Profile
Mark D. Hillier has worked in several architectural, land planning, legal, and consulting firms in the Recreational and Hospitality Practice since 1992. Mark is experienced in the areas of recreation and hospitality law, corporate, real estate, timeshare, infrastructure, securities, and taxation and has been active in events of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Southeastern/Caribbean Council and the national ULI. Mark also has experience in structuring private residence and fractional membership programs, infrastructure cost recovery programs, conservation easements, marina slip membership programs, resort membership programs, community based and stand-alone golf and country club membership programs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Concentrations
- Recreation and hospitality law
- Corporate law
- Real estate
- Securities
- Taxation
- Land development
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented land developers, amenity owners and member groups in structuring club membership programs including:
- Formulating new specialized stand-alone clubs (such as International Polo Club Palm Beach in Florida and The Shoals Club in North Carolina)
- Restructuring existing golf, country and resort clubs to fund amenity expansions and renovations and increase cash flow (The Club at PGA West in California, Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, Muirfield Golf Club in Ohio and Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Florida)
- Structuring community-based private, semi-private, and resort clubs to accelerate residence and homesite absorption (Timberline Golf Club in Alabama, The Grand Golf Club in California and Shooting Star in Wyoming)
- Designing and documenting slip membership programs that enabled marina owners to capitalize on marina investments (Sunset Harbour Yacht Club in Florida)
- Researched Do-Not-Call legislation and prepared club marketing strategy that incorporated new telephone contact restrictions.
- Represented land developers and amenity owners in negotiating amenity access agreements and hotel management agreements.
- Represented land developers and amenity owners in designing Founder Membership Programs to fund facilities construction.
- Represented land developers and resort owners in registering projects with land sales and timeshare regulators.
- Represented land developers in structuring conservation easements.
- Intern, Victor S. Johnson III, District Attorney General, Nashville, TN, 1998-1999
- Intern, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Washington, D.C., 1996-1997
Recognition & Leadership
- Team Member, a Law360 “Hospitality Practice Group of the Year,” 2021
- Team Member, Chambers & Partners USA Real Estate Law Firm of the Year, 2010, 2017-2018, and 2022
- Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, "Law Firm of the Year" in Real Estate Law, 2015
- Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, "Top Tier" Firm in Real Estate, 2013 and 2014
- Team Member, a Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2011-2013, 2015, and 2022
- Full Member, Urban Land Institute, 2000-Present
- Southeast Florida and Caribbean District Council, Executive Committee, 2004-Present
- Chair, Young Leaders Group Committee, 2003-2004
- Recreational Development Council, Red Flight, 2003-Present
- Member, American Bar Association, 2000-Present
- Member, Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity, 1998-Present
Credentials
-
J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School
- President, The Federalist Society
- President, Criminal Law Society
- Member, Business Law Society
- Member, Entertainment Law Society
- B.A., American University
- Florida
- Spanish