Education

• University of Kentucky (J.D., 1982)
  Editor-in-Chief, Kentucky Law Journal
• Middle Tennessee State University (M.A., 1975)
• Vanderbilt University (B.A., 1972)