Edmund F. Richardson Partner

Corporate and Business Transactions Real Estate

Ed is an experienced attorney with over 50 years of practice in various areas, including business, real estate and lending transactions litigation in Arizona law firms. He has also served as in-house counsel for a real estate development firm. Ed understands that exceptional representation goes beyond paperwork and legal filings. He recognizes the importance of comprehending business fundamentals and tailoring his approach to each client’s individual expertise, vision, and objectives.

For the majority of the past 50 years, Ed has represented financial institutions and their subsidiaries, handling all aspects of the industry from compliance to documentation and enforcement. A significant portion of his work involves assisting lenders with loan documentation and origination, with a particular focus on due diligence. This entails addressing corporate partnership and limited liability company governance and authority, property title for real and personal assets, encumbrance priority, secured transactions, as well as resolving issues related to broken priorities. Ed is well-versed in matters concerning zoning, building and safety compliance, and conducts thorough reviews of surveys, permits, inspections, and certificates of occupancy for real estate transactions.

During his time as in-house counsel for a real estate developer, Ed was responsible for overseeing all aspects of subdivision applications and reports. This included addressing title issues, ensuring compliance with environmental quality standards, securing water supplies, preparing CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions), association documentation, and establishing rules and regulations for the association. He played a comprehensive role in all aspects of the developments.

Ed’s business practice encompasses the formation, operation, and governance of various types of entities, such as corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and joint ventures.

Additionally, Ed’s practice includes the preparation of wills and trusts for estate planning and asset preservation.

Fluent in Spanish, Ed served as an Official Court Interpreter in Maricopa County Superior Courts from 1968-1972. He enjoys family, family history and genealogy, sports, furniture making, and antiquarian books.

Education

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (J.D., cum laude, 1973)
Managing Editor, Law & the Social Order, “Arizona State Law Journal”
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (B.S., Business Management, 1970)

Court Admissions

Municipal, Justice and Superior Courts of Arizona, 1973
Arizona Court of Appeals, 1973
Supreme Court of Arizona, 1973
U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 1973
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 2008

Languages

Spanish

Professional Memberships & Activities

Arizona Bar Association
Business Law Section
Real Estate Law Section

Publications & Presentations

Seminars on Uniform Commercial Code
Commercial Real Estate Lending Seminars
Employment Law Seminar for Arizona Credit Union League
International Law Seminar for the State Department of Commerce

Philosophy

In time of prosperity and expansion businesses need experienced counsel with knowledge of the opportunities and dangers in the market.
Tougher times require the same skills as well as the ability and creativity to meet the challenges and stresses that accompany a receding economy. You need someone who knows the regulators and whom the regulators trust.

Lenders need counsel who understand their business. Borrowers need counsel with the same understanding. There is no substitute for experience. Ed Richardson can provide the guidance and legal products you need.