Warren Seay, Jr.
Warren is a practical deal lawyer, handling multiple aspects of real estate, corporate and finance matters.
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Warren works with national banks, regional and local commercial banks, and capital market lenders and borrowers on the origination and restructuring of loans for several types of assets, including single asset and project-based construction loans, term loans, and secured credit facilities. Warren frequently represents lenders on transactions securing multifamily and senior living facilities, hotels, retail, and data centers, along with a variety of mixed-use developments.
He also advises clients on structured finance and bond financing transactions, as well as the acquisition, sale, and leasing of commercial real estate, with extensive experience managing several large-scale portfolios, including the recent sale of 73 assisted-living facilities in 16 states throughout the US.
Warren also serves as outside general counsel for a variety of companies in the fashion retail, cannabis and medical device and technology sectors, skillfully and efficiently directing his clients’ legal needs to the appropriate experts within the firm.
Warren, a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, maintains a robust pro bono practice that includes work with The Black Swan Academy, Legal Aid DC, and CAIR Coalition. Warren has also traveled to the southern border to represent detained asylum-seekers separated from their children.
Previous Work
Before joining ArentFox Schiff, Warren was an Associate in the Real Estate Finance group of a large, Texas-based business law firm.
Warren also served as the President of the DeSoto Independent School District Board of Trustees, and navigated DeSoto ISD through one of its most challenging leadership periods ever. When initially elected, Warren became the youngest elected official in Texas. Subsequently, he was re-elected four consecutive years as the Board’s President, making him the youngest Board President in the US. Warren has won praise from local, statewide, and national educators for building strong coalitions, articulating a bold vision for student improvement, and leveraging every available resource (including a nationally recognized sports program in DeSoto, TX) in order to transform a 10,000-student school district into a national example of turnaround success and innovation.
Publications, Presentations & Recognitions
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Featured Presenter, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, “School Boards: Repair, Replace or Face the Consequences”, April 2024
- Guest Speaker, Decarceration and Re-Entry Symposium, American University Washington College of Law, October 2023
- Member, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated
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ArentFox Schiff Catalyst Award recipient for Exemplary Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, 2023
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ArentFox Schiff Marc L. Fleischaker Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Public Interest, 2022
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Arent Fox Support Immigrant Families Pro Bono Award, 2018
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Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinder, 2018
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In 2015, Warren was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as a ‘40 Under 40’ honoree.
- Since 2014, Warren has served as a guest presenter each summer at the Institute for Responsible Citizenship in Washington, DC. Presentation entitled: “‘Joshua Generation Rises’: The Intentional Transformation of Public Schools in DeSoto, Texas.”
A few of Warren’s media mentions include:
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“A New Life for Empty Offices: Growing Kale and Cucumbers,” BBC, January 2025
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“Money Trees (and Office Greens): Why Real Estate Developers are Transforming Vacant Office Spaces into Trendy Urban Farms,” The National Law Review, January 2025
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“Calling all Cash Money Millionaires: FinCEN Proposes New Reporting Rules for Cash Residential Real Estate Transfers,” The Real Estate Finance Journal, Fall 2024
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“Small government takeover: The politics of public-school board dissolution and the impact on student achievement,” Theory Into Practice, Special Edition, July 2024
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“Equity, accountability and change in the school board space,” Theory Into Practice, Special Edition, August 2024
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“Perilous Prejudice: LGBTQ+ Rights in Uganda and Beyond,” New York State Bar Association, December 2023
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Education
Southern Methodist University School of Law, JD, cum laudeSouthern Methodist University, BA, summa cum laude