(openPR) - HOUSTON – Cliff Risman, Chair of the Hospitality Team at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, will share his expertise on domestic and global hospitality matters at the 10th Annual Hospitality Law Conference in Houston on Feb. 8-10, 2012.

Mr. Risman will collaborate with Anne Bertsch, Vice President and Senior Counsel at Marriott International, and Philip Gosch, Partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, for the Feb. 8 presentation “Operator Equity Contributions, Guaranties, Loans and Key Money Arrangements; Subordination and Non-Disturbance Agreements.”

“The current economic environment has made this an extremely important topic for the industry,” says Mr. Risman.”I look forward to sharing the insights I have learned in my practice and hearing what my well-respected peers have to say.”

Mr. Risman’s comprehensive business and Real Estate practice at Gardere covers a range of client needs, including those of private, public and institutional developers, purchasers, equity investors, tenants, operators and lenders, with particular emphasis on the hospitality industry – specifically hotels, resorts and mixed-use properties. He consistently earns individual recognition on the national “Leaders in their Field” list for Leisure & Hospitality and Real Estate in the Chambers USA Guide: America’s Leading Business Lawyers 2011 survey.

The Gardere Hospitality Team routinely handles acquisitions, development, dispositions and financing for some of the most recognized names in the hospitality industry around the world, including the United States, Asia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East.

Presented by HospitalityLawyer.com, the annual Hospitality Law Conference is devoted exclusively to legal, safety and security issues affecting the hotel and restaurant industries. It is designed for corporate counsel, attorneys and paralegals practicing in the hospitality industry, risk managers, security and loss-prevention personnel, CFOs, comptrollers, accountants, IT professionals, franchise service directors, and hospitality law faculty and students. Networking events are on the agenda to foster relationships among attendees.

Attendees of the Hospitality Law Conference may receive as many as 17 hours (including 1 hour of ethics) of CLE credit. HospitalityLawyer.com also has applied for credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

This year’s conference will be at the Omni Houston Hotel. Registration may be completed online at www.regonline.com/2012HospitalityLawConference. Discounts are available for teams as well as registrants who sign up early.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest's largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of corporate, litigation, energy, tax, real estate, financial services, government affairs, hospitality, intellectual property, labor and employment and environmental.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
1000 Louisiana, Suite 3400
Houston TX 77002
713.276.5500
Press Contact: Rhonda Reddick, Androvett Legal Media, rhonda@androvett.com, 800.559.4534