Profile

Taylor English provides me the opportunity to get my clients top-drawer legal services in all areas, whether those areas are my sweet spot regarding resort issues or issues that arise from my client’s day-to-day carrying on of business.

Jim Scavo is nationally recognized for his representation of clients involved in the resort, recreational property, real estate and travel industry. His clients include developers, marketers, brokers and managers of multilocation vacation clubs, timeshare and fractional developments, destination and travel clubs, cruise club/use offerings, golf course and country club communities, condominiums, residential second homes, subdivisions and exchange companies. He serves as lead outside regulatory counsel for some of the leading fractional and timeshare developers operating in the United States while assisting many start-up enterprises in the resort industry. He is well known for his origination of the legal work on many innovative resort products offered in the United States, some of which have grown to be industry leaders, including multilocation timeshare vacation clubs, the point-based Exchange Company concept and the establishment of many diverse club products, including destination clubs, travel clubs, cruise-related clubs and Internet-based resort/vacation club offerings. Mr. Scavo is well known for having helped clients in defense of consumer complaint litigation, whether that litigation was privately or governmentally initiated.

Mr. Scavo offers his clients a full range of legal services, including assistance in project acquisition and development, financing, creation of resort plan documents, workouts of troubled projects, conversion of projects into fractional arrangements, registration and licensing filings with regulatory authorities, and providing legal advice in respect to compliance with state and federal marketing regulations. He has served as lead defense counsel to resort marketers and developers on regulatory challenges throughout the United States and has served as regulatory counsel in a resort transaction that was in excess of $2 billion.

Mr. Scavo was the founder of his prior law firm, Weinstock & Scavo, P.C. and its nationally known Resort and Hospitality Group. After more than 25 years at his former firm, he joined Taylor English. Mr. Scavo received his law degree in 1976 from St. John’s University in New York, where he was a member and editor of the St. John’s Law Review. He is a frequent speaker and author in respect to topics regarding resorts and the travel industry. He is a routine instructor for Continuing Legal Education for attorneys, and the author of many law review and trade journal articles regarding resorts and regulated real estate. Mr. Scavo maintains his office both in Savannah and Atlanta.

Memberships

State Bar of Georgia

The State Bar of California

Atlanta Bar Association, Real Estate Section, Former Chairman, 1987

Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys, Charter Member

American Resort Development Association, Trustee

Community Associations Institute (CAI), Past National Trustee

Community Involvement

2005 Republican Inaugural Senatorial Inner Circle (1 of 55 in State of Georgia)

Commissioner, Atlanta Clean City Commission, 1977-1979

Practice Highlights

Experience

  • Fortress Investments acquired Intrawest for more than $2.0 billion

    Performed all due diligence and assisted as to acquisition of resort operator, Intrawest Resorts by Fortress Investments for more than $2.0 billion.

  • The Bluegreen Vacation Club

    Originated all legal work and required registrations for the Bluegreen Vacation Club in 1994 and have continuously represented that Club in its success the last 22 years through present.

  • Exclusive Resorts established and positioned as not a timeshare

    Assisted in the formation of Exclusive Resorts and argued in multiple jurisdictions to position their product as not being a timeshare offering. 

  • Launch of Inspirato, a new club format

    Created and drafted all formational legal work to kick off this newly designed and innovative club format allowing members to vacation, as they choose.

  • RCI points program

    Originated, documented and filed for registration of the RCI Points program, which has assisted RCI to become one of the world’s leading timeshare and vacation experience exchange companies.

  • Assist resort developers and marketers with State AG and FTC compliance 

    Working on behalf of resort developers and marketers, have negotiated and resolved multiple actions taken by the state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, both in national enforcement actions and in individual state actions.

  • The Drayton Towers closing in Savannah

    Performed all due diligence and closing of the acquisition of Drayton Towers, a historical high rise in Savannah, Georgia, by Flank, Inc. our client. 

  •  Summer Bay / Harrah’s Las Vegas

    Originated strategy and plan for the swap of the Summer Bay Resort, Las Vegas, with Harrah’s Hotels for the re-establishment of an over 20,000 Summer Bay time share ownership resort on Harrah owned real estate.

  • Reynolds Plantation

    Initiated and documented all Interstate Land Sales Act filings for lot sales at Reynolds Plantation, Green County, Georgia.

  • Sea Island Acquisitions Co.

    Documentation and regulatory compliance, including registrations, related to new product offering at Cloisters Condominium complex, Sea Island Resorts.

Newsroom

Speaking Engagements

  • Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference, “Fractional 101” 
    2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010
  • "Opportunities & Lessons Learned in a Mixed Use World," American Resort Development Association Convention
    April 9, 2008
  • "Fractionalizing One Off Homes," Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference
    March 19, 2008
  • “Various Club Products,” Golf Mountain and Resort Conference
    2005, 2006, 2007
  • “Legal Aspects of Condominium and Homeowner Associations,” Lorman CLE
    November 2007
  • "Development Constraints and Financing the Acquisition and Construction," Real Estate Development From Beginning to End, Continuing Legal Education Seminar
    June 27, 2007
  • Resort Development Conference, CLE International
    2007
  • “Master Planned Developments and Community Associations,” Lorman Education Services CLE
    November 2006
  • Methodist College Hospitality Management, Guest Lecturer, MBA Program
    2006
  • “Timeshare Regulations,” ARELLO 75th Annual Conference
    2005
  • "Acquiring Financing," Fundamentals of Real Estate Development, Continuing Legal Education Seminar
    June 21, 2005
  • “The Regulatory Twilight Zone,” ARDA Annual Convention
    2004
  • “Resort Development: A Case Study,” ARDA Annual Convention
    2003
  • “How to Write a Do Not Call Policy,” ATA 19th Annual Convention
    2002
  • “Successful Combinations: Vacation Ownership and Resort Hotels,” American Hotel and Motel Association, International Show
    2000
  • “Telephones, Technology and the Mail: Developing Issues in Marketing Real Estate,” Georgia Bar 22nd Annual Real Property Law Institute Conference
    2000
  • “The ABCs of PUDs,” “The Basics of Timesharing,” American Bar Association Annual Real Estate Symposia
    March 2000
  • “Resort Condominiums and Timesharing: Emerging Club Issues,” American Bar Association Annual Spring CLE
    1993
  • “Development and Documentation of Golf Clubs,” ICLE, Real Property Institute
    1990
  • “Regulated Real Estate,” Georgia Bar Real Property Law Institute Conference
    1988
  • Chairman, Real Estate Seminar: “Private Restrictive Covenants,” Atlanta Bar Association
    March 1988
  • “Enforceability of Real Estate Restrictive Covenants, Defenses, Case Trends and the Owners Association,” Atlanta Bar Association
    March 1988
  • “Structuring Fractions for Flexibility and Profit,” ARDA Annual Convention
    1987
  • “Multiowner Developments,” ICLE
    February 1986
  •  “PLI Land Use Dispute Resolution,” Modern Control Of Real Estate
    1980

Headlines

  • Q&A with Anthony Polvino and James Scavo, Developments Magazine
    October 14, 2013
  • James J. Scavo's article titled "Liability of the Golf Course Owner or Operator" was featured in the Club Managers Association of America Back of the House blog
    September 4, 2012
  • James J. Scavo's article titled "Liability of the Golfer" was featured in the Club Managers Association of America Back of the House blog
    July 10, 2012
  • ”Clubs Clubs and More Clubs Developments,” ARDA
    July 2007
  • “A Differing View of Joint Tenancy Deeds,” Timesharing Today, Nov/Dec, 2006
  • “Developer Timeshare Sales Over the Internet,” Developments Magazine (ARDA)
    September 2006
  • “Reservation Agreements and Preconstruction Contracts,” (Ask the Attorney/ARDA Developments Magazine) August 2006
  • “Fractional Projects V. Traditional Timeshare,” (Ask The Attorney/ARDA Developments Magazine) July 2006
  • “How to Draft Mixed Use Community Covenants,” The Practical Real Estate Lawyer (ALI/ABA)
    November 2002
  • “Marketing Resort Timeshares: The Rules of the Game,” St. John’s Law Review
    Winter 1999
  • “All You Ever Wanted to Know about ADA Requirements,” RCI Premier, Dec. 1998
  • “Large Scale Subdivision and Golf Course Development,” Developments
    February 22, 1995
  • “Residential Communities, Homeowners Associations and You,” Atlanta Realtor
    April 22, 1988
  • “Office and Medical Condominiums,” ICLE 
    February 22, 1986
  • “Timeshare Documentation,” ALI-ABA, The Practical Real Estate Lawyer
    May 22, 1985
  • “PLI The Lawyers Role in Document Drafting,” PLI
    May 22, 1982
  • “Avoiding Timeshare Management Problems,” Timesharing II, ULI, 1982
  • “TimeSharing, Q and A,” CAI News
    February 22, 1981
  • “PLI Land Use Dispute Resolution,” Modern Control Of Real Estate
    May 22, 1980
  • “Dispute Resolution in a Community Association,” Urban Law Annual, 17 (1979) 295
  • “Community Association Late Fees and Publication of Delinquencies,” Real Estate Law Journal, 1979. (co-author)

Education

St. John’s University School of Law, JD, 1976

State University of New York at Oswego, BA, History/Political Science, 1973, History Honors Program

Bar Admissions

Georgia

California

Accolades

Dean Emeritus, Professional Management Development Program (CAI)

Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated

Chair, Atlanta Bar Association Real Estate Section

Editor of Atlanta Bar Association “Ask the Attorney” newspaper column

Editor, Savannah Morning News “Ask the Attorney” newspaper column

Editorial Board, St. John’s Law Review

Associate Managing Editor, St John’s Law Review