direct phone: (202) 349 2458 direct fax: (202) 349 2459 email: cpealer@renocavanaugh.com	Hometown: Ocala, FL   Education: University of Michigan Law School, J.D., cum laude   Tulane University School of Architecture, M.Arch   Tulane University School of Architecture, B.Arch, with double major in Philosophy   Bar Admissions: District of Columbia bar New York bar
Casius Pealer is an associate whose practice focuses on mixed finance transactions, as well as on real estate and administrative law. He also works with the firm’s non-profit clients. Casius worked in the architecture profession prior to attending law school, and has experience in urban design and planning, as well as on-site construction experience.        Selected Recent Transactions Closed a 118-unit elderly-only development in Tennessee, involving Capital Funds, CDBG funds and LIHTCs. Worked on a 71-unit development in New Jersey, involving HOPE VI funds and LIHTCs. Drafted a Master Development Agreement for a six-phase redevelopment plan in West Virginia to cover the ultimate construction of 300 townhouses. Worked on a project with a private developer to construct a project with 60-units of workforce housing in the District of Columbia. Provided general counsel services for UNITY: Journalists of Color, a non-profit organization. Worked on a pro bono basis to assist Architecture for Humanity, a national non-profit organization, to create a partnership agreement and architect's contract for a model program to rebuild homes in East Biloxi, MS, following Hurricane Katrina. Major Prior Work Experience   Casius has previous legal experience as a summer intern at the District of Columbia Housing Authority, as a summer intern at Reno & Cavanaugh, and as a student member of the University of Michigan’s Legal Assistance to Urban Communities (LAUC) Clinic. Prior to attending law school, Casius taught carpentry to teenagers in the West Indies as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps.  Casius also worked as an architecture intern with Perez, Ernst Farnet Architects in New Orleans, LA. Mayors’ Institute on City Design, Washington, DC, 2001-2002, Research Fellow U.S. Peace Corps, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 1999-2001, Vocational Skills Trainer Tulane Regional Urban Design Center, New Orleans LA, 1998-1999, Director of Special Projects Howard S. Wright Construction, Phoenix, AZ, 1998, Construction Framer Perez, Ernst Farnet Architects, New Orleans LA, 1992-1993, Architecture Intern Publications/Speaking Engagements “The Use of Letters of Credit in Lieu of Surety Bonds on Public and Affordable Housing Projects,” ABA Journal on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, forthcoming Spring 2006 Co-author, “Continuing the Conversation with Policy Makers: A Review of the Brookings Institution Report on HOPE VI,” ABA Journal on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, Fall 2005 Various articles in professional architecture publications, 1996-2006 (including: Architecture Magazine, Architectural Record, Architecture California, AIA Journal of Architecture, and Design Intelligence) HUD, Hurricane Katrina and the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Virginia Association of Housing and Community Development Officials (VAHCDO) Annual Meeting, December 2005 Commencement Address, University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture, May 2004   Various presentations at AIA national and local annual meetings, 1998-2005 (including: AIA National, AIA Austin, Boston Society of Architects/AIA, AIA DC, AIA Houston, AIA Minnesota, AIA Seattle, and AIA Tennessee) Awards, Community and Professional Activities Member of the advisory councils for the schools of architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington (2004-2007) and Tulane University (2005-2008) Co-founder and board member, ArchVoices (1999-2006) Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the DC Building Industry Association (DCBIA) and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)  Collaborative Achievement Award, American Institute of Architects, 2005 Serving the 98% Without Architects, Design Corps, 2003  Creative Achievement Award, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), 2002 AIA Certificate of Merit, Tulane University School of Architecture, 1996 Alpha Rho Chi Medal, Tulane University School of Architecture, 1996