Chris Schneider represents real estate developers in connection with acquiring, financing, and developing real property for apartment, condominium, and retail use, and property purchasers, sellers, and homebuilders in connection with development transactions. She has decades of experience representing local governmental authorities in connection with real estate-related transactions. Chris also works with both landlords and tenants in connection with industrial, retail, restaurant, and office leasing. 

As is typical with complex real estate transactions, Chris has broad experience with acquisition, construction, and mezzanine financing, having represented both lenders and borrowers. Chris’ widespread experience and familiarity with the Atlanta market provide her with a unique ability to exceed client expectations.

She also has experience in energy-related real estate involving the evaluation of real property for use in solar and wind energy projects, representing the lessee in solar leases, and solar equipment finance lender representation. Chris has also done extensive work on matters involving the real property aspects of wireless telecommunication sites. Chris has practiced through several economic downturns and has worked extensively on distressed asset transactions during those times, including loan portfolio sales and acquisitions, monetization of distressed secured loans, disposition of REO, foreclosure sales, loan workouts, and loan restructurings.

Chris’ thirty years of law practice in Atlanta have involved work on real property assets such as cold storage facilities, warehouses, multifamily developments, subdivisions, transit-oriented developments, affordable housing developments, billboards, cell towers, solar energy sites, office buildings, retail centers, and medical office buildings. Real estate is of special interest to her, and one of her favorite hobbies is driving past Georgia developments and asking “I wonder what’s being built there?”

Chris serves on the board of Community Friendship, Inc., a non-profit providing psycho-social rehabilitation to homeless mentally ill Atlantans, and she has been involved with two Atlanta theatres, Actor’s Express and the Alliance Theatre, in a number of different capacities over the past few decades. She is currently serving as interim Chair of the Board of Actor's Express. She has also been active with the alumni organization Brown University Club of Georgia and currently serves as treasurer of Brown University's Class of 1986.

  • Represented the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta in connection with partnerships with low-income multifamily developers to create new affordable housing solutions.
  • Assisted with real estate development and finance services for a Georgia multi-family housing developer in connection with the acquisition of real property and the mezzanine and construction loan financing for multi-million-dollar apartment projects in Florida, California, and Georgia.*
  • Handled real estate leasing and development services for the leasing and redevelopment of a cold storage facility in Texas.*
  • Represented the second-largest Applebee’s franchisee in connection with restructuring over 100 leases.*
  • Led a 20-person legal team in connection with the representation of the City of Atlanta in connection with the transfer of over 50 properties to Atlanta Public Schools.*
  • Provided real estate acquisition and development services for a national homebuilder over an extended period in connection with the purchase of developed and undeveloped land for numerous single-family residential subdivisions in Georgia, which services included the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, conducting title, survey and environmental due diligence, handling homeowner association and declaration matters and consummating the closing of entire parcels of land or the take-down of subdivided lots.*
  • Representation of lender in connection with all site control evaluation and other real estate aspects of the financing of solar farms.*
  • Provided real estate development services for MARTA over a period of more than a decade in connection with the office, retail, apartment, and condominium multi-million transit-orientated project at the Lindbergh Station, which services included the negotiation of conveyance documents for the sale and ground lease of land, the negotiation of comprehensive development agreements and the preparation of conditions, covenants, and restrictions.*
  • Additional extensive work for MARTA included the negotiation of several ground leases between transit authority and various development partners of the transit-oriented projects at the Avondale, Medical Center, and Sandy Springs MARTA Stations.*
  • Lead borrower’s counsel for a publicly-traded REIT in connection with negotiating and closing multiple real estate-secured loans.*
  • Lead borrower's counsel in connection with a real estate portfolio acquisition involving assumption and restructuring of 23 loans.*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Parker Hudson.

  • Co-Presenter, “Legal Lens: Real Estate Implications of COVID-19,” CoreNet Global, Atlanta Chapter (April 2020)
  • Panelist, “Beyond #MeToo: Practical Advice for Combating Sexual harassment in Our Workplaces, Our Profession and Beyond,” Ms. JD Conference at UCLA Law School (March 2018)

  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Transactions

  • Emory University School of Law (J.D., With Distinctions, 1990); Emory Law Journal, Managing Editor; Order of the Coif; Merit Scholarship Recipient
  • Brown University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1986)

  • Martindale-Hubbell - AV® Preeminent Rated
  • Legal 500 - Real Estate in United States (2015)

  • Actor's Express Theatre Board of Directors: Interim Chair (2024)
  • Actor’s Express Theatre Board of Directors: Vice Chair (2018-2023)
  • Community Friendship, Inc.: Board of Directors (1993-present)
  • Brown University Club of Georgia: Co-President (2021-2023)
  • Brown University: Admissions Area Co-Chair (2013-2019)
  • Alliance Theatre: Advisory Board (2012-2017)
  • Brown University Class of 1986: Treasurer

  • Georgia