First year student Jason Carr’s article, “Are Loan Commitments in Commercial Deals Illusory?” was recently published in the Nov./Dec. 2016 issue of the American Bar Association publication, Probate & Property Magazine.

His article examines loan commitments from a regulatory and risk standpoint in commercial real estate deals.

“What I discovered is that a borrower would have a difficult time enforcing one of these agreements in court, although as always, the outcome will depend on individual circumstances,” he said. “It basically comes down to what each party is able to negotiate in the process and how a court will interpret the agreement in its entirety.”

Carr said the idea for his article came last summer, after hearing a lecture in his Real Estate Finance course, led by Adjunct Prof. Zach Burt.

“While discussing loan commitments, he [Burt] indicated that he was unable to find much information on whether these kinds of commitments are illusory, and suggested that it would make a good research topic,” Carr said.

While he has been published in other academic areas, this was Carr’s first legal publication. He said he was more proud of this article than any of his previous work.

“As I learn more and progress through law school, I ultimately hope to publish something in a journal.”

He said any successes he has had thus far are a testament to the tremendous education and learning opportunities afforded to all Aggie Law students.

- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law