Noah Peeters and Amber Murray of Jamestown, Atlanta. In the background is a historic photo of the Atlanta Crackers' baseball stadium and the Sears building, which Jamestown has redeveloped as Ponce City Market. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Jamestown, the developer behind Ponce City Market in Atlanta and a host of iconic projects around the country, has shuffled its legal team.

The company promoted Noah Peeters to general counsel and Amber Murray to deputy GC.

The team takes the reins from Gretchen Nagy, who will continue with Jamestown as senior corporate counsel and split her time between Atlanta and Cologne, Germany, where Jamestown's sister company is headquartered. The company started in 1983 by mainly German investors.

Peeters and Murray both practiced with the real estate and capital markets group of King & Spalding before joining Jamestown. Peeters, who joined the developer in 2012, had Jamestown as a primary client, while Murray, who joined in 2013, had different clients.

They focus on different legal needs now for Jamestown, which operates vertically, meaning its work includes architecture, design, marketing and other functions for its wide range of projects. Peeters keeps an eye on acquisitions, while Murray' works with outside leasing, outside litigation and bankruptcy counsel, among other responsibilities.

They said some of the more interesting legal questions come when Jamestown's creative team plan special events, such as one involving a hot air balloon and the company's CEO.

Peeters said they try not to reflexively say "no" to such requests, aiming to say "yes—and," referring to other steps that need to be taken to manage risk appropriately.

Jamestown CEO Matt Bronfman used to be the company's general counsel and wants lawyers "deeply embedded in the business units," Peeters said.

"He knows lawyers can do more than just answer yes and no," Peeters added, noting Bronfman's legal experience also means he can second-guess the lawyers as well.

The legal team consists of Peeters, Murray, Nagy and Carly Smith, who works on leasing issues, plus a paralegal, a records librarian and a legal coordinator.

Outside counsel include: King & Spalding; Arnall Golden Gregory; Sheley, Hall & Williams, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher; Goulston & Storrs; and Greenberg Traurig.

Outside counsel for transactions and leasing are often based on regional needs, said Peeters, while outside litigators are chosen depending on the specific need.

Asked about the adage, "Clients hire a lawyer, not a law firm," Peeters said that it was true, "to a point."

The company often has to move fast, he said, so it likes to have "a provider with access to a large team" that can address issues such as ERISA, REITs, labor and employment and environmental law simultaneously.

The company also expects its law firms to hire a diverse group of people, Peeters and Murray emphasized.