Blank Rome added nationally recognized hospitality lawyers Jim Butler, David Sudeck, Mark Adams, Jeff Myers and Joe Mellema as partners. The group previously practiced at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, where Butler was a founding partner and established and built its market-leading hospitality group, for which he and Sudeck most recently served as co-chairs.
Butler, Sudeck and Myers are based in the Los Angeles office and are members of the real estate group and industry team and the hospitality practice. Butler and Sudeck will serve as co-chairs of the hospitality practice, together with Christy Reuter, who has served as the chair since 2021.
Adams and Mellema are based in the Orange County office and are members of the business litigation group, the hospitality practice and the real estate industry team.
With decades of combined experience shaping the hospitality industry, this powerhouse team brings accolades and industry firepower in connection with advising owners, developers, lenders, operators and capital providers on thousands of hotel and mixed-use projects worldwide, bringing unsurpassed insight into the transactions, litigation and business strategies that define this complex sector. Their experience covers every stage of the asset lifecycle — from acquisition and development to financing, branding, management and restructuring — with particular strength in negotiating complex management and franchise agreements, purchasing and selling hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects and structuring sophisticated capital stacks that frequently include C-PACE and EB-5 financing.
“We are thrilled to expand our hospitality practice with the addition of this truly outstanding team of legal leaders in the hospitality industry,” Grant S. Palmer, chair and managing partner of Blank Rome, said. “Jim, David, Mark, Jeff and Joe have established the preeminent hospitality practice serving leading clients around the world for several decades. The team’s extensive experience and leadership in the sector and multi-faceted practices will add tremendous value to clients needing comprehensive and strategic advice in today’s hospitality market.”
Reuter said, “We are incredibly excited to welcome Jim, David, Mark, Jeff and Joe to the firm and I am looking forward to partnering with David and Jim to lead our hospitality group. Jim, David and Jeff bring unparalleled experience in hotel and real estate finance, including advising on complex hotel management agreements and innovative capital solutions, which will help clients seize opportunities and navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Mark is an accomplished trial lawyer who will add significant litigation strength with his proven ability to terminate long-term hotel management and franchise agreements and resolve other high-stakes hospitality disputes and bet-the-company litigation. Joe’s extensive experience in IP litigation and business disputes will help clients safeguard their brands. Together, their experience and skills position us to expand our hospitality capabilities to support our clients’ long-term strategies and assist them to mitigate risk.”
Butler is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most accomplished hotel lawyers, with a career dedicated exclusively to hospitality law. He founded and chaired a leading hospitality team at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell that advised on thousands of hotel transactions and complex litigation worldwide. Butler’s team has supported decades of hotel development and investment, with extensive experience across more than 4,700 hospitality properties worldwide valued at more than $125 billion. Collectively, Butler and his team have worked on more than 2,700 hotel management and franchise agreements, giving him unparalleled insight into the intricate negotiations and strategic structuring required in the hospitality space. Butler’s extensive experience extends to hotel receiverships, bankruptcies, workouts and distressed asset resolution, leveraging his extensive background — including his service as outside general counsel to a major American multinational hospitality company — to deliver innovative and practical results. Recognized for his extensive network of industry relationships and ability to lead clients through significant branding, management and restructuring initiatives, Butler is a respected adviser whose guidance is valued by prominent organizations throughout the hospitality sector.
Butler is a frequent author, speaker and expert witness on hotel issues. He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Order of the Coif, where he also served as editor of the California Law Review. He earned his A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with Great Distinction and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha.
Butler said, “Through decades of carefully building and leading one of the nation’s preeminent hospitality law groups, I’ve always been guided by a simple priority: ensuring that our clients have the strongest possible platform behind them. As our practice continued to grow and our clients’ needs became increasingly global and complex, I knew it was time to find a firm whose capabilities matched the caliber of the work we do. At Blank Rome, I immediately recognized that alignment. The firm’s depth empowers us to support owners, developers, lenders, brands and independent operators with the sophistication they expect. The hospitality industry moves fast and clients deserve a team that can move with it. Joining Blank Rome allows us to continue leading with that same client-first focus, supported by a collaborative culture and exceptional talent committed to delivering practical, business-focused solutions.”
Sudeck is a highly skilled real estate attorney and dealmaker with an international reputation for advising on major hotel, resort, spa, golf course, restaurant and mixed-use hospitality projects, including providing strategic counsel on management and branding agreements and innovative financing solutions. When he is not working on traditional senior debt or mezzanine financings for owners or lenders, Sudeck advises clients on creative joint ventures or commercial property assessed clean energy or EB-5 financings. Over the past few years alone, Sudeck and his team closed more than $600 million of C-PACE financings and over $1.7 billion of EB-5 financings. Sudeck also serves on the Public Policy Committee of Invest in the USA, the EB-5 industry’s trade group for regional centers. He holds a Master of Real Estate Development, bringing a developer’s perspective to project execution and value creation.
Sudeck is Chambers USA ranked in Leisure & Hospitality and he was recently named one of the “Top 15 Corporate Attorneys” by EB5 Investors Magazine. He earned his MRED, with high honors, from the University of Southern California, his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sudeck said, “What excites me most about joining Blank Rome is the firm’s commitment to building a top-tier international hospitality practice and its ability to holistically handle matters the way hospitality and real estate clients operate, across disciplines and across geographies. With on the ground strength in key markets like New York, Florida, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania and California and leading real estate, finance, corporate, tax, labor and employment and litigation practices, we can help clients move quickly and confidently. I look forward to partnering with Christy and Jim to lead the hospitality team as we work together to expand Blank Rome’s offerings and create new opportunities nationwide.”
Adams is a business litigator with more than four decades of experience in complex commercial disputes, including multi-party disputes and class actions. He has tried numerous high stakes matters; taken or defended nearly 1,000 depositions across North America, Europe and the Middle East; and in one year achieved two of California’s top 50 largest jury verdicts. Adams’s matters frequently involve contracts, corporate and partnership disputes, shareholder and investment controversies and real estate-related litigation. While his practice is broad, the core of Adams’s work centers on hotel and hospitality disputes, representing hundreds of hotel owners in disputes with major brands. He brings deep, multidisciplinary tradecraft to the termination of long-term management and franchise agreements and the resolution of governance, performance and fee issues. In addition to litigating to unwind or realign agreements, Adams serves as a trusted adviser, offering practical alternatives, introducing new brand relationships, when appropriate and partnering with transactional colleagues to restructure agreements.
Adams is recognized by Best Lawyers in America and the Los Angeles Times. He earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, an M.B.A. from Baylor University and a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Adams said, “I’m joining Blank Rome because its nationally recognized litigation platform matches the way I practice — strategically, aggressively and with trial as a real option. The firm’s deep bench of trial-tested lawyers, including former prosecutors and judges, gives my clients immediate access to a national reach and courtroom strength in complex, high-stakes disputes. It’s a powerful combination for clients who expect results, not just process.”
Myers is a nationally recognized real estate and hospitality attorney with deep experience advising developers, owners, capital providers, commercial landlords, tenants and operators on the full lifecycle of hospitality assets in the United States and abroad. His practice spans the development, financing, acquisition, repositioning and operation of premier hotels, resorts, casinos, condominium hotels, restaurants and complex mixed-use hospitality projects. Myers is highly regarded for his ability to negotiate and structure sophisticated management, franchise, licensing and branding agreements, bringing a nuanced understanding of the operational and commercial realities that drive long-term asset performance. He routinely counsels clients on marketing and sales programs, restaurant and nightlife leases, celebrity chef and branded concept agreements and EB-5 financing arrangements. Known for his practical, business-oriented approach, Myers partners closely with clients to navigate evolving market dynamics, mitigate risk and structure durable, value-enhancing relationships that support both immediate execution and long-term growth.
Myers earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and his B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University. He has been ranked by Chambers USA in Leisure & Hospitality from 2022 to 2025 and recognized by Best Lawyers in America for 2026.
Myers said, “Blank Rome is uniquely positioned to build a comprehensive, top-tier hospitality practice that integrates market-leading hotel and resort capabilities with the firm’s established strength in restaurant and nightlife representation. What drew me to the firm was its clear commitment to developing a nationally competitive hospitality platform, supported by deep resources across tax, labor and employment and litigation. Having worked opposite Christy Reuter, I know the caliber of talent she and her team bring and I look forward to partnering with her and our colleagues to help hospitality clients execute complex transactions and drive long-term value.”
Mellema is a versatile litigator whose practice spans hospitality, real estate, business, technology and intellectual property (IP) disputes in both federal and state courts. While Mellema began his career focusing on IP, his work today encompasses a wide range of complex litigation, including hospitality, real estate, business, commercial, technology and IP disputes in both federal and state courts. Mellema’s experience spans complex matters such as business litigation; contract, corporate and partnership disputes; fraud and shareholder derivative actions; hospitality litigation; intellectual property litigation, including trade secret misappropriation, patent, trademark, copyright and unfair business practices disputes; and sophisticated artificial intelligence matters.
Mellema is highly skilled in all aspects of IP litigation and prosecution, including patent and trademark enforcement, preparation, prosecution and opposition proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He has litigated and prosecuted patents across a range of technical fields, including AI, machine learning, algorithms and software, optical and optoelectronic devices, computer networks and databases, semiconductor devices and processes, computer hardware and software, mechanical devices and pharmaceuticals and regularly represents technology companies nationally and internationally before district and appellate courts, the PTAB, TTAB and the International Trade Commission. With dual degrees in electrical engineering and physical sciences and prior experience as a systems engineer, Mellema excels at distilling complex technology for judges and juries. He has particular experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, handling patent disputes, IP portfolio management, due diligence, Abbreviated New Drug Applications litigation, trade secrets and multibillion-dollar Hatch-Waxman cases. Recognized for his broad skillset and strategic advocacy, Mellema delivers practical solutions for clients facing high-stakes, multidisciplinary challenges.
Mellema earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and has dual B.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering and physical sciences from the University of Southern California and Biola University, respectively.
Mellema said, “From my first conversations with the team, it was clear that Blank Rome is a place where people genuinely enjoy working together and support each other’s success. I was looking for a platform that values collaboration and brings out the best in its attorneys and I found that here. The firm’s energy around growing the hospitality practice is inspiring and I’m excited to contribute while also tapping into Blank Rome’s deep litigation resources and innovative IP teams. This environment empowers me to take on complex, high-stakes matters and deliver even greater value to my clients.”
