Elvin J. Sutton, Jr.
Director, Real Estate Legal-New Restaurants

Description of field of expertise

Elvin J. Sutton, Jr. is an accomplished attorney and corporate executive with over 23 years of experience handling complex commercial real estate transactions. Elvin joined Chick-fil-A, Inc. in 2016 after serving as Associate General Counsel at Walmart Stores, Inc. for 8 years.  As Director, Real Estate Legal-New Restaurants, Elvin leads a team of in-house counsel and paralegals that manage all legal facets of commercial real estate leasing and purchase transactions in connection with the construction and development of new restaurants in Chick-fil-A’s Midwest and Southeast regions.  Elvin’s expertise includes facilitating extensive contract negotiations, managing land use and zoning matters, navigating environmental regulatory issues and leading outside counsel management, strategy and deployment for Real Estate Legal. Elvin’s 23 years of practice has spanned the gamut of legal environments from practicing in an Am Law 100 law firm, to serving as  managing attorney for a boutique real estate law firm, and to serving as in-house counsel in the legal departments of both private and publicly traded companies.  In addition to his real estate practice expertise, throughout his career, Elvin has been an advocate and champion of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession.  In 2017, Elvin chartered the Chick-fil-A Legal Department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and served as Chair of the Committee for several years.  In 2020, Elvin was appointed to serve on Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s company wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council where he continues to serve today. Elvin is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Emory University School of Law and is currently a member of the Emory University School of Law Alumni Board of Directors.  In his leisure, Elvin enjoys attending sporting events, traveling, and spending time with his wife Kimberly and their two sons Mason and Donovan.

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

It is critical to understand that much like the stock market, the commercial real estate industry is a living and breathing market that ebbs and flows.  Therefore, my advice to new attorneys interested in the field of commercial real estate is for them to gain a working knowledge of the business side of the commercial real estate industry. The more you know about the business of commercial real estate, the more you can speak your client’s language and better represent their interests. Finally, I advise new attorneys to join real estate trade organizations such as ICSC, NAIOP and the Urban Land Institute all of which offer educational opportunities for new attorneys to learn the business of commercial real estate and stay abreast of changing market dynamics.