St. Louis-based law firm Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., has formally opened law offices in Washington, D.C., and named attorney Michael S. Kosmas, who is a well-known business lawyer in the nation’s capital, co-chair of the firm’s Hospitality/Leisure Practice Group. Mr. Kosmas has worked as an attorney in Washington, D.C. for more than 15 years, representing many of the world’s biggest hotel owners and operators in transactions internationally. 

Mr. Kosmas’ recent engagements include serving as special hospitality counsel to the Washington Convention and Sports Authority in connection with development of a new 1,167 room Marriott Marquis Headquarters Hotel adjacent to the Washington Convention Center. The $550 million, four-star hotel will be one of only three Marriott Marquis properties in the U.S. when it opens early in 2014.

Mr. Kosmas joins Gallop, Johnson & Neuman as a partner.

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman’s new office opened September 1 at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 850, Washington D.C., 20036-1722. Kosmas will co-chair the firm’s Hospitality /Leisure Practice with J. Thomas Archer, who joined Gallop, Johnson & Neuman as a partner and established the hospitality practice in St. Louis in September 2009 after working many years for major law firms in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis. 

Thomas J. Campbell, Managing Partner of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, says, “Michael Kosmas has handled sophisticated transactions for global hotel and hospitality clients in the U.S. and internationally and he is an excellent fit for our growing firm. Michael is highly respected for his expertise with a full range of hospitality industry legal matters and other business issues, including real estate development and financing. He is the logical choice to co-chair our firm’s expanding Hospitality/Leisure Practice Group as we establish new offices in Washington, D.C.”

Mr. Campbell added, “For years, many of our attorneys have commuted to Washington, D.C. to serve clients. The new offices centralize our resources in the nation’s capital, and its location less than a block from DuPont Circle is convenient for many of our clients.”

Mr. Archer, a commercial litigator and securities lawyer with 20 years of national experience representing hotels, resorts and hospitality industry clients in matters before State and Federal courts and Courts of Appeal, knows Mr. Kosmas well and is familiar with his legal skills. Mr. Archer says, “The hospitality industry executive structure has a critical mass in Mid-Atlantic states and Washington D.C. Our firm’s new D.C. office enables us to better serve clients in the region and to take full advantage of logistical and cost efficiencies.”

Mr. Kosmas worked as a congressional aide in Washington, D.C. for nearly 10 years before earning a J.D. degree at the University of Virginia in 1993 and entering the legal profession in the D.C. area. He also earned a B.A. from Loyola University in Maryland, and clerked for U.S. District Judge Benson Everett Legg in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Since then, Kosmas has handled complex development, acquisition, disposition, financing, management contracts and other legal matters for more than 300 hospitality properties. 

Mr. Kosmas says, “I am enthusiastic about serving current and new clients as an integral part of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman’s busy Hospitality/Leisure Practice Group, and I look forward to the opportunities and synergies of growing the practice.”  

Cathy J. Futrowsky, a respected intellectual property attorney and partner with Gallop, Johnson & Neuman who has worked in Washington, D.C. for the firm since 2005, joins Kosmas in the new offices.

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman, L.C., a full service law firm of 80 attorneys, has provided legal services to clients in diverse industries since its founding in 1976 and is one of the largest law firms in St. Louis. The firm serves public corporations; privately-held companies; entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises; individuals and families; trustees and trust beneficiaries; charities; and non-profit entities. The firm is located at 101 South Hanley Road, Suite 1700, in Clayton, Missouri. 

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