Spenser Owens represents developers, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, lenders, and investors in a wide range of construction, commercial real estate and development transactions. He solves business problems for construction and real estate development clients because he’s been in their seat.
Before returning to Thompson Coburn, Spenser served as assistant general counsel for a national vertically integrated construction and development enterprise, where he managed legal operations on hundreds of projects, primarily focusing on large-scale construction, procurement, supply chain, and real estate matters. In that role, he negotiated construction and supply agreements totaling more than $3 billion and advised executive leadership on corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, real estate investments, financing transactions, information technology agreements, and labor and employment issues. He saw firsthand what construction companies and developers really need from their counsel: responsive, practical advice that keeps projects moving and deals closing.
Spenser now regularly counsels clients on traditional, non-traditional, and syndicated real estate transactions ranging in value from several hundred thousand dollars to more than several hundreds of millions of dollars. He drafts and negotiates purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, loan and finance documents, entitlements, and development agreements for a broad variety of property types, including mission critical data centers, infrastructure, cutting edge advanced manufacturing, retail, industrial, office, distribution and logistics, hospitality, restaurant, and mixed-use projects.
Spenser advises clients in negotiating complex construction contracts, and he serves as a strategic advisor regarding legal risk management in business processes, construction payment disputes, and mechanics’ lien claims. Spenser also assists clients in obtaining land use entitlements and counseling cannabis-related enterprises through regulatory compliance and licensing issues involving medical and recreational cannabis, industrial hemp, and financing in the cannabis-adjacent industry.
Spenser is actively involved in civic and community organizations, serving as a commissioner on the City of St. Louis Tax Increment Finance Commission and as a board member and corporate secretary of the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry. He was recognized as a member of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 2025 Corporate Counsel Award class.
Community
- City of St. Louis Tax Increment Finance Commission, Commissioner, 2024-Present
- Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry, Board Member, Corporate Secretary, May 2024-Present
- Negotiated construction contracts for national vertically integrated construction and development firm totaling more than $3 billion across diverse project types, including design-build agreements, construction management contracts, and subcontracts for projects ranging from mission-critical data centers to cutting edge quantum computing and automobile manufacturing facilities.
- Established business-led legal risk management framework for major national subcontractor across construction operations, implementing documentation standards, contract compliance protocols, and proactive claim preparation procedures that minimized disputes, strengthened the subcontractor’s position in negotiations, and improved recovery outcomes in claims.
- Represented major league sports franchise in multi-parcel land purchase and assemblage prior to construction of team facilities.
- Provided end-to-end legal representation for charter school expanding educational services through property acquisition, financing, and design and rehabilitation of new educational building.
- St. Louis Business Journal Corporate Counsel Awardee Class of 2025
I’m focused on family time with my wife and two young daughters. We’re always looking for the next family adventure or project. I also enjoy the challenge of home improvement and gardening projects, the pleasure of listening to old Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus records, and the thrill of dominating fantasy football leagues.