THE MHP LAW FIRM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Real Estate Attorney and Developer
Douglas Raney is a real estate attorney and developer with over a decade of experience structuring and managing deals. Douglas has drafted, negotiated, and analyzed all sorts of legal documents, including purchase agreements, loan documents, commercial leases, operating agreements, and easements. Douglas and his partnerships have bought and sold millions of dollars' worth of real estate assets, and he uses this background to advise clients how to structure contracts and partnerships in the most beneficial manner possible while anticipating and avoiding conflict before it arises to prevent the need for costly litigation.
While in law school, Douglas financed his education by moonlighting with middle to high stakes poker, fully paying off his student loans within four months of graduation. In addition to being a regular at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Douglas enjoys travel, tennis, and walking his two dogs with his fiancée, with whom he lives in Lawrence, Kansas.
Ferd Niemann is a mobile home park owner, operator, and lawyer, as well as a real estate investor, financial analyst, entrepreneur, and attorney whose career has focused on a myriad of areas of real estate. His experience includes mobile home park investments and turnarounds, retail development and redevelopment, residential investments, and real estate law. In addition to his investments as an operator, Ferd has invested in storage, apartments, restaurants, medical startups, and a handful of other ventures.
Before starting his own firm - The MHP Law Firm - Ferd practiced law at a top Kansas City firm focusing on economic development incentives, public finance, property tax assessments, redevelopment, land use, and zoning. Ferd was also the associate editor for Missouri Land Use Law & Practice and Missouri Economic Development Law, the foremost treatises in the fields. Prior to law school at UMKC, Ferd graduated from Rockhurst University with a bachelor's degree in finance and an MBA. For over five years Ferd served his community while working at Jackson County in a variety of positions in the Administration, Government Relations, Economic Development, and Assessment Departments. Through his experience analyzing deals and sitting on Tax Increment Financing Commissions, Ferd has developed a critical eye for solving problems and navigating government processes. Serving as Jackson County's Director of Assessment gave him greater insights into the valuation of personal and real property, as well as handling property tax appeals. His various positions at Jackson County honed Ferd's skills in analysis, project and people management, and putting deals together.
Ferd is adept in finance and has successfully modeled numerous business plans; and, more importantly, implemented the plans. He has received national recognition as a high quality MHP operator and a thought leader in the industry. Today, in addition to his own portfolio, Ferd has helped over 100 MHP owners with their projects.
Ferd grew up in Quincy, IL and moved to Kansas City to attend Rockhurst University to pursue his education and play college baseball. Ferd enjoys chasing deals, problem solving for clients, reading great books, politics, involvement in his Catholic men's group, and spending time with his wife Angela and their children Anthony (7), Margaret (6), and Monica (4).
My name is Hunter Woodhart and I am a first year associate attorney with the MHP Law Firm LLC, practicing in real estate law. I graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in May 2021 with two legal certificates, Business and Commercial Law and International Trade and Finance. Before attending Law School, I graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. (History), and graduated as a member of the LEAD Program [Legal Educated Accelerated Degree]. When I am not working, I enjoy hiking in the mountains, gardening, and playing video games.
Jay Heck is a real estate lawyer, broker, educator and investor. His experience representing landlords, tenants, purchasers and sellers spans across five decades. He has been the legal negotiator on approximately ten thousand separate transactions, with approximately two billion dollars in transaction volume, of nearly every conceivable real estate transaction type.
Prior to joining the firm, Jay was a real estate lawyer for three of the largest NYSE-traded companies, with headquarters located in the Kansas City metropolitan area and for two shopping center developer/operators with multi-state portfolios. In 2019, he negotiated the legal aspects of two 1,000,000+ square foot office leases, believed to be the two largest-ever office space leases, in either Kansas or Missouri.
Jay is a graduate of the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law (Juris Doctor, 1994) and the University of Central Missouri (Bachelor of Science, 1988).
In his non-office hours, Jay enjoys working on home improvements, lawn and gardening projects and his two vintage automobiles.
Lance Bond, an "Of Counsel" member at our real estate law firm, exemplifies a unique combination of litigation expertise, real estate transactional experience, and a commendable military background. Lance's legal journey, which started before the opening of his private practice in 2013, includes invaluable experience with two multi-national corporations where he skillfully negotiated and drafted real estate contracts.
In the realm of civil litigation, Lance has a decade of experience representing both business plaintiffs and business defendants in Missouri and Kansas courts. Lance's adeptness in handling complex litigation matters spans a range of disputes, including business-to-business conflicts, breach of contract cases, eviction defense, debt defense, and landlord/tenant disputes.
Lance's eight years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps have instilled in him a relentless work ethic and resilience, making him a formidable force in the courtroom. Whether dealing with a sophisticated real estate transaction, preparing agreements, or alternative dispute resolution, Lance's professional negotiation skills and robust advocacy ensure the achievement of favorable outcomes for clients.
In his role at our firm, Lance continues to leverage his expertise in real estate transactions and civil litigation, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and effective legal professional.
Outside of work, Lance enjoys delving into historical novels and practicing archery, activities that reflect his appreciation for history and his focus on precision and discipline.