Phelps Dunbar Hires Ex-Holland Knight Atty For Tenn. Office

Law360 Real Estate Authority published this article March 30, 2026.

Phelps Dunbar has hired a former Holland & Knight LLP partner as a real estate partner in its Nashville, Tennessee, office with the aim of "strengthening the firm's ability to close complex deals and drive real estate development in Tennessee's fastest‑growing market," the firm recently announced.

On Monday, the new hire, Alex J. Porter, told Law360 that he decided to work for Phelps Dunbar, in part, because of its workplace culture.

"There is an entrepreneurial spirit here that is extremely attractive and a collaborative atmosphere where everyone is rowing in the same direction," he said.

According to Porter, "many" of his clients are joining him at his new firm, and he's recently worked on transactions such as a $40 million Denver apartment purchase deal.

"The deal included negotiating a complicated loan with a debt fund that had an initial funding at closing with additional draws for [capital expenditures] work post-closing," Porter added.

According to Phelps Dunbar's March 23 announcement, Porter is an experienced real estate transactions attorney who's represented public and private companies and guided deals and legal matters such as agency financings, leases, acquisitions and dispositions.

Additionally, he's worked on more than 40 deals annually during a five-year span and oversees real estate assets like offices, medical facilities and multifamily portfolios, the firm said.

Phelps Dunbar described Porter, who was born in Nashville, as an attorney with "deep local knowledge" who has "a rare pairing of high-volume multifamily and healthcare real estate experience across the Southeast."

In January 2024, Phelps Dunbar established itself in Tennessee after combining with Farris Bobango PLC, which was based in Memphis.

Porter received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.