Adams and Reese Forestry Attorneys Aid Client in Closing of 26,500 Acres of Timberland

MOBILE, Ala. (October 4, 2011) - Adams and Reese Attorneys Vic Lott and Ashley Harris served as legal advisors to the Jackson, Miss.-based timberland investment management organization, The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, which announced, on behalf of a client, that they completed the successful purchase of approximately 26,500 acres of timberland located in Georgia and Virginia.

The timberland, located in Liberty and Long Counties in Georgia, and Greensville, Sussex and Southhampton Counties in Virginia, consists mainly of southern pine timberland. Molpus currently manages approximately 22,000 acres in Georgia and Virginia. This transaction is the second acquisition for Molpus’s third co-mingled fund.

The fund, which closed in May of 2011 at approximately $439 million, is made up of U.S. and international investors, including corporate and public retirement systems, university endowments, foundations, and private investors. Molpus currently has more than 1 million acres of timberland under management located in 15 states.

Adams and Reese attorneys and advisors regularly advise forestry stakeholders on national, regional and statewide levels on timber acquisitions and sales; acquisitions and sales of mills and other facilities; financing of forestry transactions; real estate development; options and leases; and title insurance services.

In December 2010, the Adams and Reese forestry team served as legal advisors to The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, which announced, on behalf of a client, that they completed the successful purchase of approximately 14,280 acres in East Texas for a purchase price of $18.4 million. In September of 2010, Lott and Harris served as legal advisors to Molpus, on behalf of a client, that they completed the successful purchase of 124,521 acres, consisting of predominantly pine plantation in seven total states. Lott and Harris also served as legal advisors to Molpus in the company's November 2009 acquisition of approximately 91,360 acres of mature pine sawtimber timberland and related timber cutting rights from Anthony Forest Products Company for a total purchase price of $173.15 million.

The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor, was founded in 1996 as a Timber Investment Management Organization (TIMO). With its sister operating company, Molpus Timberlands Management, LLC (collectively, Molpus), operating since 1905, Molpus is one of the oldest timber-related companies in the nation, with experience in all facets of timber management, manufacturing, and marketing.

Adams and Reese is a multidisciplinary law firm with offices strategically located throughout the southern United States and Washington, DC. American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms - "The Am Law 200.” The National Law Journal also includes the firm on the "NLJ 250" list of the nation's largest law firms.