MIAMI—Jones Walker announced today that it has been approved as an agent of First American Title in Florida. As an approved agent, the firm's ability to write title policies in real estate transactions has expanded into Florida.

Louis S. Quinn, Jr., leader of the firm's Real Estate Practice Group, stated, "The firm's existing real estate practice extends to writing title insurance coverage and resolving related issues and disputes. Many of the firm's attorneys are respected title insurance agents in Louisiana, having written more than $5 billion of title insurance since 2003. Extending our relationship with First American Title Company expands our offering of services to clients in Florida."

"Our real estate and asset recovery practice has expanded significantly in Florida the past year, and this agreement deepens the firm's relationship with this national title company, and permits us to write title policies throughout Florida," said Ben H. Harris, III, a partner in Jones Walkers' Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group and head of the firm's asset recovery litigation team. He noted that Christopher M. Hinsley, special counsel with the firm, has played a prominent role in establishing this relationship with First American Title Company, and will be spearheading the firm's work with the title company in Florida. Mr. Hinsley stated, "This complements all of our work both in special assets litigation and our transactional real estate practice areas, such as real estate finance."

The firm's real estate practice is one of the most comprehensive in the Gulf South. The firm has a wholly owned title agency, Baronne Title Co., Inc, and the firm's attorneys are authorized agents for First American Title Insurance Company, Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York, Stewart Title Guaranty Company, and Stewart Title Latin America.

The firm's asset recovery, real estate, and creditors' rights practice restructures loans, enforces creditors' remedies, represents creditors in bankruptcy, and arranges and executes sales and acquisitions of distressed loans in discrete transactions or in pools. The group handles issues that arise from title defects and related claims, environmental problems, successor-developer issues, lender-liability claims, and litigation arising in connection with distressed assets. Jones Walker's attorneys work in tandem with receivers and property managers to effectively and efficiently preserve legal rights and collateral value.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P. (www.joneswalker.com) provides a comprehensive range of legal services in highly regulated industries to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

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