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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 19, 2019

Registration No. 333-            


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-4
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Georgia
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  6798
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  58-0869052
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)

Pamela F. Roper, Esq.
3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Edward D. Herlihy, Esq.
David E. Shapiro, Esq.
Jenna E. Levine, Esq.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
(212) 403-1000

 

Telisa Webb Schelin, Esq.
TIER REIT, Inc.
5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
(972) 483-2400

 

John T. Haggerty, Esq.
Scott Chase, Esq.
Goodwin Procter LLP
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(617) 570-1000

Approximate date of commencement of the proposed sale of the securities to the public:
As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective
and upon completion of the merger described in the enclosed document.

           If the securities being registered on this Form are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box.    o

           If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

           If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

           Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ý   Accelerated filer o   Non-accelerated filer o   Smaller reporting company o

Emerging growth company o

           If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.    o

           If applicable, place an X in the box to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon in conducting this transaction:

           Exchange Act Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)    o

           Exchange Act Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)    o



CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

               
 
Title of Each Class of Securities
to Be Registered

  Amount to Be
Registered

  Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per
Share

  Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price

  Amount of
Registration Fee

 

Common stock, par value $1 per share

  167,537,165(1)   N/A   $1,548,875,463.75(2)   $187,724.00(3)

 

(1)
Based on (a)(i) 55,520,525 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of TIER REIT, Inc. ("TIER common stock"), outstanding as of April 17, 2019 and (ii) 700,000 shares of TIER common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to outstanding restricted stock unit awards under the TIER 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of April 17, 2019 and (b) the exchange ratio of 2.98 shares of common stock, par value $1 per share, of Cousins Properties Incorporated for each share of TIER common stock.

(2)
Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(f)(1) and Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee based on the average of the high and low prices for shares of TIER common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on April 17, 2019 ($27.55 per share), multiplied by the estimated maximum number of shares (56,220,525) that may be exchanged or converted for the securities being registered.

(3)
The registration fee for the securities registered hereby has been calculated pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 at a rate equal to $121.20 per $1,000,000 of the proposed maximum aggregate offering price.



           The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine.

   


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Information contained herein is subject to completion or amendment. A registration statement relating to these securities offered by this joint proxy statement/prospectus has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy these securities be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This joint proxy statement/prospectus shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

PRELIMINARY—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION—DATED APRIL 19, 2019

LOGO   LOGO

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED AND
TIER REIT, INC.

MERGER PROPOSED—YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT

            , 2019

Dear Stockholders of Cousins Properties Incorporated and TIER REIT, Inc.:

           The boards of directors of Cousins Properties Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (which we refer to as "Cousins"), and TIER REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (which we refer to as "TIER"), have each approved an agreement and plan of merger, dated as of March 25, 2019 (which we refer to, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, as the "Merger Agreement"), by and among TIER, Cousins and Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation, a Maryland corporation and direct wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins (which we refer to as "Merger Sub"). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Cousins and TIER will combine in a stock-for-stock transaction. Following the proposed transaction, Cousins' portfolio will consist of trophy office properties in the premier submarkets of Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Phoenix and Tampa, and the combined company's stockholders will benefit from future development and redevelopment opportunities in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Phoenix and Tampa.

           The combination of Cousins and TIER will be accomplished through the merger of TIER with and into Merger Sub (which we refer to as the "Merger"), with Merger Sub continuing as the surviving corporation of the Merger. In connection with the Merger, each TIER common stockholder will have the right to receive 2.98 newly issued shares of Cousins common stock, par value $1 per share (which we refer to as "Cousins common stock") for each share of TIER common stock, par value $.0001 per share (which we refer to as the "TIER common stock"), that they own immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (which we refer to as the "exchange ratio"), subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments and with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted to reflect stock price changes prior to the closing of the Merger. Cousins common stock and TIER common stock are each traded on the New York Stock Exchange (which we refer to as the "NYSE") under the ticker symbols "CUZ" and "TIER," respectively. Based on the closing price of Cousins common stock on the NYSE of $9.88 on March 22, 2019, the last trading day before public announcement of the Merger, the exchange ratio represented approximately $29.44 in Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock. Based on the closing price of Cousins common stock on the NYSE of $            on            , 2019, the latest practicable date before the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, the exchange ratio represented approximately $            in Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock. The value of the consideration will fluctuate with changes in the market price of Cousins common stock. We urge you to obtain current market quotations of Cousins common stock and TIER common stock.

           Based upon the number of outstanding shares on the record date of            , 2019 for the Cousins special meeting and            , 2019 for the TIER special meeting, we anticipate that Cousins will issue            shares of common stock to TIER stockholders in the Merger.

           Upon completion of the Merger, we estimate that legacy Cousins common stockholders will own approximately 72% of the common stock of Cousins and legacy TIER common stockholders will own approximately 28% of the common stock of Cousins.

           Cousins and TIER will each hold special meetings of their respective stockholders on            , 2019 in connection with the Merger.

           At the special meeting of Cousins, Cousins stockholders will be asked to consider and vote on (i) a proposal to approve the issuance of Cousins common stock to TIER stockholders in the Merger pursuant to the Merger Agreement (which we refer to as the "Cousins Issuance Proposal"), (ii) a proposal to amend the amended and restated articles of incorporation of Cousins (which we refer to as the "Cousins Articles") to effect a one-for-four reverse stock split of the Cousins common stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal"), (iii) a proposal to amend the Cousins Articles to increase the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal") and (iv) a proposal to approve the adjournment of the Cousins special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal or the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve such proposals (which we refer to as the "Cousins Adjournment Proposal"). Holders of Cousins common stock are entitled to vote on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and the Cousins Adjournment Proposal, and holders of Cousins limited voting preferred stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins preferred stock") are entitled to vote only on the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal.

           At the special meeting of TIER stockholders, TIER stockholders will be asked to consider and vote on (i) a proposal to approve the Merger, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement (which we refer to as the "TIER Merger Proposal"), (ii) a proposal to approve, by advisory (nonbinding) vote, the compensation that may be paid or become payable to the named executive officers of TIER in connection with the Merger (which we refer to as the "TIER Compensation Proposal") and (iii) a proposal to approve the adjournment of the TIER special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal, if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve the TIER Merger Proposal (which we refer to as the "TIER Adjournment Proposal"). Holders of TIER common stock are entitled to vote on the TIER Merger Proposal, the TIER Compensation Proposal and the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

           Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of shares you own. The record dates for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the special meetings are            , 2019, with respect to the Cousins special meeting, and            , 2019, with respect to the TIER special meeting. The Merger cannot be completed without the approval of both Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders. We urge you to read this joint proxy statement/prospectus carefully. The obligations of Cousins and TIER to complete the Merger are subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement. More information about Cousins, TIER, the special meetings, the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, is included in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. You should also consider carefully the risks that are described in the "Risk Factors" section, beginning on page 24.

           Whether or not you plan to attend the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, please submit your proxy as soon as possible to make sure that your shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock are represented at the applicable meeting.

           The Cousins board of directors recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal, which approval is necessary to complete the Merger, "FOR" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, "FOR" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and "FOR" the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

           The TIER board of directors recommends that TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the TIER Merger Proposal, which approval is necessary to complete the Merger, "FOR" the TIER Compensation Proposal and "FOR" the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

           We join our respective boards in their recommendation and look forward to the successful combination of Cousins and TIER.

Sincerely,   Sincerely,

M. COLIN CONNOLLY
President and Chief Executive Officer
Cousins Properties Incorporated

 

SCOTT W. FORDHAM
Chief Executive Officer
TIER REIT, Inc.

           Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued under this joint proxy statement/prospectus or determined that this joint proxy statement/prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

           This joint proxy statement/prospectus is dated            , 2019 and is first being mailed to the stockholders of Cousins and stockholders of TIER on or about             , 2019.


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LOGO

Cousins Properties Incorporated

3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On                    , 2019

Dear Stockholders of Cousins Properties Incorporated:

        We are pleased to invite you to attend a special meeting of stockholders of Cousins Properties Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (which we refer to as "Cousins"). The meeting will be held at                    , on                    , 2019, at            , local time (which we refer to as the "Cousins special meeting"), to consider and vote upon the following matters:

        The approval by Cousins stockholders of the Cousins Issuance Proposal is a condition to the completion of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        Please refer to the attached joint proxy statement/prospectus for further information with respect to the business to be transacted at the Cousins special meeting.

        Holders of record of shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins limited voting preferred stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins preferred stock") at the close of business on                     , 2019 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Cousins special meeting and any adjournments or postponements of the Cousins special meeting (except that holders of the Cousins preferred stock are entitled to vote only on the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal).

        The Cousins Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by Cousins common stockholders at the Cousins special meeting, assuming a quorum is present. The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the


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outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. The Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. The Cousins Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the Cousins common stock represented, in person or by proxy, at the Cousins special meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal, whether or not a quorum is present.

        Your vote is important. Whether or not you expect to attend the Cousins special meeting in person, we urge you to vote your shares as promptly as possible by: (1) accessing the Internet website specified on your proxy card; (2) calling the toll-free number specified on your proxy card; or (3) signing and returning the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided, so that your shares may be represented and voted at the Cousins special meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or nominee, please follow the instructions on the voting instruction card furnished by the record holder. In lieu of receiving a proxy card, participants in certain benefit plans of Cousins have been furnished with voting instruction cards, which are described in greater detail in the accompanying joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        You do not need to take any action at the Cousins special meeting relating to the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

    By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

 

PAMELA F. ROPER
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Corporate Secretary

                    , 2019
Atlanta, Georgia

 

 

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LOGO

TIER REIT, Inc.

5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
(972) 483-2400

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On                    , 2019

Dear Stockholders of TIER REIT, Inc.:

        We are pleased to invite you to attend a special meeting of stockholders of TIER REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (which we refer to as "TIER"). The meeting will be held at                 , on                    , 2019, at            , local time (which we refer to as the "TIER special meeting"), to consider and vote upon the following matters:

        The approval by TIER stockholders of the TIER Merger Proposal is a condition to the completion of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        Please refer to the attached joint proxy statement/prospectus for further information with respect to the business to be transacted at the TIER special meeting.

        Holders of record of TIER common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (which we refer to as "TIER common stock"), at the close of business on                    , 2019 are entitled to notice of, and to vote on, all proposals at the TIER special meeting and any adjournments or postponements of the TIER special meeting.

        The TIER Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of TIER common stock, assuming a quorum is present. The TIER Compensation Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, assuming a quorum is present. The TIER Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock at the TIER special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present, the holders of a majority of TIER common stock present in person or by proxy at the TIER special meeting may adjourn the meeting.

        Your vote is important. Whether or not you expect to attend the TIER special meeting in person, we urge you to vote your shares as promptly as possible by: (1) accessing the Internet website specified on your proxy card; (2) calling the toll-free number specified on your proxy card; or (3) signing and


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returning the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided, so that your shares may be represented and voted at the TIER special meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or nominee, please follow the instructions on the voting instruction card furnished by the record holder.

        You do not need to take any action at the TIER special meeting relating to the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

    By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

 

TELISA WEBB SCHELIN
Chief Legal Officer, Executive Vice
President & Secretary

                    , 2019
Dallas, Texas

 

 

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus incorporates by reference important business and financial information about Cousins and TIER from other documents that are not included in or delivered with this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This information is available to you without charge upon your request. You can obtain the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus by requesting them in writing or by telephone from the appropriate company at the following addresses and telephone numbers:

Cousins Properties Incorporated
3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000
  TIER REIT, Inc.
5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
(972) 483-2400
Attn.: Investor Relations   Attn.: Investor Relations

or

 

or
                   

        Investors may also consult the websites of Cousins or TIER for more information concerning the Merger and the other transactions described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The website of Cousins is www.cousins.com and the website of TIER is www.tierreit.com. Information included on these websites is not incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        If you would like to request any documents, please do so by                        , 2019, in order to receive them before the special meetings.

        For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page 175.


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ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus, which forms part of a registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-            ) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Cousins Properties Incorporated, a Georgia corporation (which we refer to as "Cousins") constitutes a prospectus of Cousins under Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (which we refer to as the "Securities Act"), with respect to the Cousins common stock, par value $1 per share (which we refer to as "Cousins common stock"), to be issued to TIER stockholders pursuant to, and subject to the terms and conditions of, the agreement and plan of merger, dated as of March 25, 2019 (which we refer to, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, as the "Merger Agreement"), by and among Cousins, TIER REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation and Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation, a Maryland corporation and direct wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins ("Merger Sub"). This document also constitutes a joint proxy statement of Cousins and TIER under Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (which we refer to as the "Exchange Act"). It also constitutes a notice of meeting with respect to the special meeting of Cousins stockholders and a notice of meeting with respect to the special meeting of TIER stockholders, at which Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders, respectively, will be asked to vote upon certain proposals to approve the Merger and other related matters.

        You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This joint proxy statement/prospectus is dated                        , 2019. You should not assume that the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this joint proxy statement/prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents. Neither our mailing of this joint proxy statement/prospectus to Cousins stockholders or TIER stockholders nor the issuance of Cousins common stock in connection with the Merger will create any implication to the contrary.

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, or the solicitation of a proxy, in any jurisdiction in which or from any person to whom it is unlawful to make any such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding Cousins has been provided by Cousins and information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding TIER has been provided by TIER.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    1  

SUMMARY

    8  

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF COUSINS

    17  

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF TIER

    19  

SUMMARY UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

    21  

EQUIVALENT AND COMPARATIVE PER SHARE INFORMATION

    23  

RISK FACTORS

    24  

Risk Relating to the Merger

    24  

Risks Relating to Cousins after Completion of the Merger

    27  

Risks Relating to the Status of Cousins and TIER as REITs

    29  

Risks Relating to an Investment in Cousins Common Stock following the Merger

    30  

Other Risks

    31  

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    33  

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANIES

    35  

THE MERGER

    37  

Background of the Merger

    37  

Cousins' Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Cousins Board of Directors

    50  

TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors

    53  

Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor

    57  

Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor

    67  

Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information

    74  

TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information

    76  

Interests of Cousins Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

    80  

Interests of TIER Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

    80  

Directors and Management Following the Merger

    85  

Treatment of TIER Equity-Based Awards in the Merger

    86  

Accounting Treatment

    87  

Regulatory Approvals

    88  

Exchange of Shares in the Merger

    88  

Dividends

    89  

Listing of Cousins Common Stock in the Merger

    89  

De-Listing and Deregistration of TIER Common Stock

    89  

No Appraisal or Dissenters' Rights

    89  

The Merger Agreement

    90  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

    110  

THE COUSINS SPECIAL MEETING

    113  

Date, Time and Place

    113  

Purpose of the Cousins Special Meeting

    113  

Recommendation of the Cousins Board of Directors

    113  

Cousins Record Date; Stock Entitled to Vote

    113  

Quorum

    113  

Required Vote

    114  

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

    114  

Shares Held in Street Name

    114  

Voting of Proxies

    114  

Revocability of Proxies or Voting Instructions

    115  

Solicitation of Proxies

    115  

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  Page  

COUSINS PROPOSALS

    116  

COUSINS PROPOSAL 1: THE COUSINS ISSUANCE PROPOSAL

    116  

Required Vote

    116  

COUSINS PROPOSAL 2: THE COUSINS REVERSE STOCK SPLIT PROPOSAL

    117  

General

    117  

Reasons for the Reverse Stock Split and Other Considerations

    118  

Beneficial Holders of Cousins Common Stock

    119  

Holders of Certificated Shares of Cousins Common Stock

    119  

Fractional Shares

    120  

Cousins OP Partnership Units and Cousins Limited Voting Preferred Stock

    120  

Effect on Equity Compensation Plans

    120  

Accounting Matters

    121  

No Dissenters' Rights

    121  

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split

    121  

Required Vote

    123  

COUSINS PROPOSAL 3: THE COUSINS AUTHORIZED SHARE COUNT PROPOSAL

    124  

General

    124  

Reasons for the Authorized Share Count Proposal

    124  

Other Considerations for the Authorized Share Count Proposal

    125  

No Dissenters' Rights

    126  

Required Vote

    126  

COUSINS PROPOSAL 4: THE COUSINS ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

    127  

Required Vote

    127  

THE TIER SPECIAL MEETING

    128  

Date, Time and Place

    128  

Purpose of the TIER Special Meeting

    128  

Recommendation of the TIER Board of Directors

    128  

TIER Record Date; Stock Entitled to Vote

    128  

Quorum

    128  

Required Vote

    129  

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

    129  

Shares Held in Street Name

    129  

Voting of Proxies

    129  

Revocability of Proxies or Voting Instructions

    130  

Solicitation of Proxies

    130  

TIER PROPOSALS

    131  

TIER PROPOSAL 1: THE TIER MERGER PROPOSAL

    131  

Required Vote

    131  

PROPOSAL 2: THE TIER COMPENSATION PROPOSAL

    132  

Required Vote

    132  

PROPOSAL 3: THE TIER ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

    134  

Required Vote

    134  

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

    135  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

    145  

Shares Authorized

    145  

Shares Outstanding

    145  

Cousins Common Stock

    145  

Cousins Limited Voting Preferred Stock

    146  

Antitakeover Provisions in the Cousins Articles and Bylaws

    147  

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  Page  

COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF COUSINS STOCKHOLDERS AND TIER STOCKHOLDERS

    149  

Rights of Cousins Stockholders

    149  

Rights of TIER Stockholders

    149  

LEGAL MATTERS

    174  

EXPERTS

    174  

FUTURE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

    174  

Cousins

    174  

TIER

    175  

OTHER MATTERS

    175  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

    175  

ANNEX A: AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

   
A-1
 

ANNEX B: OPINION OF MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC

    B-1  

ANNEX C: OPINION OF J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

    C-1  

ANNEX D: COUSINS REVERSE STOCK SPLIT ARTICLES AMENDMENTS

    D-1  

ANNEX E: COUSINS AUTHORIZED SHARE COUNT ARTICLES AMENDMENTS

    E-1  

PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

    II-1  

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

        The following are answers to some questions that you, as a stockholder of Cousins or a stockholder of TIER, may have regarding the proposed business combination of Cousins and TIER and the other matters being considered at the special meeting of Cousins and at the special meeting of TIER. Cousins and TIER urge you to carefully read the entirety of this joint proxy statement/prospectus because the information in this section does not provide all the information that might be important to you with respect to the proposed transaction and the other matters being considered at the special meetings. Additional important information is also contained in the annexes to and the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

Q:
What is the Merger?

A:
Cousins and TIER have agreed to a business combination under the terms of the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which TIER will merge with and into Merger Sub (which we refer to as the "Merger"), with Merger Sub continuing as the surviving corporation. A copy of the Merger Agreement is attached as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus.
Q:
What happens if the market price of shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock changes before the closing of the Merger?

A:
No change will be made to the exchange ratio if the market price of shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock changes before the Merger. Because the exchange ratio is fixed, other than customary anti-dilution adjustments in the event of certain changes in Cousins' capitalization, the value of the consideration to be received by TIER stockholders in the Merger will depend on the market price of shares of Cousins common stock at the time of the Merger.

Q:
Why am I receiving this joint proxy statement/prospectus?

A:
The Merger cannot be completed, unless:

the holders of Cousins common stock vote to approve the issuance of Cousins common stock to TIER stockholders in connection with the Merger (which we refer to as the "Cousins Issuance Proposal"); and

the holders of TIER common stock vote to approve the Merger on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement (which we refer to as the "TIER Merger Proposal").

Each of Cousins and TIER will hold separate special meetings of their stockholders to obtain these approvals and approvals for other related proposals as described herein.

This joint proxy statement/prospectus contains important information about the Merger and the other proposals being voted on at the special meetings, and you should read it carefully. It is a joint proxy statement because the Cousins board of directors is soliciting proxies from its stockholders and the TIER board of directors is soliciting proxies from its stockholders. It is a prospectus because Cousins will issue shares of its common stock. The enclosed voting materials allow you to vote your shares without attending your respective meeting.

Your vote is important. We encourage you to vote as soon as possible.

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Q:
Why is Cousins proposing the Merger?

A:
Among other reasons, the Cousins board of directors unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and recommended the approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal based on a number of strategic and financial benefits to Cousins, including the potential for Cousins, following the Merger, to be the preeminent Sun Belt office real estate investment trust (which we refer to as a "REIT") with a portfolio of trophy office properties in the premier submarkets of Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Phoenix and Tampa. For more information, see "The Merger—Cousins' Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Cousins Board of Directors."

Q:
Why is TIER proposing the Merger?

A:
Among other reasons, the TIER board of directors unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and the Merger and recommended approval of the Merger by TIER stockholders based on a number of strategic and financial benefits, including the potential for Cousins to create additional value for TIER stockholders due to its larger size and stronger balance sheet and the premium TIER stockholders will receive in the Merger. For more information, see "The Merger—TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors."

Q:
When and where will the special meetings be held?

A:
The Cousins special meeting will be held at            on            , 2019, at            , local time. The TIER special meeting will be held at             , on            , 2019, at            , local time.

Q:
How do I vote?

A:
Cousins.    If you are a holder of record of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock as of the record date for the Cousins special meeting, you may vote by:

accessing the Internet website specified on your proxy card;

calling the toll-free number specified on your proxy card;

signing and returning the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided; or

attending the Cousins special meeting in person.

If you hold Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock in the name of a broker, bank or nominee, please follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee to ensure that your shares are represented at your special meeting. Street name holders may only vote in person if they have a legal proxy to vote their shares.

TIER.    If you are a holder of record of TIER common stock as of the record date for the TIER special meeting, you may vote on the applicable proposals by:

accessing the Internet website specified on your proxy card;

calling the toll-free number specified on your proxy card;

signing and returning the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided; or

attending the TIER special meeting in person.

If you hold shares of TIER common stock in the name of a broker, bank or nominee, please follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee to ensure that your shares are represented at your special meeting. Street name holders may only vote in person if they have a legal proxy to vote their shares.

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Q:
What am I being asked to vote upon?

A:
Cousins.    Cousins stockholders are being asked to vote to approve the Cousins Issuance Proposal. Cousins stockholders are also being asked to vote to approve a proposal to amend the amended and restated articles of incorporation of Cousins (which we refer to as the "Cousins Articles") to effect a one-for-four reverse stock split of the Cousins common stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal"), to approve a proposal to amend the Cousins Articles, to increase the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock (which we refer to as the "Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal") and to approve a proposal to adjourn the Cousins special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal or the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve such proposals (which we refer to as the "Cousins Adjournment Proposal").

TIER.    Holders of TIER common stock are being asked to vote to approve the TIER Merger Proposal. Holders of TIER common stock are also being asked to approve, by advisory (nonbinding) vote, the compensation that may be paid or become payable to the named executive officers of TIER in connection with the Merger (which we refer to as the "TIER Compensation Proposal") and to approve a proposal to adjourn the TIER special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal, if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve such proposals (which we refer to as the "TIER Adjournment Proposal").

The Merger cannot be completed without the approval by Cousins stockholders of the Cousins Issuance Proposal and the approval by TIER common stockholders of the TIER Merger Proposal.

Q:
What vote is required to approve each proposal?

A:
Cousins.

The Cousins Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by Cousins common stockholders, assuming a quorum is present.

The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present.

The Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present.

The Cousins Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Cousins common stock represented, in person or by proxy, at the Cousins special meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal, whether or not a quorum is present.

TIER.

The TIER Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of TIER common stock entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the Merger.

The TIER Compensation Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, assuming a quorum is present; however, such vote is advisory (nonbinding) only.

The TIER Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, whether or not a quorum is present.

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Q:
How do the boards of directors of Cousins and TIER recommend that I vote?

A:
Cousins.    The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that holders of Cousins common stock vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal, that holders of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock vote "FOR" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and "FOR" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and that holders of Cousins common stock vote "FOR" the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

TIER.    The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that holders of TIER common stock vote "FOR" the TIER Merger Proposal, "FOR" the TIER Compensation Proposal and "FOR" the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

Q:
How many votes do I have?

A:
Cousins.    You are entitled to one vote for each share of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock that you owned as of the close of business on the record date. As of the close of business on            , 2019, the record date for the Cousins special meeting, there were             outstanding shares of Cousins common stock, approximately            % of which were beneficially owned by the directors and executive officers of Cousins, and            outstanding shares of Cousins preferred stock, approximately            % of which were beneficially owned by the directors and executive officers of Cousins. Holders of Cousins preferred stock are not entitled to vote on the Cousins Issuance Proposal or the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

TIER.    You are entitled to one vote for each share of TIER common stock that you owned as of the close of business on the record date. As of the close of business on            , 2019, the record date for the TIER special meeting, there were            outstanding shares of TIER common stock,            % of which were beneficially owned by the directors and executive officers of TIER.

Q:
What constitutes a quorum?

A:
Cousins.    Stockholders who hold a majority of the Cousins common stock outstanding on the record date and who are entitled to vote must be present or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum at the Cousins special meeting.

TIER.    Stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all votes entitled to be cast must be present in person or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum at the TIER special meeting.

Q:
If my shares of common stock (or, if applicable, Cousins preferred stock) are held in "street name" by my broker, will my broker vote my shares for me?

A:
If you hold your shares in a stock brokerage account or if your shares are held by a bank or nominee (that is, in "street name"), you must provide the record holder of your shares with instructions on how to vote your shares of common stock. Please follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee. Please note that you may not vote shares held in street name by returning a proxy card directly to Cousins or TIER or by voting in person at either special meeting unless you provide a "legal proxy," which you must obtain from your broker, bank or nominee. Further, brokers who hold shares of Cousins common stock, Cousins preferred stock or TIER common stock on behalf of their customers may not give a proxy to Cousins or TIER to vote those shares without specific instructions from their customers.

Q:
What will happen if I fail to instruct my broker, bank or nominee how to vote?

A:
Cousins.    If you are a Cousins stockholder and you do not instruct your broker, bank or nominee on how to vote your shares of common stock, your broker may not vote your shares on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized

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Q:
What will happen if I fail to vote or I abstain from voting?

A:
Cousins.    If you are a Cousins stockholder and fail to vote or abstain from voting, it will have the same effect as a vote against the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal, but it will have no effect on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, assuming a quorum is present, or the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

TIER.    If you are a TIER stockholder and fail to vote or abstain from voting, it will have the same effect as a vote against the TIER Merger Proposal, but it will have no effect on the TIER Compensation Proposal, assuming a quorum is present, or the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

Q:
What if I return my proxy card without indicating how to vote?

A:
If you sign and return your proxy card without indicating how to vote on any particular proposal, your shares of Cousins common stock, Cousins preferred stock or TIER common stock will be voted in accordance with the recommendation of the Cousins board of directors or TIER board of directors, as applicable, with respect to such proposal.

Q:
Can I change my vote after I have returned a proxy or voting instruction card?

A:
Yes. You can change your vote at any time before your proxy is voted at your special meeting. You can do this in one of three ways:

you can send a signed notice of revocation;

you can grant a new, valid proxy bearing a later date; or

if you are a holder of record, you can attend the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, as applicable, and vote in person, which will automatically cancel any proxy previously given, or you may revoke your proxy in person, but your attendance alone will not revoke any proxy that you have previously given.

Attending the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting without voting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy. If your shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock are held by a bank, broker or nominee, you should follow the instructions provided by the bank, broker or nominee.

If you choose either of the first two methods, you must submit your notice of revocation or your new proxy to the secretary of Cousins or secretary of TIER, as appropriate, no later than the beginning of the applicable special meeting. If your shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock are held in street name by your broker, bank or nominee, you should contact your broker, bank or nominee to change your vote.

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Q:
What are the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger to U.S. holders of TIER common stock?

A:
TIER and Cousins intend for the Merger to qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (which we refer to as the "Code"). The obligation of the parties to consummate the Merger is subject to the receipt by Cousins and TIER of the opinions of their respective counsels to the effect that, on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions set forth in such opinions, the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. Accordingly, on the basis of the opinions described above, a U.S. holder of TIER common stock generally will not recognize any gain or loss upon receipt of shares of Cousins common stock in exchange for TIER common stock in the Merger (other than gain or loss with respect to cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock, if any).

The particular consequences of the Merger to each TIER stockholder depend on such holder's particular facts and circumstances. TIER stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors to understand fully the consequences to them of the Merger in their specific circumstances. For more information, see "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger."

Q:
Are there any conditions to closing of the Merger that must be satisfied for the Merger to be completed?

A:
Yes. In addition to the approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal and TIER Merger Proposal, there are a number of conditions that must be satisfied or waived for the Merger to be consummated. For more information, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Conditions to Completion of the Merger."

Q:
When do you expect the Merger to be completed?

A:
Cousins and TIER are working to complete the Merger by the third quarter of 2019. However, the Merger is subject to various conditions, and it is possible that factors outside the control of Cousins and TIER could result in the Merger being completed at a later time, or not at all. There may be a substantial amount of time between the respective Cousins special meeting and TIER special meeting and the completion of the Merger. Cousins and TIER hope to complete the Merger as soon as reasonably practicable following the satisfaction of all applicable conditions.

Q:
Are TIER and Cousins stockholders entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the Merger?

A:
No. Holders of TIER common stock will not be entitled to appraisal rights or dissenters' rights in the Merger under Section 3-202 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (which we refer to as the "MGCL") because TIER common stock is listed on a national securities exchange. Under Section 14-2-1302 of the Georgia Business Corporations Code (which we refer to as the "GBCC"), holders of Cousins common stock do not have the right to receive the appraised value of their shares in connection with the Merger. For more information, see "The Merger—No Appraisal or Dissenters' Rights."

Q:
What do I need to do now?

A:
Carefully read and consider the information contained in and incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including its annexes.

In order for your shares to be voted at the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting:

you can attend the applicable special meeting in person;

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Q:
Do I need to do anything with my share certificates now?

A:
TIER.    No.    You should not submit your share certificates at this time. After the Merger is completed, if you held certificates representing TIER common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger,            , the exchange agent for Cousins (which we refer to as the "exchange agent"), will send you a letter of transmittal and instructions for exchanging your shares of TIER common stock for the Merger consideration equal to the exchange ratio. Upon surrender of the certificates for cancellation along with the executed letter of transmittal and other required documents described in the instructions, a holder of shares of TIER common stock will receive the Merger consideration equal to the exchange ratio.

Holders of shares of TIER common stock in book-entry form immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will not need to take any action to receive the Merger consideration equal to the exchange ratio.

Cousins.    If you are a Cousins stockholder, you are not required to take any action with respect to your Cousins stock certificates. Such certificates will continue to represent shares of Cousins after the Merger.

Q:
Do I need identification to attend the Cousins or TIER special meetings in person?

A:
Yes. Please bring proper identification, together with proof that you are a record owner of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock or TIER common stock. If your shares are held in street name, please bring acceptable proof of ownership, such as a letter from your broker or an account statement stating or showing that you beneficially owned shares of Cousins common or preferred stock or TIER common stock, as applicable, on the applicable record date.

Q:
Who can help answer my questions?

A:
Cousins stockholders or TIER stockholders who have questions about the Merger or the other matters to be voted on at the special meetings or who desire additional copies of this joint proxy statement/prospectus or additional proxy or voting instruction cards should contact:
if you are a Cousins stockholder:   if you are a TIER stockholder:

            

 

            

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SUMMARY

        This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. Cousins and TIER urge you to read carefully this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including the attached annexes, and the other documents to which we have referred you because this section does not provide all of the information that might be important to you with respect to the Merger and the related matters being considered at the applicable special meeting. See also "Where You Can Find More Information." We have included page references to direct you to a more complete description of the topics presented in this summary.

Information about the Companies

        Cousins, a Georgia corporation, is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust. Cousins, based in Atlanta, Georgia and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office towers located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates stockholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing and management of high-quality real estate assets. Cousins has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets and opportunistic investments.

        The principal offices of Cousins are located at 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, and its telephone number is (404) 407-1000.

        Cousins common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (which we refer to as the "NYSE"), trading under the symbol "CUZ."

        Additional information about Cousins and its subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

        Merger Sub, a Maryland corporation, is a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins. Merger Sub was formed by Cousins solely for the purpose of engaging in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Merger Sub has not conducted any business activities, has no assets, liabilities or obligations and has conducted its operations solely as contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        Merger Sub's principal offices are located at c/o Cousins Properties Incorporated, 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, and its telephone number is (404) 407-1000.

        TIER, a Maryland corporation, is a publicly traded, self-managed, Dallas-based real estate investment trust focused on owning quality, well-managed commercial office properties in dynamic markets throughout the U.S. TIER's vision is to be the premier owner and operator of best-in-class office properties in TIER1 submarkets, which are primarily higher density and amenity-rich locations within select, high-growth metropolitan areas that offer a walkable experience to various amenities.

        TIER's most significant asset is its indirect ownership interest in Tier Operating Partnership LP, which, together with its subsidiaries, conducts substantially all of TIER's business, holds substantially all of TIER's consolidated assets and generates substantially all of TIER's revenues.

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        TIER was incorporated in the state of Maryland in 2002, and Tier Operating Partnership LP was formed in the state of Texas in 2002 ("Tier OP"). TIER's principal executive offices are located at 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75225, and its telephone number is (972) 483-2400.

        TIER common stock is listed on the NYSE, trading under the symbol "TIER."

        Additional information about TIER and its subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus and "Where You Can Find More Information."

Risk Factors (See page 24)

        Before voting at the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, you should carefully consider all of the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as the specific factors under the heading "Risk Factors" beginning on page 24, including the risks that:

The Merger

        Cousins and TIER have entered into the Merger Agreement attached as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The Cousins board of directors and the TIER board of directors have both unanimously approved the combination of Cousins and TIER. Cousins and TIER encourage you to read the entire Merger Agreement carefully because it is the principal legal document governing the Merger.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, TIER will merge with and into Merger Sub, with Merger Sub continuing its existence as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins.

        We expect that the legacy stockholders of Cousins and the legacy common stockholders of TIER will own approximately 72% and 28%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock.

        Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, upon consummation of the Merger, holders of TIER common stock will have the right to receive 2.98 newly issued shares of Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock they own immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments and with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The exchange ratio in the Merger is fixed and will not be adjusted for changes in the market value of TIER common

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stock or Cousins common stock. Because of this, the implied value of the consideration to TIER stockholders in the Merger will fluctuate between now and the completion of the Merger.

        Based on the closing price of Cousins common stock on the NYSE of $9.88 on March 22, 2019, the last trading day before public announcement of the Merger, the exchange ratio represented approximately $29.44 in Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock. Based on the closing price of Cousins common stock on the NYSE of $            on            , 2019, the latest practicable date before the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, the exchange ratio represented approximately $            in Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock. For more information, see "Comparative Stock Prices and Dividends."

        The following table presents trading information for Cousins common stock and TIER common stock on March 22, 2019, the last trading day before public announcement of the Merger, and            , 2019, the latest practicable date before the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus. Trading information for TIER common stock adjusted by the exchange ratio of 2.98 is also provided for each of these dates.

 
  Cousins Common
Stock (Close)
  TIER Common Stock
(Close)
  TIER Common Stock
(adjusted by exchange ratio)
(Close)
 

March 22, 2019

  $ 9.88   $ 25.48   $ 29.44  

            , 2019

  $            $            $           

        The market prices of Cousins common stock and TIER common stock fluctuate. As a result, we urge you to obtain current market quotations of Cousins common stock and TIER common stock.

        At the effective time of the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, outstanding TIER equity awards will be adjusted as follows:

        After careful consideration, the Cousins board of directors, on March 24, 2019, unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and declared the Merger Agreement and such transactions (including the issuance of Cousins common stock as contemplated by the Cousins Issuance Proposal) to be advisable and in the best interest of Cousins and the stockholders of Cousins.

        After careful consideration, the Cousins board of directors, on April 10, 2019, unanimously approved amendments to the Cousins Articles (i) to increase the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock (as contemplated by the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal) and (ii) to

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effect a one-for-four reverse stock split of the Cousins common stock (as contemplated by the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal), and declared such transactions to be advisable and in the best interest of Cousins and the stockholders of Cousins.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that holders of Cousins common stock vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal, "FOR" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, "FOR" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and "FOR" the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

        For the factors considered by the Cousins board of directors in reaching its decision to approve the Merger Agreement and the recommendations of the Cousins board of directors, see "The Merger—Cousins' Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Cousins Board of Directors."

        After careful consideration, the TIER board of directors, on March 24, 2019, unanimously approved the Merger on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, and declared the Merger Agreement to be advisable and in the best interest of TIER and the stockholders of TIER.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that the TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the TIER Merger Proposal, "FOR" the TIER Compensation Proposal and "FOR" the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

        For the factors considered by the TIER board of directors in reaching its decision to approve the Merger Agreement and the recommendations of the TIER board of directors, see "The Merger—TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors."

        In connection with the Merger, at the meeting of the Cousins board of directors on March 24, 2019, Cousins' financial advisor, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, which we refer to as Morgan Stanley, delivered to the Cousins board of directors its oral opinion, later confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated March 24, 2019, that, as of that date, and based upon and subject to the various assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in its written opinion, the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Cousins.

        The full text of the written opinion of Morgan Stanley, dated as of March 24, 2019, is attached to this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Annex B and is hereby incorporated into this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference in its entirety. You should read the opinion in its entirety for a discussion of the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of the review undertaken by Morgan Stanley in rendering its opinion. You should read the entire opinion and the summary of Morgan Stanley's opinion below carefully and in their entirety. This summary of the opinion of Morgan Stanley set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the opinion. Morgan Stanley's opinion was directed to the Cousins board of directors, in its capacity as such, addressed only the fairness of the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement, from a financial point of view, to Cousins as of the date of the opinion and did not address any other aspects or implications of the Merger. The opinion did not in any manner address the prices at which shares of Cousins common stock will trade following consummation of the Merger or at any time. Morgan Stanley's opinion was not intended to, and does not, constitute a recommendation to any holder of shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock as to how to vote at the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, respectively, to be held in connection with the Merger or whether to take any other

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action with respect to the Merger. Morgan Stanley was not required to opine as to, and its Opinion does not in any manner address, the underlying business decision by Cousins to proceed with or effect the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, or the likelihood that the Merger is consummated. Morgan Stanley's opinion did not address the relative merits of the Merger as compared to any other alternative business transaction, or other alternatives, or whether or not such alternatives could be achieved or are available. See "The Merger—Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor" and Annex B.

        Pursuant to an engagement letter, dated March 22, 2019, TIER retained J.P. Morgan (which we refer to as "J.P. Morgan") as its financial advisor in connection with the Merger.

        At the meeting of TIER's board of directors on March, 24, 2019, J.P. Morgan rendered its oral opinion to TIER's board of directors that, as of such date and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing the opinion, the exchange ratio applicable to the conversion of each outstanding share of TIER common stock into Cousins common stock in the Merger was fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of TIER common stock. J.P. Morgan confirmed its March 24, 2019, oral opinion by delivering its written opinion, dated March 24, 2019, to TIER's board of directors that, as of such date, the exchange ratio in the Merger was fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of TIER common stock.

        The full text of the written opinion of J.P. Morgan, dated March 24, 2019, which sets forth the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing the opinion, is attached as Annex C to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated herein by reference. The summary of the opinion of J.P. Morgan set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such opinion. TIER's stockholders are urged to read the opinion in its entirety. J.P. Morgan's opinion was addressed to TIER's board of directors (in its capacity as such) in connection with and for the purposes of its evaluation of the Merger and was directed only to the exchange ratio in the Merger. The opinion does not constitute a recommendation to any TIER stockholder as to how such stockholder should vote with respect to the Merger or any other matter. For a description of the opinion that TIER's board of directors received from J.P. Morgan, see the section entitled "The MergerOpinion of TIER's Financial Advisor" beginning on page 67.

        In addition to their interests in the Merger as stockholders, the directors and executive officers of Cousins have interests in the Merger that may be different from, or in addition to, those of Cousins stockholders generally. The Cousins board of directors was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in approving the Merger Agreement. These interests generally include the continued employment or service of the executive officers and directors of Cousins following the Merger.

        For more information, see "The Merger—Interests of Cousins Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger."

        In addition to their interests in the Merger as stockholders, the directors and executive officers of TIER have interests in the Merger that may be different from, or in addition to, those of TIER

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stockholders generally. The TIER board of directors was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in approving the Merger Agreement. These interests include, among others, vesting of TIER restricted stock awards and TIER RSU awards upon the effective time of the Merger and severance benefits payable upon a qualifying termination of employment. In addition, TIER intends to enter into excise tax gross-up agreements with certain executive officers, pursuant to which such executive officers may become entitled to a tax gross-up if it is determined that any Merger-related compensation, payment or distribution to such executive officer would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, or any such executive officer incurs interests or penalties with respect to such excise tax.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will be expanded from nine to 11 members, the two new members being Mr. Scott W. Fordham, Chief Executive Officer of TIER and a member of the TIER board of directors, and one individual who was an independent member of the TIER board of directors as of March 25, 2019 to be mutually designated by TIER and Cousins.

        For more information, see "The Merger—Interests of TIER Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger."

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will be expanded from nine to 11 members, the two new members being Mr. Scott W. Fordham, Chief Executive Officer of TIER and a member of the TIER board of directors, and one individual who was an independent member of the TIER board of directors as of March 25, 2019 to be mutually designated by TIER and Cousins.

        The current senior leadership team of Cousins is not expected to change as a result of the Merger. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, the senior leadership team of Cousins will include Mr. Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III as Executive Chair, Mr. M. Colin Connolly as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gregg Adzema as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Pamela Roper as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Mr. Richard Hickson as Executive Vice President—Operations, Mr. John McColl as Executive Vice President—Development, Ms. Kennedy Hicks as Senior Vice President—Investments and Mr. Jay Harris as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. See "The Merger—Directors and Management Following the Merger" for additional information.

        Cousins prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (which we refer to as "GAAP"). The Merger will be accounted for by using the business combination accounting rules. For more information, see "The Merger—Accounting Treatment."

        In connection with the issuance of Cousins common stock in the Merger, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, as a condition to the closing of the Merger, Cousins must file a registration statement with the SEC under the Securities Act, of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part, that is declared effective by the SEC.

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        Cousins and TIER are working to complete the Merger in the third quarter of 2019. However, the Merger is subject to various conditions, and it is possible that factors outside the control of both companies could result in the Merger being completed at a later time, or not at all. There may be a substantial amount of time between the respective Cousins and TIER special meetings and the completion of the Merger. Cousins and TIER hope to complete the Merger as soon as reasonably practicable following the satisfaction of all applicable conditions. For more information, see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Merger."

        As more fully described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and in the Merger Agreement, the completion of the Merger depends on a number of conditions being satisfied or, where legally permissible, waived. These conditions include:

        We cannot be certain when, or if, the conditions to the Merger will be satisfied or waived, or that the Merger will be completed.

        TIER is subject to a customary "no-shop" provision that requires it to refrain from, and to cease discussions or solicitations with respect to, alternative transactions and subjects TIER to certain restrictions in considering and negotiating alternative transactions. If TIER receives a superior proposal (as hereinafter defined), TIER may provide nonpublic information to the proposing party and engage in discussions or negotiations with the party making such a proposal. TIER shall promptly notify Cousins of any proposal for an alternative transaction within 24 hours and provide the other party with a copy of such proposal.

        In response to a superior proposal, the TIER board of directors may change its recommendation with respect to its stockholder vote, and may terminate the Merger Agreement in order to accept such proposal. Prior to effecting such change, TIER must provide Cousins with notice, reasons for such action and four business days of good-faith negotiations to counter such proposal.

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        The Merger Agreement may be terminated prior to the effective time of the Merger, whether before or after the required approvals of the Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders are obtained:

        Generally, all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Merger and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement will be paid by the party incurring those expenses. For more information, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Fees and Expenses." The Merger Agreement further provides that TIER is required to pay Cousins a termination fee equal to $45,450,000 under certain circumstances. For more information, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement."

        Under Maryland and Georgia law, the holders of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, respectively, are not entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the Merger. For more information, see "The Merger—No Appraisal or Dissenters' Rights."

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger (See page 110)

        TIER and Cousins intend for the Merger to qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. The obligation of the parties to consummate the Merger is subject to the receipt by Cousins and TIER of the opinions of their respective counsels to the effect that, on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions set forth in such opinions, the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. Accordingly, on the basis of the opinions described above, a U.S. holder of TIER common stock generally will not recognize any gain or loss upon receipt of shares of Cousins common stock in exchange for TIER common stock in the Merger (other than gain or loss with respect to cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock, if any).

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        You should read the discussion under "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" for a more complete discussion of the U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the Merger. The tax consequences of the Merger to you will depend on your particular facts and circumstances. You should consult your tax advisor to determine the particular tax consequences of the Merger to you.

The Cousins Special Meeting (See page 113)

        The Cousins special meeting will be held at            , at            local time, on            , 2019. You may vote at the Cousins special meeting if you owned shares of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock at the close of business on            , 2019, the record date for the Cousins special meeting. On that date, there were            shares of Cousins common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of Cousins common stock is entitled to cast one vote on all matters that come before the Cousins special meeting. Each share of Cousins preferred stock is entitled to cast one vote only on the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal.

        At the Cousins special meeting, Cousins stockholders will be asked to consider and vote upon:

        Only the approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal is a condition to the completion of the Merger.

        The Cousins Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by Cousins common stockholders at the Cousins special meeting, assuming a quorum is present. The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal each require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. The Cousins Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Cousins common stock represented, in person or by proxy, at the Cousins special meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal, whether or not a quorum is present.

        On the record date, approximately            % of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and approximately            % of the outstanding shares of Cousins preferred stock were held by Cousins directors and executive officers and their affiliates. Cousins currently expects that the Cousins directors and executive officers will vote their shares in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and the Cousins Adjournment Proposal, although none has entered into any agreements obligating them to do so.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" all of the proposals set forth above. For more information, see "The Cousins Special Meeting."

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split (See page 121)

        The reverse stock split is intended to qualify as a "recapitalization" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, U.S. holders of Cousins common stock generally will not recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the reverse stock split (except with respect to cash, if any, received in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock).

        You should read the discussion under "Cousins Proposals—Cousins Proposal 2: The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split" for a more complete discussion of the U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the reverse stock split. The tax consequences of the reverse stock split to you will depend on your particular facts and circumstances. You should consult your tax advisor to determine the particular tax consequences of the reverse stock split to you.

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The TIER Special Meeting (See page 128)

        The TIER special meeting will be held at            , at            local time, on            , 2019. You may vote at the TIER special meeting if you owned TIER common stock at the close of business on            , 2019, the record date for the TIER special meeting. On that date, there were            shares of TIER common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of TIER common stock is entitled to cast one vote on all matters that come before the TIER special meeting.

        At the TIER special meeting, stockholders of TIER will be asked to consider and vote upon:

        The approval of the TIER Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of TIER common stock entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the Merger. The approval of the TIER Compensation Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, assuming a quorum is present. The approval of the TIER Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, whether or not a quorum is present.

        On the record date, approximately            % of the outstanding shares of TIER common stock was held by TIER directors and executive officers and their affiliates. TIER currently expects that the directors and executive officers of TIER will vote their shares in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal, the TIER Compensation Proposal and the TIER Adjournment Proposal, although none has entered into any agreements obligating them to do so.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that TIER stockholders vote "FOR" all of the proposals set forth above. For more information, see "The TIER Special Meeting."

Rights of TIER Stockholders Will Change as a Result of the Merger (See page 149)

        TIER stockholders will have different rights once they become stockholders of Cousins, due to differences between the governing documents of Cousins and TIER. These differences are described in detail under "Comparison of Rights of Cousins Stockholders and TIER Stockholders."


SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF COUSINS

        The following tables set forth selected consolidated financial information for Cousins as of and for each of the five years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. All references to "fiscal years," unless otherwise noted, refer to the twelve-month fiscal year.

        The selected historical consolidated financial information for Cousins as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes of Cousins contained in Cousins' Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 6, 2019, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The selected historical consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, were derived from Cousins' audited consolidated financial statements not included or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        The following information should be read together with the consolidated financial statements of Cousins, the notes related thereto and the related reports of management on the financial condition and performance of Cousins, all of which are contained in the reports of Cousins filed with the SEC

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and incorporated herein by reference. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

 
  For the Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2018   2017   2016   2015   2014  
 
  (in thousands, except per share amounts)
 

Rental property revenues

  $ 461,853   $ 446,035   $ 249,814   $ 196,244   $ 164,123  

Fee income

    10,089     8,632     8,347     7,297     12,519  

Other

    3,270     11,518     1,050     828     919  

Total revenues

    475,212     466,185     259,211     204,369     177,561  

Rental property operating expenses

    164,678     163,882     96,908     82,545     76,963  

Reimbursed expenses

    3,782     3,527     3,259     3,430     3,652  

General and administrative expenses

    22,040     27,523     25,592     16,918     19,784  

Interest expense

    39,430     33,524     26,650     22,735     20,983  

Depreciation and amortization

    181,382     196,745     97,948     71,625     62,258  

Acquisition and transaction costs

    248     1,661     24,521     299     1,130  

Other

    556     1,796     5,888     1,181     3,729  

Total expenses

    412,116     428,658     280,766     198,733     188,499  

Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt

    8     2,258     (5,180 )        

Income (loss) from continuing operations before benefit for income taxes, income from unconsolidated joint ventures, and gain on sale of investment properties

    63,104     39,785     (26,735 )   5,636     (10,938 )

Benefit for income taxes from operations

                    20  

Income from unconsolidated joint ventures

    12,224     47,115     10,562     8,302     11,268  

Income (loss) from continuing operations before gain on sale of investment properties

    75,328     86,900     (16,173 )   13,938     350  

Gain on sale of investment properties

    5,437     133,059     77,114     80,394     12,536  

Income from continuing operations

    80,765     219,959     60,941     94,332     12,886  

Income from discontinued operations

            19,163     31,297     40,122  

Net income

    80,765     219,959     80,104     125,629     53,008  

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

    (1,601 )   (3,684 )   (995 )   (111 )   (1,004 )

Preferred share original issuance costs

                    (3,530 )

Dividends to preferred stockholders

                    (2,955 )

Net income available to common stockholders

  $ 79,164   $ 216,275   $ 79,109   $ 125,518   $ 45,519  

Net income from continuing operations attributable to controlling interest per common share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.19   $ 0.52   $ 0.24   $ 0.44   $ 0.02  

Net income per common share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.19   $ 0.52   $ 0.31   $ 0.58   $ 0.22  

Dividends declared per common share

  $ 0.26   $ 0.30   $ 0.24   $ 0.32   $ 0.30  

Total assets (at year-end)

  $ 4,146,296   $ 4,204,619   $ 4,171,607   $ 2,595,320   $ 2,664,295  

Notes payable (at year-end)

  $ 1,062,570   $ 1,093,228   $ 1,380,920   $ 718,810   $ 789,309  

Stockholders' investment (at year-end)

  $ 2,765,865   $ 2,771,973   $ 2,455,557   $ 1,683,415   $ 1,673,458  

Common shares outstanding (at year-end)

    420,385     420,021     393,418     211,513     216,513  

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SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA OF TIER

        The following tables set forth selected consolidated financial information for TIER as of and for each of the five years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. All references to "fiscal years," unless otherwise noted, refer to the twelve-month fiscal year.

        The selected consolidated financial information for TIER as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was derived from the consolidated financial statements and related notes of TIER, contained in TIER's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 11, 2019, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The selected historical consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, were derived from TIER's audited consolidated financial statements not included or incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. All numbers reflected in the selected consolidated financial information for TIER below are in thousands, except the number of properties and per share amounts.

        The following information should be read together with the consolidated financial statements of TIER, the notes related thereto, and the related reports of management on the financial condition and performance of TIER, all of which are contained in the reports of TIER filed with the SEC and incorporated herein by reference. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

As of December 31
  2018   2017   2016   2015   2014  

Total assets

  $ 1,617,551   $ 1,581,138   $ 1,552,540   $ 1,864,891   $ 2,203,802  

Notes payable, net

  $ 714,755   $ 794,538   $ 826,783   $ 1,071,571   $ 1,186,704  

Other liabilities

    125,315     109,029     105,241     115,501     228,938  

Series A Convertible Preferred Stock

                2,700     4,626  

Stockholders' equity

    774,551     676,803     618,546     673,617     782,589  

Noncontrolling interests(1)

    2,930     768     1,970     1,502     945  

Total liabilities and equity

  $ 1,617,551   $ 1,581,138   $ 1,552,540   $ 1,864,891   $ 2,203,802  

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For the Year Ended December 31
  2018   2017   2016   2015   2014  

Rental revenue

  $ 218,517   $ 216,461   $ 242,818   $ 282,365   $ 288,067  

Gain on troubled debt restructuring

    31,006                  

Gain on sale of assets

    26,828     92,396     22,176     44,477      

Gain on remeasurement of investment in unconsolidated entities

    11,090     14,168              

Income (loss) from continuing operations(2)

    (5,329 )   84,327     (29,453 )   (50,953 )   (74,855 )

Discontinued operations(3)

                16,790     59,327  

Net income (loss)

    (5,329 )   84,327     (29,453 )   (34,163 )   (15,528 )

Noncontrolling interests in continuing operations

    308     (41 )   36     159     132  

Noncontrolling interests in discontinued operations

                (30 )   (120 )

Dilution (accretion) of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock

                1,926     (1,926 )

Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

  $ (5,021 ) $ 84,286   $ (29,417 ) $ (32,108 ) $ (17,442 )

Cash provided by operating activities(4)

  $ 71,632   $ 60,852   $ 51,303   $ 17,008   $ 39,927  

Cash provided by (used in) investing activities

  $ (24,551 ) $ 163,979   $ 230,137   $ 200,242   $ 138,952  

Cash used in financing activities(4)

  $ (32,509 ) $ (224,914 ) $ (282,007 ) $ (261,056 ) $ (219,618 )

Basic net income (loss) per common share

                               

Continuing operations

  $ (0.10 ) $ 1.76   $ (0.62 ) $ (1.00 ) $ (1.54 )

Discontinued operations

                0.34     1.19  

Basic net income (loss) per common share

  $ (0.10 ) $ 1.76   $ (0.62 ) $ (0.66 ) $ (0.35 )

Diluted net income (loss) per common share

                               

Continuing operations

  $ (0.10 ) $ 1.75   $ (0.62 ) $ (1.00 ) $ (1.54 )

Discontinued operations

                0.34     1.19  

Diluted net income (loss) per common share

  $ (0.10 ) $ 1.75   $ (0.62 ) $ (0.66 ) $ (0.35 )

Distributions declared to common stockholders per share

  $ 0.72   $ 0.72   $ 0.72   $ 0.54   $  

Number of properties(5)

    19     21     30     36     37  

Total rentable square feet(5)

    6,973     7,736     10,435     12,381     14,304  

(1)
Noncontrolling interests reflect the proportionate interest not owned by TIER of certain of TIER's real estate properties, limited partnership interests in Tier OP held by third parties and restricted stock units issued to TIER's independent directors.

(2)
Reflects elimination of the requirement to present gains on sales of properties outside of continuing operations based on application of the SEC Disclosure Update and Simplification.

(3)
Effective January 1, 2015, TIER adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") guidance that changes the criteria for reporting a discontinued operation. This adoption impacts the comparability of TIER's financial statements as disposals of individual operating properties generally no longer qualify as discontinued operations.

(4)
Reflects TIER's January 1, 2018 adoption of FASB guidance that reclassifies certain cash receipts and payments in the statements of cash flows.

(5)
Reflects all properties owned at the end of each year. This number includes properties held for sale and excludes properties under development.

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SUMMARY UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

        The following table shows summary unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information about the combined financial condition and operating results of Cousins and TIER after giving effect to the Merger. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information assumes that the Merger is accounted for as a business combination with Cousins treated as the acquirer. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated balance sheet data has been prepared as if the Merger occurred on December 31, 2018. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations data has been prepared as if the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2018. The summary unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information listed below has been derived from and should be read in conjunction with (i) the more detailed unaudited pro forma combined condensed financial statements, including the notes thereto, appearing elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and (ii) the condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes of both Cousins and TIER contained in their respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, all of which are incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements" and "Where You Can Find More Information."

        The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the combined operating results or financial position that would have occurred if the Merger had been consummated on the dates indicated and in accordance with the assumptions described herein, nor is it necessarily indicative of the future operating results or financial position of the combined company. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of operations data does not give effect to any transaction or integration costs relating to the Merger. In addition, as explained in more detail in the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information, the preliminary allocation of the pro forma purchase price reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information is subject to adjustment and may vary significantly from the definitive allocation of the final purchase price that will be recorded subsequent to completion of the Merger. The determination of the final purchase price will be based on the number of shares of TIER common stock outstanding and the trading price of Cousins common stock at closing.

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Operating Data—Year Ended December 31, 2018

       

Rental property revenues

 
$

681,619
 

Rental property operating expenses

  $ 252,372  

Interest expense

  $ 64,185  

Net income available to common stockholders

  $ 65,688  

Net income per share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.11  

Weighted average shares outstanding—basic

    587,575  

Weighted average shares outstanding—diluted

    594,743  

Balance Sheet Data—December 31, 2018

   
 
 

Real estate assets

 
$

5,893,535
 

Total assets

  $ 6,622,412  

Total debt

  $ 1,780,655  

Total stockholders' investment

  $ 4,304,193  

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EQUIVALENT AND COMPARATIVE PER SHARE INFORMATION

        The following table sets forth, for the year ended December 31, 2018, selected per share information for Cousins common stock on a historical and pro forma combined basis and for TIER common stock on a historical and pro forma equivalent basis. You should read the table below together with the historical consolidated financial statements and related notes of Cousins and TIER contained in their respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which are incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

        The Cousins pro forma combined earnings per share were calculated using the methodology as described above under the heading "Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements," and are subject to all the assumptions, adjustments and limitations described thereunder. The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet data has been prepared as if the Merger occurred on December 31, 2018. The unaudited pro forma consolidated statements of operations data has been prepared as if the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018, based on the most recent valuation data available. The TIER pro forma equivalent per common share amounts were calculated by multiplying the Cousins pro forma consolidated per share amounts by the exchange ratio of 2.98. You should not rely on the pro forma amounts as being indicative of the financial position or results of operations of Cousins that actually would have occurred had the Merger been completed as of the date indicated above, nor is it necessarily indicative of the future operating results or financial position of the Cousins.

 
  Cousins   TIER  
 
  Year Ended December 31, 2018  
 
  Historical   Pro
Forma
  Historical   Pro
Forma
 

Net income (loss) per share—basic and diluted

  $ 0.19   $ 0.11   $ (0.10 ) $ 0.33  

Cash dividends declared per share

  $ 0.26   $ 0.26   $ 0.72   $ 0.77  

Book value per share (period end)

  $ 6.58   $ 7.32   $ 14.39   $ 21.81  

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RISK FACTORS

        In addition to the other information included and incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including the matters addressed in "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements," you should carefully consider the following risks before deciding how to vote. In addition, you should read and consider the risks associated with each of the businesses of Cousins and TIER because these risks will also affect Cousins following completion of the transactions. These risks can be found in the respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 of Cousins and TIER, each of which is filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. You should also read and consider the other information in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and the other documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

Risk Relating to the Merger

The Merger may not be completed on the terms or timeline currently contemplated, or at all.

        The completion of the Merger is subject to certain conditions, including: (i) approval by Cousins common stockholders of the Cousins Issuance Proposal and approval by the TIER common stockholders of the TIER Merger Proposal; (ii) approval for listing on the NYSE of Cousins common stock to be issued in the Merger; (iii) the absence of an injunction or law prohibiting the Merger; (iv) accuracy of each party's representations, subject in most cases to materiality or material adverse effect qualifications, and receipt by each party of a certificate to such effect; (v) material compliance with each party's covenants; (vi) receipt by each of Cousins and TIER of an opinion to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code and of an opinion that each of Cousins and TIER will qualify as a REIT under the Code; and (vii) effectiveness of the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus is a part. Cousins and TIER cannot provide assurances that the Merger will be consummated on the terms or timeline currently contemplated, or at all.

The exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted in the event of any change in the stock prices of either Cousins or TIER.

        At the effective time of the Merger, each TIER common stockholder will have the right to receive 2.98 newly issued shares of Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock that they own immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments and with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The exchange ratio is fixed in the Merger Agreement, and will not be adjusted for changes in the market price of either Cousins common stock or TIER common stock. Changes in the price of Cousins common stock prior to the Merger will affect the market value of the Merger consideration that TIER stockholders will receive on the closing of the Merger. Stock price changes may result from a variety of factors (many of which are beyond the control of Cousins and TIER), including the following factors:

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        The price of Cousins common stock at the closing of the Merger may vary from its price on the date the Merger Agreement was executed, on the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus and on the date of the special meetings of Cousins and TIER. As a result, the market value of the Merger consideration represented by the exchange ratio will also vary. For example, based on the range of closing prices of Cousins common stock during the period from March 22, 2019, the last trading day before public announcement of the Merger, through                        , 2019, the latest practicable date before the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, the exchange ratio of 2.98 represented a market value per share of TIER common stock ranging from a low of $             to a high of $            .

        Because the Merger will be completed after the date of the special meetings, at the time of your special meeting, you will not know the exact market value of the Cousins common stock that TIER stockholders will receive upon completion of the Merger. You should consider, among other things, the following two risks:

        Therefore, while the number of shares of Cousins common stock to be issued per share of TIER common stock is fixed, TIER stockholders cannot be sure of the market value of the consideration they will receive upon completion of the Merger.

Cousins and TIER stockholders will be diluted by the Merger.

        The Merger will dilute the ownership position of Cousins stockholders and result in TIER stockholders having an ownership stake in Cousins that is smaller than their current stake in TIER. Upon completion of the Merger, legacy Cousins stockholders will own approximately 72% of the issued and outstanding shares of Cousins common stock, and legacy TIER stockholders will own approximately 28% of the issued and outstanding shares of Cousins common stock. The amount of issued and outstanding shares of Cousins preferred stock will not change in connection with completion of the Merger, but on the limited matters upon which the holders of Cousins preferred stock may vote, such holders generally vote as a single class with the holders of Cousins common stock. Consequently, Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders, as a general matter, will have less influence over the management and policies of Cousins after the effective time of the Merger than they currently exercise over the management and policies of Cousins and TIER, respectively.

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Failure to complete the Merger could adversely affect the stock prices and the future business and financial results of Cousins and TIER.

        If the Merger is not completed, the ongoing businesses of Cousins or TIER may be adversely affected and Cousins and TIER will be subject to numerous risks, including the following:

        If the Merger is not completed, Cousins and TIER cannot assure their stockholders that these risks will not materialize and will not materially affect the business, financial results and stock prices of Cousins or TIER.

The Merger Agreement contains provisions that could discourage a potential competing acquirer of TIER or could result in any competing proposal being at a lower price than it might otherwise be.

        The Merger Agreement contains provisions that, subject to limited exceptions, restrict the ability of TIER to initiate, solicit, propose, knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate competing third-party proposals to effect, among other things, a merger, reorganization, share exchange, consolidation or a transaction or acquisition that would result in a person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 15% or more of the total voting power of any class of equity securities of TIER or 15% or more of the consolidated net revenues, net income or total assets of TIER. In addition, Cousins generally has an opportunity to offer to modify the terms of the Merger Agreement in response to any competing "acquisition proposal" (as hereinafter defined) that may be made to TIER before the TIER board of directors may withdraw or modify its recommendation in response to such competing acquisition proposal or terminate the Merger Agreement to enter into such a competing acquisition proposal. In some circumstances, on termination of the Merger Agreement, TIER may be required to pay a termination fee of $45.45 million to Cousins. For more information, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees."

        These provisions could discourage a potential competing acquirer that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant part of TIER from considering or proposing such an acquisition, even if it were prepared to pay consideration with a higher per share cash or market value than that market value proposed to be received or realized in the Merger, or might result in a potential competing acquirer proposing to pay a lower price than it might otherwise have proposed to pay because of the added expense of the termination fee that may become payable in certain circumstances under the Merger Agreement.

The pendency of the Merger could adversely affect the business and operations of Cousins and TIER.

        In connection with the pending Merger, some customers or vendors of each of Cousins and TIER may delay or defer decisions, which could adversely affect the revenues, earnings, funds from operations, cash flows and expenses of Cousins and TIER, regardless of whether the Merger is completed. Similarly, current and prospective employees of Cousins and TIER may experience

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uncertainty about their future roles with Cousins following the Merger, which may materially adversely affect the ability of each of Cousins and TIER to attract and retain key personnel during the pendency of the Merger. In addition, due to operating covenants in the Merger Agreement, each of Cousins and TIER may be unable (without the other party's prior written consent), during the pendency of the Merger, to pursue strategic transactions, undertake significant capital projects, undertake certain significant financing transactions and otherwise pursue other actions, even if such actions would prove beneficial.

Some of the directors and executive officers of Cousins and the directors and executive officers of TIER have interests in seeing the Merger completed that are different from, or in addition to, those of the other Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders.

        Certain of the directors and executive officers of Cousins and TIER have interests in the Merger that are different from other Cousins and TIER stockholders. These interests generally include the continued employment or service of the executive officers and directors of Cousins following the Merger. For more information, see "The Merger—Interests of Cousins Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger."

If the Merger is not consummated by October 31, 2019, either Cousins or TIER may terminate the Merger Agreement.

        Either Cousins or TIER may terminate the Merger Agreement if the Merger has not been consummated by October 31, 2019. However, this termination right will not be available to a party if that party failed to fulfill its obligations under the Merger Agreement and that failure was the principal cause of, or resulted in, the failure to consummate the Merger before such date. For more information, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Termination of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees."

Risks Relating to Cousins after Completion of the Merger

Cousins expects to incur substantial expenses related to the Merger.

        Cousins expects to incur substantial expenses in completing the Merger and integrating the business, operations, networks, systems, technologies, policies and procedures of Cousins and TIER. There are a large number of systems that must be integrated in the Merger, including leasing, billing, management information, purchasing, accounting and finance, sales, payroll and benefits, fixed asset, lease administration and regulatory compliance. While Cousins and TIER have assumed that a certain level of transaction and integration expenses would be incurred, there are a number of factors beyond their control that could affect the total amount or the timing of their integration expenses. Many of the expenses that will be incurred, by their nature, are difficult to estimate accurately at the present time. The expenses in connection with the Merger are expected to be significant, although the aggregate amount and timing of such expenses are uncertain at present.

Following the Merger, Cousins may be unable to integrate the business of TIER successfully or realize the anticipated synergies and related benefits of the Merger or do so within the anticipated time frame.

        The Merger involves the combination of two companies which currently operate as independent public companies. Cousins will be required to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating the business practices and operations of TIER. Potential difficulties Cousins may encounter in the integration process include the following:

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        For all these reasons, you should be aware that it is possible that the integration process could result in the distraction of Cousins' management, the disruption of Cousins' ongoing business or inconsistencies in Cousins' services, standards, controls, procedures and policies, any of which could adversely affect the ability of Cousins to maintain relationships with tenants, customers, vendors and employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Merger, or could otherwise adversely affect the business and financial results of Cousins.

Following the Merger, Cousins may be unable to retain key employees.

        The success of Cousins after the Merger will depend in part upon its ability to retain key Cousins and TIER employees. Key employees may depart either before or after the Merger because of issues relating to the uncertainty and difficulty of integration or a desire not to remain with Cousins following the Merger. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that Cousins will be able to retain key employees to the same extent as in the past.

The future results of Cousins will suffer if Cousins does not effectively manage its operations following the Merger.

        Following the Merger, Cousins may continue to expand its operations through additional acquisitions, development opportunities and other strategic transactions, some of which involve complex challenges. The future success of Cousins will depend, in part, upon the ability of Cousins to manage its expansion opportunities, which poses substantial challenges for Cousins to integrate new operations into its existing business in an efficient and timely manner, and to successfully monitor its operations, costs, regulatory compliance and service quality, and to maintain other necessary internal controls. Cousins cannot assure you that its expansion or acquisition opportunities will be successful, or that it will realize its expected operating efficiencies, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies or other benefits.

The trading price of shares of Cousins common stock following the Merger may be affected by factors different from those affecting the price of shares of Cousins common stock before the Merger.

        If the Merger is completed, legacy Cousins stockholders will become holders of approximately 72% of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and legacy TIER stockholders will become holders of approximately 28% of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock. The results of operations of Cousins, as well as the trading price of Cousins common stock, after the Merger may be affected by

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factors different from those currently affecting Cousins' results of operations and the trading prices of Cousins common stock. These factors include:

        Accordingly, the historical trading prices and financial results of Cousins and TIER may not be indicative of these matters for Cousins after the Merger. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

Counterparties to certain significant agreements with Cousins or TIER may exercise contractual rights under such agreements in connection with the Merger.

        Cousins and TIER are each party to certain agreements that give the counterparty certain rights following a "change in control," including in some cases the right to terminate the agreement. Under some such agreements, the Merger may constitute a change in control and therefore the counterparty may exercise certain rights under the agreement upon the closing of the Merger. Certain Cousins and TIER funds, joint ventures, management and servicing contracts, leases and debt obligations have agreements subject to such provisions. Any such counterparty may request modifications of its respective agreements as a condition to granting a waiver or consent under its agreement. There is no assurance that such counterparties will not exercise their rights under the agreements, including termination rights where available, that the exercise of any such rights will not result in a material adverse effect or that any modifications of such agreements will not result in a material adverse effect.

Risks Relating to the Status of Cousins and TIER as REITs

Cousins may incur adverse tax consequences if TIER has failed or fails to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

        It is a condition to the obligation of Cousins to complete the Merger that Cousins receive an opinion of counsel to the effect that, commencing with TIER's taxable year ended December 31, 2010 and through the taxable year that ends with the effective time of the Merger, TIER has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. The opinion will be subject to customary exceptions, assumptions and qualifications and will be based on customary representations made by TIER, and if any such representations are or become inaccurate or incomplete, such opinion may be invalid and the conclusions reached therein could be jeopardized. In addition, the opinion will not be binding on the Internal Revenue Service (which we refer to as the "IRS") or any court, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will not take a contrary position or that such position would not be sustained. If TIER has failed or fails to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and the Merger is completed, Cousins generally would succeed to and may incur significant tax liabilities and Cousins could possibly fail to qualify as a REIT. In addition, if TIER has failed or fails to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and the Merger is completed, for the five-year period following the effective time of the Merger, upon a taxable disposition of any of TIER's assets, Cousins generally would be subject to corporate level tax with respect to any gain in such asset at the time of the Merger.

REITs are subject to a range of complex organizational and operational requirements.

        As REITs, each of Cousins and TIER must distribute to its stockholders with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income, as calculated

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in accordance with GAAP), without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. A REIT must also meet certain requirements with respect to the nature of its income and assets and the ownership of its stock. For any taxable year that Cousins or TIER fails to qualify as a REIT, it will not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to its stockholders in computing taxable income, and thus would become subject to U.S. federal income tax as if it were a regular taxable corporation. In such an event, Cousins or TIER, as the case may be, could be subject to potentially significant tax liabilities. Unless entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, Cousins or TIER, as the case may be, would also be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which it lost its qualification, and dispositions of assets within five years after requalifying as a REIT could give rise to gain that would be subject to corporate income tax. If Cousins failed to qualify as a REIT or if TIER failed to qualify as a REIT and the Merger is completed, the market price of Cousins common stock may decline, and Cousins may need to reduce substantially the amount of distributions to its stockholders because of its potentially increased tax liability.

The tax on prohibited transactions will limit Cousins' ability to engage in certain transactions which would be treated as prohibited transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

        Net income that Cousins derives from a prohibited transaction will be subject to a 100% tax rate. The term "prohibited transaction" generally includes a sale or other disposition of property that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of Cousins' trade or business. Cousins might be subject to this tax if it were to dispose of its property, including historic TIER properties, in a manner that was treated as a prohibited transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Risks Relating to an Investment in Cousins Common Stock following the Merger

The market price of Cousins common stock may decline as a result of the Merger.

        The market price of Cousins common stock may decline as a result of the Merger if Cousins does not achieve the perceived benefits of the Merger or the effect of the Merger on Cousins' financial results is not consistent with the expectations of financial or industry analysts.

        In addition, upon consummation of the Merger, Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders will own interests in Cousins, which will operate an expanded business with a different mix of properties, risks and liabilities. Current stockholders of Cousins and TIER may not wish to continue to invest in Cousins, or for other reasons may wish to dispose of some or all of their shares of Cousins common stock. If, following the effective time of the Merger, significant amounts of Cousins common stock are sold, the price of Cousins common stock could decline.

After the Merger is completed, TIER stockholders who receive shares of Cousins common stock in the Merger will have different rights that may be less favorable than their current rights as TIER stockholders.

        After the effective time of the Merger, TIER stockholders who receive shares of Cousins common stock in the Merger will have different rights, which may be less favorable than their current rights as TIER stockholders. For more information, see "Comparison of Rights of Cousins Stockholders and TIER Stockholders."

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Following the Merger, Cousins may not continue to pay dividends at or above the rate currently paid by Cousins or TIER.

        Following the Merger, and on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, the stockholders of Cousins may not receive dividends at the same rate that they did as stockholders of Cousins or TIER prior to the Merger for various reasons, including the following:

        Stockholders of Cousins will have no contractual or other legal right to dividends that have not been declared by the Cousins board of directors.

Other Risks

Following the Merger, Cousins will have a substantial amount of indebtedness and may need to incur more in the future.

        Cousins has substantial indebtedness, and, in connection with the Merger, may incur additional indebtedness. The incurrence of new indebtedness could have adverse consequences on Cousins' business following the Merger, such as:

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        The impact of any of these potential adverse consequences could have a material adverse effect on Cousins' results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.

The historical and unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information included elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus may not be representative of Cousins' results after the Merger, and, accordingly, you have limited financial information on which to evaluate Cousins.

        The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information included elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus has been presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the financial position or results of operations that actually would have occurred had the Merger been completed as of the dates indicated, nor is it indicative of the future operating results or financial position of Cousins after the Merger. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information reflects adjustments, which are based upon preliminary estimates, to allocate the purchase price to TIER's assets and liabilities. The purchase price allocation reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information included elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is preliminary, and the final allocation of the purchase price will be based upon the actual purchase price and the fair value of the assets and liabilities of TIER as of the date of the completion of the Merger. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information does not reflect future events that may occur after the Merger, including the costs related to the planned integration of the two companies and any future nonrecurring charges resulting from the Merger, and does not consider potential impacts of current market conditions on revenues or expense efficiencies. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information presented elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is based in part on certain assumptions regarding the Merger that Cousins and TIER believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Cousins and TIER cannot assure you that the assumptions will prove to be accurate over time.

Cousins and TIER face other risks.

        The risks listed above are not exhaustive, and you should be aware that, following the Merger, Cousins will face various other risks, including those discussed in reports filed by Cousins and TIER with the SEC. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws. These forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which Cousins and TIER operate and beliefs of and assumptions made by Cousins' management and TIER's management, involve uncertainties that could significantly affect the financial or operating results of Cousins and TIER. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "will," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the Merger, including future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future—including statements relating to creating value for stockholders, benefits of the proposed transactions to tenants, employees, stockholders and other constituents of the combined company, integrating our companies, cost savings and the expected timetable for completing the Merger—are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained and, therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that may affect outcomes and results include, but are not limited to, those set forth under "Risk Factors" beginning on page 24 as well as the following:

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        Neither Cousins nor TIER undertakes any duty to update any forward-looking statements appearing in this document, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Cousins Properties Incorporated

3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000

        Cousins, a Georgia corporation, is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust. Cousins, based in Atlanta, Georgia and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office towers located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates stockholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing and management of high-quality real estate assets. Cousins has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets and opportunistic investments.

        The principal offices of Cousins are located at 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, and its telephone number is (404) 407-1000.

        Cousins common stock is listed on the NYSE, trading under the symbol "CUZ."

        Additional information about Cousins and its subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation

3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
(404) 407-1000

        Merger Sub, a Maryland corporation, is a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins. Merger Sub was formed by Cousins solely for the purpose of engaging in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Merger Sub has not conducted any business activities, has no assets, liabilities or obligations and has conducted its operations solely as contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Its principal executive offices are located at c/o Cousins Properties Incorporated, 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, and its telephone number is (404) 407-1000.

TIER REIT, Inc.

5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
(972) 483-2400

        TIER is a publicly traded, self-managed, Dallas-based REIT focused on owning quality, well-managed commercial office properties in dynamic markets throughout the United States. TIER was incorporated in June 2002 as a Maryland corporation and has elected to be treated, and currently qualifies, as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As of March 31, 2019, TIER owned interests in 17 operating office properties, and two development properties located in five markets throughout the United States.

        Substantially all of TIER's business is conducted through Tier OP. Tier GP, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of TIER, is the sole general partner of Tier OP. TIER's direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries, Tier Business Trust, a Maryland business trust, and Tier Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, are limited partners that together with Tier GP, Inc. own all of Tier OP.

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        TIER's principal executive offices are located at 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75225, and its telephone number is (972) 483-2400.

        TIER common stock is listed on the NYSE, trading under the symbol "TIER."

        Additional information about TIER and its subsidiaries is included in documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see the section entitled "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page 175.

Tier Operating Partnership LP

        Tier OP, together with its subsidiaries, conducts substantially all of TIER's business, holds substantially all of TIER's consolidated assets and generates substantially all of TIER's revenues. Tier GP, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of TIER, is the sole general partner of Tier OP. TIER's direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries, Tier Business Trust, a Maryland business trust, and Tier Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, are limited partners that, together with Tier GP, Inc., beneficially own, directly or indirectly, all of Tier OP.

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THE MERGER

        The following is a discussion of the Merger and the material terms of the Merger Agreement by and between Cousins and TIER. You are urged to read the Merger Agreement carefully and in its entirety, a copy of which is attached as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

Background of the Merger

        Each of the Cousins board of directors and TIER board of directors, acting independently and with the advice of their respective management teams, from time to time and in the ordinary course of business, reviews and assesses the performance, business, strategic direction and prospects of Cousins and TIER, respectively, in light of the then-current industry and economic environment. As part of such assessment and review, each of the Cousins board of directors and TIER board of directors have evaluated and considered various financial and strategic opportunities, including potential business combinations, as part of their long-term strategy to enhance value for their respective stockholders.

        Members of the management teams of each of Cousins and TIER from time to time have met or otherwise communicated informally with representatives of other real estate companies and investors regarding industry trends and issues and the performance, business, strategic direction and prospects of their respective companies, including on occasion discussing the possible benefits and issues arising from potential business combinations or other strategic transactions. Representatives of the management teams of Cousins and TIER had informal communications with each other from time to time, including on an informal basis at industry events and elsewhere, and each of Cousins and TIER was generally familiar with the businesses and operations of the other company.

        On May 3, 2017, August 2, 2017 and November 3, 2017, the TIER board of directors held meetings at which, among other matters, it discussed the possibility of pursuing various value-enhancing transactions, including a potential sale or business combination of TIER or a significant portfolio joint venture, to enhance stockholder value. During each of these meetings, J.P. Morgan, financial advisor to TIER (which we refer to as "J.P. Morgan") presented valuation perspectives, analysis of the various alternatives that might be available to TIER, including TIER's continued operation as an independent public company, and process considerations. Following each of these discussions, the TIER board of directors determined to move forward on a stand-alone basis while remaining receptive to strategic opportunities. The TIER board of directors also instructed Scott Fordham, the chief executive officer of TIER, to be open to any unsolicited overtures regarding potential strategic transactions and to provide updates as appropriate at future board of director meetings.

        On May 23, 2017, and in furtherance of Cousins' exploration of potential strategic opportunities that might be available to Cousins, Larry Gellerstedt, the chairman and then-chief executive officer of Cousins, contacted Mr. Fordham to schedule an in-person meeting to exchange views on industry trends and issues and the performance, business, strategic direction and prospects of their respective companies.

        On June 6, 2017, Messrs. Gellerstedt and Fordham met and discussed, among other matters, the complementary nature of their companies' portfolios and strategy. Mr. Gellerstedt noted that Cousins would be willing to explore a potential business combination of the two companies if TIER was interested in doing so.

        On June 8, 2017, Mr. Fordham and members of TIER management met with representatives from an asset manager in the real estate industry (which we refer to as "Party A") at Party A's invitation, to discuss TIER's market focus and Party A's investment thesis.

        On July 12, 2017, Messrs. Fordham and Gellerstedt discussed TIER's business strategy in the aftermath of TIER's exit from the Louisville market, acquisition of its Legacy building in Plano, Texas

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and commencement of its Domain 11 development project. Mr. Gellerstedt expressed Cousins' interest in exploring a potential business combination between their two companies. Messrs. Fordham and Gellerstedt agreed that Cousins and TIER would enter into a confidentiality agreement prior to exchanging further information. Following this call, TIER provided a draft reciprocal confidentiality agreement to Cousins, which agreement generally provided for restrictions on the use and disclosure of confidential due diligence materials and included customary "standstill" restrictions.

        From July 12, 2017 through July 26, 2017, the management of TIER and Cousins negotiated the terms of the confidentiality agreement, but did not enter into the confidentiality agreement at this time. Due, among other things, to the events of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, discussions between TIER and Cousins did not actively continue over the next several months.

        On July 25, 2017, the Cousins board of directors, with members of Cousins management present, held a meeting to discuss, among other things, Cousins management's review of the company's strategic plan and alternatives, including the possibility of a transaction with TIER. Mr. Gellerstedt updated the Cousins board of directors on his conversations with Mr. Fordham, and Cousins management discussed TIER's portfolio and development pipeline and a preliminary financial analysis of a potential transaction with TIER that was prepared by Morgan Stanley, Cousins' financial advisor (which we refer to as "Morgan Stanley"). Cousins management advised the Cousins board of directors that Cousins management anticipated presenting recommendations in respect of Cousins' strategic plan, including a potential transaction with TIER, at a meeting of the Cousins board of directors scheduled for October 2017.

        In September 2017, representatives of Party A toured TIER's properties in Austin, Texas with representatives of TIER. A few weeks after touring TIER's properties, a representative of Party A called Mr. Fordham to express Party A's interest in a joint venture with, or a corporate level investment in, TIER, and requested the opportunity to meet with TIER management and to conduct diligence on TIER's real estate assets. Throughout September and October of 2017, a representative of Party A regularly communicated with Mr. Fordham to discuss these potential strategic transactions, but no specific proposal was made.

        On October 24, 2017, the Cousins board of directors, with members of Cousins management and representatives of Morgan Stanley present, met to discuss, among other things, Cousins management's recommendations in respect of Cousins' strategic plan. Mr. Gellerstedt reviewed and discussed with the Cousins board of directors the possibility of a business combination with certain public companies, including TIER. Representatives of Morgan Stanley shared with the Cousins board of directors the results of an updated financial analysis of a potential business combination with TIER, as well as Morgan Stanley's financial analysis of three other potential transactions with other publicly-traded companies, in each case based on publicly available information. The Cousins board of directors directed Cousins management to continue to review the strategic opportunities discussed in consultation with Morgan Stanley, including a possible business combination with TIER.

        On October 25, 2017, a representative of Party A contacted Mr. Fordham to congratulate Mr. Fordham on the recent positive movement in TIER's stock price and to communicate that Party A's previous interest in pursuing a joint venture with or corporate investment in TIER would be more difficult to execute due to the recent increase in TIER's stock price. As a result, at such time Party A terminated discussions with TIER regarding a potential strategic transaction, and such discussions did not resume until February 2018.

        In late October through mid-December of 2017, Cousins management, with the assistance of Morgan Stanley, continued its evaluation of possible strategic alternatives that would deliver stockholder value for Cousins stockholders, and determined to seek to re-open discussions with TIER.

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        On December 22, 2017, Mr. Gellerstedt called Mr. Fordham to schedule an in-person meeting to re-open discussions exploring opportunities between Cousins and TIER, which meeting was scheduled for January 22, 2018.

        During the first half of 2018, from time to time, TIER's management engaged in discussions with various counterparties, including Cousins, regarding strategic transaction opportunities and various diligence matters with respect to TIER, its business and its assets, as described below. During this period, Mr. Fordham regularly updated the members of the TIER board of directors on the status of these discussions, both individually and in executive sessions at regularly scheduled board meetings, and the members of the TIER board of directors expressed continued support for these discussions.

        On January 17, 2018, a representative of a private equity and alternative asset management firm (which we refer to as "Party B") met with Mr. Fordham to discuss TIER's market focus and Party B's investment strategy for properties in TIER's target markets. Following this meeting, a representative of TIER called a representative of Party B to further discuss Party B's investment appetite in either a joint venture or corporate investment with TIER. Party B provided its views on a potential investment structure. The parties decided that further discussion was warranted and, following the call, a representative of TIER provided Party B with a draft confidentiality agreement.

        Throughout January 2018, Cousins management, with the assistance of Morgan Stanley, continued its evaluation of a potential business combination with TIER. On the basis of publicly available information about TIER, and based on the belief that providing TIER with an indication of the value that Cousins might be willing to propose would lead to more productive discussions between Cousins and TIER, Cousins management determined to propose that the parties engage in discussions based on an indicative exchange ratio of 2.52 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock.

        On January 22, 2018, at the invitation of Mr. Gellerstedt, Messrs. Gellerstedt and Fordham met, and Mr. Gellerstedt proposed that Cousins and TIER explore an all-stock business combination transaction based on an exchange ratio of 2.52 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock (which we refer to as the "January 22 Proposal"). This proposed exchange ratio represented an 18% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on January 22, 2018. Mr. Gellerstedt stated that the proposed exchange ratio was subject to due diligence, in particular of TIER's development pipeline. Mr. Fordham responded that the TIER board of directors was receptive to considering opportunities to enhance stockholder value and that he would discuss the January 22 Proposal with the TIER board of directors. After the meeting, Mr. Fordham scheduled a telephonic special meeting of the TIER board of directors to be held on January 25 to discuss the January 22 Proposal. The closing price per share of TIER common stock on January 22, 2018 was $19.53.

        From January 23 to January 25, 2018, Messrs. Fordham and Gellerstedt had several discussions regarding the January 22 Proposal, including, among other matters, discussing the strategic advantages of a combined company and Cousins' rationale for the proposed exchange ratio.

        On January 25, 2018, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting to discuss the January 22 Proposal. Members of TIER management and representatives of J.P. Morgan and Goodwin Procter LLP, TIER's outside legal counsel (which we refer to as "Goodwin Procter"), were present. TIER management briefed the TIER board of directors on the January 22 Proposal. The TIER board of directors determined to discuss the January 22 Proposal more fully at a later meeting and directed TIER management to continue discussions with Cousins and its representatives, including making available non-public information with respect to TIER subject to a confidentiality agreement, as well as to explore the possibility of a strategic transaction with other potential parties, and authorized TIER management to engage with third parties to evaluate interest in potential joint ventures, strategic investments or other transactions.

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        On January 26, 2018, TIER and Cousins entered into a reciprocal confidentiality agreement, which included customary restrictions on the use and disclosure of confidential information and a standstill provision. Also on that date, Mr. Fordham had a call with certain members of Cousins management to discuss process for financial and legal due diligence and related diligence matters.

        On January 30, 2018, a representative of a commercial real estate company (which we refer to as "Party C") contacted Mr. Fordham to schedule a meeting to discuss the possibility of a business combination between Party C and TIER.

        On February 5, 2018, the Cousins board of directors held a meeting with Cousins management and representatives of Morgan Stanley and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Cousins' outside legal counsel (which we refer to as "Wachtell Lipton") in attendance. Mr. Gellerstedt provided an overview of Cousins' exploration of a possible business combination with TIER and updated the Cousins board of directors on his communications with Mr. Fordham. Morgan Stanley, based on certain materials made available to Cousins by TIER, shared with the Cousins board of directors an updated preliminary analysis of a possible business combination with TIER. Members of Cousins management team provided the Cousins board of directors with an overview of TIER, based on the information made available to date. The Cousins board of directors discussed the information presented and directed Cousins management to continue discussions with TIER.

        On February 7, 2018, the TIER board of directors held a meeting with TIER management and representatives of J.P. Morgan and Goodwin Procter in attendance. Representatives of Goodwin Procter reviewed with the members of the TIER board of directors the legal standards, including fiduciary obligations, applicable to consideration of a strategic transaction. Representatives of J.P. Morgan reviewed various preliminary financial analyses with the TIER board of directors to assist them with evaluating the January 22 Proposal. Following these discussions, the TIER board of directors determined that the January 22 Proposal was not sufficiently compelling, but directed TIER management to continue discussions with Cousins and other third parties to explore potential interests in a strategic transaction, joint venture or other transaction. Following the meeting, Mr. Fordham conveyed the view of the TIER board of directors to Mr. Gellerstedt.

        On February 12, 2018, a representative of J.P. Morgan informed Mr. Fordham that Party A had requested discussions between Party A and TIER be re-opened. Following this call, TIER provided Party A with a draft confidentiality agreement.

        On February 14, 2018, Mr. Fordham met with representatives of Party C. The parties discussed the possibility of a business combination between Party C and TIER, including the potential strategic benefits from such a transaction. The parties decided that further discussion was warranted and, following the meeting, a representative of TIER provided Party C with a draft confidentiality agreement.

        On February 16, 2018 and February 21, 2018, TIER signed confidentiality agreements with Party C and Party B, respectively, each of which included customary restrictions on the use and disclosure of confidential information and standstill provisions. On February 21, 2018, TIER granted Party B access to an electronic data room set up by TIER with diligence information concerning TIER's business and assets in Austin, Texas.

        On February 21, 2018, Mr. Fordham received a presentation from Party C that contained its preliminary views on a potential business combination with TIER and the strategic advantages of a combined company. Within the next few days, Mr. Fordham called Party C to convey that he did not believe the TIER board of directors would be supportive of a potential transaction based on the terms described in the presentation. The parties did not have further discussions on this matter until May 2018.

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        On February 22, 2018 and March 2, 2018, Messrs. Fordham and Gellerstedt spoke telephonically to further discuss a possible business combination, including certain diligence matters related to TIER.

        On March 2, 2018, a representative of another real estate firm (which we refer to as "Party D") met with Mr. Fordham and Richard Gilchrist, Chairman of the TIER board of directors, to express its interest in partnering with one or more financing sources to acquire TIER. Party D indicated, on a preliminary basis, that it was contemplating a price per share of TIER common stock at approximately $22 per share, subject to completion of due diligence and Party D's ability to obtain financing (representing a 16% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on March 2, 2018). Party D also expressed its interest in signing a confidentiality agreement with TIER to receive additional due diligence materials. Messrs. Fordham and Gilchrist indicated to Party D that TIER would be receptive to exploring a strategic transaction with Party D once a financing source had been identified. The parties did not have any further discussions.

        Also on March 2, 2018, a representative of another real estate company (which we refer to as "Party E") contacted Mr. Fordham to discuss the possibility of a business combination between Party E and TIER.

        On March 6, 2018, TIER and Party A finalized and entered into a confidentiality agreement, which included customary restrictions on the use and disclosure of confidential information and a customary standstill provision. The parties scheduled a call for March 26, 2018.

        On March 7, 2018, representatives of TIER and representatives of Party B had a meeting in Austin to discuss a potential joint venture/corporate investment transaction. Also on March 7, 2018, TIER granted Party A access to an electronic data room containing diligence information concerning TIER's properties in Austin, Texas.

        On March 9, 2018, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting to discuss the status of discussions with the various parties, and requested that TIER management continue discussions with all of the various parties.

        Later on March 9, 2018, TIER granted Cousins access to an electronic data room with diligence information concerning TIER's business and assets.

        On March 26, 2018, Mr. Fordham met telephonically with a representative of Party A, during which Party A expressed its interest in exploring a potential investment in TIER's Austin portfolio and discussed in general terms the nature of the transaction it was contemplating. These discussions did not lead to a proposal and the parties did not have any further discussions.

        On April 11, 2018, Mr. Gellerstedt called Mr. Fordham to reiterate Cousins' interest in a business combination with TIER, but noting that due diligence in respect of TIER, and particularly in respect of TIER's development opportunities, remained a key component of Cousins' analysis in order to support a transaction at the indicated exchange ratio of 2.52 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock. Mr. Fordham provided Mr. Gellerstedt with additional background on TIER's development pipeline and TIER management's view on development opportunities.

        On April 24, 2018, Mr. Fordham received a presentation from Party E, which contained its preliminary views on pursuing a business combination with TIER and the strategic advantages of a combined company. Due to TIER's view that there was a lack of strategic fit between TIER and Party E, TIER did not enter into a confidentiality agreement with Party E at such time, but agreed to further discussions to better understand Party E's strategic rationale.

        Also on April 24, 2018, TIER management was contacted by a representative of a real estate company (which we refer to as "Party F") who expressed an interest in TIER's portfolio and a potential investment in TIER. TIER management agreed that further discussions were warranted to

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explore potential investment opportunities. Party F expressed its interest in having in-person meetings with TIER, and the parties scheduled a meeting for May 10, 2018.

        Also on April 24, 2018, the Cousins board of directors held a meeting with Cousins management in attendance. Mr. Gellerstedt provided an overview of Cousins' investigation of a possible business combination with TIER and updated the Cousins board of directors on communications between Cousins and TIER. The Cousins board of directors discussed the information presented and directed Cousins management to continue discussions with TIER.

        On April 25, 2018, representatives of TIER discussed with representatives of Party E a potential "merger of equals" transaction. Following this discussion, the parties agreed that, based on the current real estate portfolio of the two companies, a business combination would lack strategic clarity and discussions were terminated.

        Also on April 25, 2018, Party B sent to TIER a non-binding proposal regarding a potential joint venture or preferred equity investment with respect to TIER's properties in Austin, Texas. TIER management did not believe the proposal was compelling relative to anticipated value creation under TIER's business plan and the value that it was anticipated to deliver to TIER's stockholders, and discussions were terminated.

        On May 4, 2018, the TIER board of directors held a regularly scheduled board meeting, and, discussed the proposals received to date, the discussions with third parties that had been terminated and the reasons for such terminations, and determined that further discussions with Cousins was warranted. At the conclusion of the meeting, the TIER board of directors instructed Mr. Fordham to contact Mr. Gellerstedt and continue to explore a potential business combination transaction. Mr. Fordham subsequently communicated this message to Mr. Gellerstedt. In addition, Mr. Fordham expressed his belief that in light of the value creation expected from the continued execution of TIER's current business plan, and subject to further discussions with the TIER board of directors, an exchange ratio of at least 2.60 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock would be necessary for the TIER board of directors to consider a business combination with Cousins.

        On May 10, 2018, Mr. Fordham and other members of the TIER management team met with representatives of Party F to discuss Party F's interest in a transaction involving TIER's portfolio. Party F expressed its congratulations on the positive movement in TIER's stock price and TIER's development opportunities. Although both parties expressed an interest in continuing discussions after this meeting, TIER's stock price continued to increase, causing the parties to conclude that a transaction would not offer a compelling value alternative to TIER's continued operations on a standalone basis, and discussions were terminated.

        Also on May 10, 2018, Mr. Gellerstedt contacted Mr. Fordham and indicated that Cousins was willing to continue discussions with respect to an all-stock transaction with TIER and expected that any indication of value that Cousins might be able to provide as a result of such discussions would be at an exchange ratio of at least 2.60 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, subject to ongoing due diligence and agreement on all other transaction terms. This proposed exchange ratio represented a premium of at least 15% to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on May 10, 2018.

        From May 14 to May 21, 2018, management teams from each of Cousins and TIER continued to invest significant efforts in their respective due diligence reviews, particularly on the valuation of TIER's real property assets and development pipeline.

        On May 17, 2018, Mr. Fordham met with Colin Connolly, at the time the president and chief operating officer of Cousins. At the meeting, the parties discussed, among other matters, the potential

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strategic benefits of a business combination involving the two companies and Cousins' review of TIER's valuations of certain of TIER's real property assets.

        On May 21, 2018, Mr. Gellerstedt indicated to Mr. Fordham that Cousins remained interested in pursuing an all-stock transaction with TIER based on an exchange ratio in the range of 2.60 to 2.65 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock (which we refer to as the "May 21 Proposal"). This proposed exchange ratio represented a 7% to 9% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on May 21, 2018. Subsequent to that discussion, Mr. Fordham scheduled a telephonic special meeting of the TIER board of directors to discuss the May 21 Proposal.

        On May 23, 2018, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting, with members of TIER's management team in attendance, to discuss the May 21 Proposal. The members of TIER's management team provided a detailed summary of the May 21 Proposal, Cousins and the proposed business combination. Following discussion, the TIER board of directors determined that the proposed exchange ratio range was not sufficiently compelling compared to the value that TIER anticipated it could generate for stockholders on a standalone basis, and requested that Mr. Fordham continue discussions with Cousins and with the other potentially interested parties to explore whether a more compelling transaction might be available.

        Following the May 23, 2018 board meeting, Mr. Fordham called Mr. Gellerstedt to inform him that Cousins' proposed exchange ratio was not sufficiently compelling to TIER. Mr. Fordham indicated that TIER remained willing to continue discussions with Cousins if Cousins improved its proposal, and informed Mr. Gellerstedt that TIER was considering commencing a sale process.

        On May 31, 2018, Party C contacted Mr. Fordham to re-open discussions regarding the possibility of a business combination, and a call was scheduled for June 8, 2018.

        On June 4, 2018, Mr. Gellerstedt provided the Cousins board of directors with an update on the status of discussions with TIER, including the fact that Cousins was preparing to send TIER a non-binding proposal letter with a proposed exchange ratio of 2.66 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock.

        On June 6, 2018, Mr. Gellerstedt contacted Mr. Fordham to inform him that Cousins would be submitting a non-binding proposal letter to TIER. Later that day, Cousins sent to TIER a non-binding proposal letter (which we refer to as the "June 6 Letter," and the proposal set forth therein as the "June 6 Proposal") with respect to a potential all-stock transaction between Cousins and TIER with a proposed exchange ratio of 2.66 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, which represented a 17% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on June 6, 2018. The June 6 Letter stated that Cousins would be willing to consider the addition of one current member of the TIER board of directors to the Cousins board of directors at the closing of the proposed transaction. The June 6 Letter also indicated that the proposed transaction would not be contingent on third party financing. The June 6 letter was circulated to the TIER board of directors. On June 6, 2018, the closing price per share of TIER common stock on the NYSE was $22.18.

        During this time, Mr. Fordham contacted members of the TIER board of directors individually to provide an update regarding discussions with Cousins and obtain their input regarding when and how to respond to the June 6 Proposal.

        On June 8, 2018, TIER had a board update call with Goodwin Procter and J.P. Morgan present to inform the TIER board of directors of the June 6 Proposal. Also, on June 8, 2018, Mr. Fordham had a call with a representative of Party C during which the parties discussed in general terms the potential strategic benefits of a business combination and Party C's preliminary views on valuation.

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        On June 11, 2018, Mr. Fordham sent Mr. Gellerstedt a letter stating that the TIER board of directors had a previously scheduled meeting on June 20, 2018, after which they anticipated to be in a position to provide feedback on the June 6 Proposal.

        On June 20, 2018, the TIER board of directors held its annual board retreat during which, among other things, the TIER board of directors discussed potential strategic alternatives, including the June 6 Proposal. Members of TIER management and representatives of J.P. Morgan and Goodwin Procter were in attendance. TIER management updated the TIER board of directors on its discussions with potential counterparties. Among other matters, the TIER board of directors discussed Party C, and the general consensus was that Party C would unlikely be able to provide sufficiently compelling value in light of Party C's stock price and TIER's current business plan. TIER management also provided a detailed summary of the June 6 Proposal and representatives of J.P. Morgan discussed with the TIER board of directors its preliminary financial perspectives regarding TIER, Cousins and the proposed business combination. The June 6 Proposal represented a 9% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on June 20, 2018. The TIER board of directors discussed whether the June 6 Proposal provided compelling value to TIER's stockholders as compared to TIER's current business plan if it remained an independent public company. Following these discussions, the TIER board of directors instructed Mr. Fordham to relay to Cousins that the TIER board of directors had decided not to pursue Cousins' proposal at that time and to focus on executing its business plan.

        On June 21, 2018, Mr. Fordham sent a letter to Mr. Gellerstedt stating that the TIER board of directors had determined to continue executing TIER's business plan and not to explore strategic alternatives at the current time. Discussions with Cousins terminated at this time. Mr. Fordham also contacted Party C to communicate that the TIER board of directors had instructed TIER management to focus on executing its business plan and terminated discussions.

        In late January 2019, Mr. Connolly (who had been appointed as the chief executive officer of Cousins effective as of January 1, 2019) and Mr. Fordham met at an industry conference and agreed to re-open discussions about a potential business combination following the release of earnings by both companies.

        On January 10, 2019, a representative of a commercial real estate company (which we refer to as "Party G") contacted Mr. Gilchrist and asked to schedule a meeting.

        On February 5, 2019, Messrs. Gilchrist and Fordham met with representatives of Party G to discuss a potential strategic transaction or joint venture. Representatives of TIER noted that TIER was open to further discussions. Following the meeting, a representative of Party G informed Mr. Gilchrist that Party G would need to partner with one or more financing sources to acquire TIER. Mr. Gilchrist indicated to Party G that TIER would be willing to continue discussions once a financing source had been identified. A few days later, Mr. Gilchrist had a follow-up call with a representative of Party G in which Mr. Gilchrist expressed his view that a property joint venture would likely not be interesting to TIER but that Party G should contact TIER if it believed it would have interest and financing to pursue a strategic transaction.

        On February 14, 2019, Mr. Connolly called Mr. Fordham to schedule an in-person meeting to discuss a potential strategic transaction.

        On February 19, 2019, Mr. Gilchrist spoke telephonically with a representative of Party G, who indicated that Party G was still exploring potential capital sources with respect to a potential strategic transaction.

        On February 22, 2019, Mr. Fordham met with Mr. Connolly. At the meeting, Messrs. Connolly and Fordham discussed industry trends and issues and the performance, business, strategic direction and prospects of their respective companies. Mr. Connolly also expressed Cousins' continued interest in exploring a potential business combination with TIER. Mr. Fordham indicated TIER's willingness to

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consider strategic opportunities that enhanced stockholder value, but noted that the TIER board of directors was focused on the stand-alone business plan and not actively exploring a sale of the company or other business combination transactions.

        Mr. Connolly contacted Mr. Fordham on February 25, 2019 to schedule an in-person meeting at an upcoming industry conference.

        On February 27, 2019, at the industry conference, Mr. Fordham met with Mr. Connolly. Mr. Connolly again expressed an interest in exploring a potential business combination between TIER and Cousins. Among other matters, Messrs. Fordham and Connolly discussed the potential strategic benefits of such a combined company. During this discussion, Mr. Connolly indicated that he believed Cousins could propose an exchange ratio that would represent a compelling premium for TIER stockholders.

        On February 28, 2019, Mr. Fordham communicated to Mr. Connolly that in light of the prospective value creation expected from the continued execution of TIER's current business plan, and subject to discussion with the TIER board of directors, an exchange ratio of at least 3.00 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock (which represented an 18% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on February 28, 2019) would be necessary to warrant TIER dedicating time and resources to actively explore a potential business combination with Cousins.

        On March 1, 2019, Mr. Connolly called Mr. Fordham with questions regarding the TIER business and assets in order to better inform Cousins' views on the value of TIER. Mr. Connolly communicated that Cousins was considering the potential terms of a proposal for a business combination with TIER but that he could not confirm whether Cousins would make a proposal, or that any such proposal would include an exchange ratio equal to or greater than 3.00. Also, on March 1, 2019, Mr. Gilchrist had a telephonic conversation with a representative of Party G and discussed in general terms the possibility of pursuing a potential strategic transaction.

        On March 4, 2019, Mr. Connolly called Mr. Fordham to discuss certain other aspects of TIER's business and assets in order to better inform Cousins' views on TIER. Mr. Connolly indicated that Cousins may be willing to explore a potential business combination at an exchange ratio in the range of 2.875 to 2.90 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock. Mr. Fordham reiterated that TIER would not be willing to transact unless the proposed exchange ratio was equal to or greater than 3.00 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock.

        On March 5, 2019, Mr. Connolly called Mr. Fordham to confirm whether he believed the TIER board of directors would be willing to negotiate a potential transaction if Cousins were to submit an offer based on an exchange ratio of 3.00 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock. Mr. Fordham indicated that, while it would ultimately be the TIER board of directors' decision, he believed that the TIER board of directors, based on their previous discussions regarding possible strategic alternatives, would be receptive to exploring a proposal on those terms.

        On March 6, 2019, the Cousins board of directors met to discuss the potential business combination with TIER. Cousins management, representatives of Morgan Stanley and representatives of Wachtell Lipton were present. Representatives of Morgan Stanley provided the Cousins board of directors with a preliminary financial analysis of the potential transaction and a review of TIER's financial condition and portfolio. After discussion with Cousins management and representatives of Morgan Stanley, the Cousins board of directors directed Mr. Connolly to inform TIER that Cousins was willing to explore an all-stock business combination with TIER based on an exchange ratio of 3.00.

        On March 6, 2019, Mr. Connolly informed Mr. Fordham that the Cousins board of directors was willing to proceed with exploring an all-stock business combination with TIER based on an exchange

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ratio of 3.00 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, subject to confirmatory due diligence (which we refer to as the "March 6 Proposal"). The March 6 Proposal represented a 21% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on March 6, 2019. On March 6, 2019, the closing price per share of TIER common stock on the NYSE was $24.06. Also, on March 6, 2019, a representative of Party G contacted Mr. Gilchrist and indicated that it was still working on financing sources for a potential strategic transaction.

        On March 7, 2019, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting to discuss the March 6 Proposal. Members of TIER management, representatives of J.P. Morgan and Goodwin Procter were present. Representatives of Goodwin Procter briefed the TIER board of directors on their duties (including fiduciary obligations) with respect to considering a potential strategic transaction. The TIER board of directors reviewed the terms and conditions of the March 6 Proposal and considered, among other things, the prospects of TIER as a standalone entity and the strategic benefits of a combined company. After discussion, the TIER board of directors determined that the TIER management team should actively explore the viability of a business combination with Cousins on the terms proposed. Also at the meeting, TIER management briefed the TIER board of directors on the communications from Party G and its view that it was unlikely a compelling proposal would be made by Party G.

        On March 7, 2019, TIER sent to Cousins a draft non-binding term sheet, which provided for the potential stock-for-stock merger of Cousins and TIER with the exchange ratio of 3.00 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock. The term sheet also contemplated that TIER would select up to three members of the TIER board of directors to be appointed to the Cousins board of directors upon the closing of the proposed transaction. The term sheet also provided that the transaction would have customary no-shop and fiduciary out provisions, with a termination fee equal to 1.5% of TIER's equity value.

        On March 8, 2019, Mr. Fordham conveyed to Mr. Connolly the TIER board of directors' desire to explore the feasibility of a business combination transaction involving the two companies. Following that conversation, the management teams of both companies and their respective advisors commenced a series of discussions regarding the due diligence process and the companies began to set up electronic data rooms to facilitate due diligence.

        On March 8, 2019, Mr. Gellerstedt informed Mr. Gilchrist that, due to the relative size of the two companies, Cousins believed that it was not warranted to add three new directors to the Cousins board of directors, but that Cousins might be willing to consider adding two members of the TIER board of directors to the Cousins board of directors upon the closing of the proposed transaction.

        On March 9, 2019 and March 10, 2019, representatives of J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley exchanged due diligence request lists on behalf of their respective clients.

        During the week of March 11, 2019, the Cousins management team and its advisors, on the one hand, and the TIER management team and its advisors, on the other hand, engaged in ongoing conversations regarding the due diligence process and answering questions regarding TIER and Cousins.

        On March 12, 2019, representatives of J.P. Morgan had a telephonic discussion with representatives of Morgan Stanley to discuss the terms of the potential business combination of Cousins and TIER, including the termination fee payable by TIER if the merger agreement were to be terminated under certain circumstances. During this conversation, representatives of Morgan Stanley stated that they believed a target termination fee in a range of 3.0% to 3.5% of TIER's equity value might be acceptable to Cousins. Representatives of J.P. Morgan indicated that a termination fee in this range would not be acceptable to TIER.

        On March 15, 2019, representatives of Wachtell Lipton sent to representatives of Goodwin Procter a draft merger agreement, which included generally reciprocal representations and warranties and

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customary interim operating covenants and closing conditions. On March 19, 2019, Goodwin Procter provided a revised draft of the merger agreement to Wachtell Lipton. Over the next week, Cousins, TIER and their respective legal counsel and financial advisors continued to negotiate the terms of the merger agreement and to conduct their respective due diligence reviews. Representatives of Cousins and TIER exchanged several drafts of the merger agreement and held several conference calls to discuss these drafts and identify items to be discussed between Cousins and TIER, including deal protection provisions, termination rights, interim operating covenants, conditions to closing and various other covenants and obligations.

        On March 15, 2019, Mr. Fordham called Mr. Connolly and, among other matters discussed, suggested that a termination fee of 2.9% of TIER's equity value would likely be acceptable to the TIER board of directors. Mr. Connolly agreed to discuss this proposal with the Cousins board of directors.

        On March 19, 2019, representatives of Cousins, TIER and their respective financial advisors held a telephonic meeting to discuss each company's financial performance and strategic plan.

        On March 20, 2019, Mr. Connolly contacted Mr. Fordham to convey that based on the results of Cousins' continued analysis of TIER and the potential transaction, including a difference in valuation, Cousins would be willing to continue exploring the potential transaction, but at an exchange ratio of 2.96 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, which represented a 16% premium to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on March 20, 2019. Mr. Fordham agreed to convey this request to the TIER board of directors.

        On March 21, 2019, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting to discuss the potential business combination with Cousins. Members of TIER management and representatives of J.P. Morgan and Goodwin Procter were present. Representatives of Goodwin Procter briefed the board of directors on the status of negotiations of the merger agreement. Representatives of J.P. Morgan discussed its preliminary financial analysis of the proposed transaction, noting that this preliminary analysis was based on financial forecasts prepared by management of TIER, with respect to TIER, and by management of Cousins and provided to management of TIER, with respect to Cousins (which were reviewed and approved by management of TIER and provided to J.P. Morgan for use in preparing its financial analysis). Additionally, J.P. Morgan's preliminary analysis addressed the impact of potential synergies using estimates provided to it by TIER management.

        Also at the March 21, 2019 meeting, among other matters, the TIER board of directors discussed Cousins' revised proposed exchange ratio. After discussion, the TIER board of directors determined that it was willing to continue with negotiations of an all-stock transaction based on an exchange ratio of 2.98 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, but in exchange for a lower termination fee of 2.75% of TIER's equity value. The consensus of the TIER board of directors was that if only up to two members of the TIER board of directors would be appointed to the Cousins board of directors upon the closing of the proposed transaction, that would be acceptable if all other transaction terms were satisfactorily resolved. Following this meeting, Mr. Fordham conveyed this counterproposal to Mr. Connolly. Later that day, Mr. Connolly called Mr. Fordham to indicate that Cousins was willing to continue discussions on the basis of the counterproposal. Also on March 21, 2019, the compensation committee of TIER's board of directors met to review compensation payable to the management team in connection with a potential transaction.

        On March 22, 2019, TIER and J.P. Morgan signed a formal engagement letter, and J.P. Morgan continued working with the TIER board of directors as TIER's financial advisor in connection with the potential transaction with Cousins. J.P. Morgan also provided the TIER board of directors with a material relationships disclosure memorandum, dated March 22, 2019 (which we refer to as the "J.P. Morgan disclosure memorandum"). The J.P. Morgan disclosure memorandum included certain

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information regarding J.P. Morgan's material relationships with TIER and Cousins including, among other things, that J.P. Morgan and its affiliates, as of March 22, 2019, (i) have assisted Cousins on one or more corporate finance and treasury services transactions and (ii) may have had discussions from time to time with Cousins regarding potential opportunities not related to an acquisition of TIER.

        On March 22, 2019, Morgan Stanley provided a material relationships disclosure memorandum, dated March 21, 2019 (which we refer to as the "Morgan Stanley disclosure memorandum"). The Morgan Stanley disclosure memorandum included certain information regarding Morgan Stanley's material relationships with TIER and Cousins.

        On March 22, 2019, the Cousins board of directors held a telephonic meeting to discuss the status of discussions related to the potential business combination with TIER. Cousins management, representatives of Morgan Stanley and representatives of Wachtell Lipton were present. Mr. Connolly led the Cousins board of directors in a discussion about the strategic rationale for the potential business combination. Mr. Connolly reported that Cousins and TIER, and their respective advisors, had conducted considerable reciprocal due diligence review of the other company's business and operations. Mr. Connolly also briefed the Cousins board of directors on the potential risks related to the potential business combination, including complexities related to certain TIER joint ventures and the addition of non-core assets to the combined company's portfolio. Representatives of Morgan Stanley then reviewed and discussed with the Cousins board of directors its financial analysis of the potential business combination. Representatives of Morgan Stanley also indicated that they anticipated being able to deliver a fairness opinion in respect of the proposed transaction at a 2.98 exchange ratio if requested by the Cousins board of directors. Representatives of Wachtell Lipton then reviewed with the Cousins board of directors their legal and fiduciary duties with respect to the consideration of the proposed transaction. Representatives of Wachtell Lipton also provided a summary of the material terms of the draft merger agreement. The Cousins board of directors expressed their support for continuing the discussions to enter into a business combination with TIER based on a 2.98 exchange ratio. Mr. Connolly concluded the meeting noting that formal approval of the proposed transaction was expected to be requested of the Cousins board of directors at a subsequent meeting. The Cousins board of directors also discussed with management the potential to seek the approval of the Cousins stockholders to effect a reverse stock split with respect to the Cousins common stock, and to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. It was decided that these items would be discussed further at a subsequent board meeting.

        Later on March 22, 2019, Mr. Connolly communicated to Mr. Fordham that Cousins was prepared to continue exploring a transaction with the following key terms: an exchange ratio of 2.98, which represented an implied premium of 16% to the closing price of shares of TIER common stock on March 22, 2019, the addition of two TIER directors to the Cousins board of directors upon closing of the proposed transaction and a termination fee of 2.75% of the equity value of the transaction.

        Also on March 22, 2019, Mr. Gilchrist contacted Mr. Gellerstedt to discuss certain employee benefits and compensation matters to be reflected in the transaction documents.

        On March 23, 2019, the compensation committee of the TIER board of directors held a telephonic meeting, with Goodwin Procter in attendance, to consider the appropriateness of authorizing the reimbursement of excise taxes payable by certain key employees. At the direction of the compensation committee, following this meeting Mr. Gilchrist contacted Mr. Gellerstedt to discuss the desire to enter into agreements with management to cover certain excise taxes payable as a result of the transaction.

        On March 24, 2019, Mr. Gellerstedt contacted Mr. Gilchrist to communicate that Cousins was prepared to agree to the proposed reimbursement of excise taxes in connection with a transaction, up to an aggregate amount of $5.5 million. Later in the day, the compensation committee of the TIER board of directors met, with Goodwin Procter in attendance. Mr. Gilchrist communicated the Cousins proposal in respect of reimbursement of excise taxes to the committee members. Following discussion,

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the compensation committee determined to recommend to the TIER board of directors the approval of TIER entering into gross-up agreements with certain executives.

        On March 24, 2019, the Cousins board of directors held a telephonic special meeting to review the status of the negotiations of the Merger Agreement. Cousins management, representatives of Morgan Stanley and representatives of Wachtell Lipton were present. Mr. Connolly reported that Cousins management had completed its due diligence review of TIER. Mr. Connolly also reported that Cousins had communicated to Mr. Fordham that Mr. Fordham would be invited to be one of the two members of the TIER board of directors that would be appointed to the Cousins board of directors upon the closing of the proposed transaction. Representatives of Wachtell Lipton provided an update on the negotiation of the merger agreement. Representatives of Morgan Stanley then provided the Cousins board of directors with an oral opinion, which was subsequently confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated March 24, 2019, that, as of that date, and based upon and subject to the various assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in its written opinion, the exchange ratio pursuant to the merger agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Cousins. Representatives of Wachtell Lipton then discussed and reviewed with the Cousins board of directors the proposed resolutions to authorize the proposed transaction. The Cousins board of directors asked questions and discussed the strategic rationale for the potential business combination. Following discussion, including discussion of the matters described below under "—Cousins' Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Cousins Board of Directors," the Cousins board of directors, by a unanimous vote, (i) approved the Merger Agreement, (ii) declared the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger and the issuance of shares of Cousins common stock required to effect the Merger, to be advisable and in the best interests of Cousins and its stockholders, (iii) recommended to the Cousins stockholders that they approve the issuance of shares of Cousins common stock required to consummate the Merger and (iv) directed that the proposal to issue shares of Cousins common stock to consummate the Merger be submitted to a vote of the Cousins stockholders entitled to vote thereon at a special meeting of the Cousins stockholders.

        On March 24, 2019, the TIER board of directors held a telephonic special meeting with members of TIER management and representatives of Goodwin Procter and J.P. Morgan. Representatives of J.P. Morgan reviewed with the TIER board of directors its financial analysis of the proposed merger consideration noting, among other things, that based on the fixed exchange ratio of 2.98 shares of Cousins common stock for each outstanding share of TIER common stock, TIER stockholders would realize a 15.6% implied offering premium based on TIER's common stock price as of the close of business on March 22, 2019. J.P. Morgan then delivered to the TIER board of directors an oral opinion, which was confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated March 24, 2019, to the effect that, as of that date and based on and subject to various assumptions and limitations described in its written opinion, the exchange ratio provided for in the Merger is fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of TIER common stock. Representatives of Goodwin Procter summarized the terms of the Merger Agreement, including the nature of the representations and warranties, interim operating covenants, other covenants and closing conditions contained in the merger agreement, the termination fee, the events that would trigger the payment of the termination fee, the terms of the non-solicitation covenant and related deal protection provisions in the Merger Agreement. Mr. Gilchrist then led the TIER board of directors in a discussion of the transaction and the TIER board of directors discussed the value provided by the exchange ratio and determined that the implied price paid by Cousins was likely to be highly attractive to TIER stockholders. The TIER board of directors asked questions of representatives of Goodwin Procter regarding the proposed draft merger agreement and discussed various terms of the merger agreement. Goodwin Procter then reviewed with the TIER board of directors the proposed corporate approvals for the transaction. The chairman of the compensation committee conveyed its recommendation that the TIER board of directors approve entering into gross-up agreements with certain executives, up to an aggregate of $5.5 million, and the TIER board of

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directors approved doing so. Following these presentations and discussions, and other discussions by the TIER board of directors concerning, among other things, the matters described below under "—TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors," the TIER board of directors, by a unanimous vote of all directors, then (i) determined and declared that the Merger Agreement, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are advisable and in the best interest of TIER (ii) approved, in accordance with the MGCL, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement in all respects on the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and (iii) recommended to the TIER stockholders that they approve the Merger on substantially the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

        Following the TIER board of directors meeting and Cousins board of directors meeting, the parties finalized the transaction documents.

        In the morning of March 25, 2019, representatives of TIER and Cousins executed the Merger Agreement. TIER and Cousins also amended their confidentiality agreement to extend the expiration date of the confidentiality agreement to March 25, 2020.

        On the morning of March 25, 2019, before the New York Stock Exchange opened, TIER and Cousins issued a joint press release announcing the execution of the Merger Agreement.

Cousins' Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Cousins Board of Directors

        After careful consideration, the Cousins board of directors, by a unanimous vote of all directors, at a meeting held on March 24, 2019, (i) approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger (ii) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, were advisable and in the best interests of Cousins and its stockholders, (iii) directed that the Cousins Issuance Proposal be submitted for approval by Cousins stockholders and (iv) recommended that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal.

        In the course of evaluating the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, the Cousins board of directors consulted with Cousins' management and Cousins' legal and financial advisors and considered a number of factors that the Cousins board of directors believed supported its decision to approve the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, including the following material factors:

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        The Cousins board of directors also considered a number of risks and other factors identified in its deliberations as weighing negatively against the Merger, including the following:

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        The Cousins board of directors concluded that the potentially negative factors associated with the Merger were outweighed by the potential benefits that it expected the Cousins stockholders would achieve as a result of the Merger. Accordingly, the Cousins board of directors determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, were fair to and in the best interests of Cousins and its stockholders.

        The foregoing discussion of the factors considered by the Cousins board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but, rather, includes the material factors considered by the Cousins board of directors. In reaching its decision to approve the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the Merger, the Cousins board of directors did not quantify or assign any relative weights to the factors considered, and individual directors may have given different weights to different factors. The Cousins board of directors considered all these factors as a whole, including discussions with, and questioning of, Cousins' management and Cousins' financial and legal advisors, and overall considered the factors to be favorable to, and to support, its determination.

        This explanation of Cousins' reasons for the Merger and the other information presented in this section is forward-looking in nature and should be read in light of the sections herein entitled "Risk Factors," beginning on page 24 and "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements," beginning on page 33.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends to Cousins' stockholders that they vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal.

TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors

        After careful consideration, the TIER board of directors, by a unanimous vote of all directors, at a meeting held on March 24, 2019, approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger. In the course of evaluating the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, the TIER board of directors consulted with TIER's senior management and its outside legal counsel and financial advisor and unanimously (i) determined and declared that the Merger Agreement, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are advisable and in the best interest of TIER, (ii) approved, in accordance with the MGCL, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement in all respects on the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and (iii) recommended to TIER stockholders that they approve the Merger on substantially the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

        In determining that the Merger is advisable and in the best interests of TIER and its stockholders, in authorizing and approving the Merger on the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement, in approving the Merger Agreement and in recommending that TIER stockholders vote to approve the Merger on the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement, the TIER board of directors considered various factors that it viewed as supporting its decisions, including the following material factors:

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        The TIER board of directors also considered a variety of risks and other potentially negative factors in considering the Merger Agreement, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the following material factors:

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        This discussion of the foregoing information and material factors considered by the TIER board of directors in reaching its conclusions and recommendations is not intended to be exhaustive and is not provided in any specific order or ranking. In view of the wide variety of factors considered by the TIER board of directors in evaluating the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and the complexity of these matters, the TIER board of directors did not find it practicable to, and did not attempt to, quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weight to those factors. In addition, different members of the TIER board of directors may have given different weight to different factors. The TIER board or directors did not reach any specific conclusion with respect to any of the factors considered and instead conducted an overall review of such factors and determined that, in the aggregate, the potential benefits considered outweighed the potential risks or possible negative consequences of approving the Merger Agreement, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        This explanation of the reasoning of the TIER board of directors and all other information presented in this section is forward-looking in nature and, therefore, should be read in light of the factors discussed in the section entitled "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" beginning on page 33.

        After careful consideration, for the reasons set forth above, the TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that the TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the proposal to approve the Merger on the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor

        Cousins retained Morgan Stanley to provide it with financial advisory services in connection with the Merger and to provide a financial opinion to the Cousins board of directors. Cousins selected Morgan Stanley to act as its financial advisor based on Morgan Stanley's qualifications, expertise and reputation, its knowledge of and involvement in recent transactions in Cousins' industry, and its knowledge of the business and affairs of Cousins. As part of this engagement, the Cousins board of directors requested that Morgan Stanley evaluate the fairness to Cousins, from a financial point of view, of the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement. On March 24, 2019, at a meeting of the Cousins board of directors, Morgan Stanley rendered its oral opinion, subsequently confirmed in writing by delivery of a written opinion to the Cousins board of directors dated March 24, 2019, that, as of that date and based upon and subject to the various assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in the written opinion, the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement was fair, from a financial point of view, to Cousins.

        The full text of the written opinion of Morgan Stanley, dated as of March 24, 2019, is attached to this joint proxy statement/prospectus as Annex B and is hereby incorporated into this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference in its entirety. You should read the opinion in its entirety for a discussion of the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of the review undertaken by Morgan Stanley in rendering its opinion. You should read the entire opinion and the summary of Morgan Stanley's opinion below carefully and in their entirety. This summary of the opinion of Morgan Stanley set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the opinion. Morgan Stanley's opinion was directed to the Cousins board of directors, in its capacity as such, addressed only the fairness of the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement, from a financial point of view, to Cousins as of the date of the opinion and did not address any other aspects or implications of the Merger. The opinion did not in any manner address the prices at which shares of Cousins common

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stock will trade following consummation of the Merger or at any time. Morgan Stanley's opinion was not intended to, and does not, constitute a recommendation to any holder of shares of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock as to how to vote at the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, respectively, to be held in connection with the Merger or whether to take any other action with respect to the Merger. Morgan Stanley was not required to opine as to, and its opinion does not in any manner address, the underlying business decision by Cousins to proceed with or effect the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, or the likelihood that the Merger is consummated. Morgan Stanley's opinion did not address the relative merits of the Merger as compared to any other alternative business transaction, or other alternatives, or whether or not such alternatives could be achieved or are available.

        In connection with rendering its opinion, Morgan Stanley, among other things:

        In arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley assumed and relied upon, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of the information that was publicly available or supplied or otherwise made available to it by TIER and Cousins, and formed a substantial basis for its opinion. With respect to the financial projections, including information relating to certain strategic, financial and operational benefits anticipated from the Merger, Morgan Stanley assumed, with Cousins' consent, that they had been reasonably prepared on bases reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of the respective managements of TIER and Cousins of the future financial performance of

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TIER and Cousins. These projections are discussed more fully under "—Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" and "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" beginning on pages 74 and 76, respectively. Morgan Stanley assumed, with Cousins' consent, that the projections prepared by the management of Cousins are a reasonable basis upon which to evaluate the business and financial prospects of Cousins and TIER. Morgan Stanley expressed no view as to such projections or the assumptions on which they were based. Morgan Stanley relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment by the management teams of TIER and Cousins of: (i) the strategic, financial and other benefits expected to result from the Merger; (ii) the timing and risks associated with the integration of TIER and Cousins; and (iii) their ability to retain key employees of TIER and Cousins, respectively. Morgan Stanley assumed, with Cousins' consent, that TIER has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes since its formation as a REIT and assumed that the Merger will not adversely affect the status or operations of Cousins. In addition, Morgan Stanley assumed, with Cousins' consent, that the Merger will be consummated in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement without any waiver, amendment or delay of any terms or conditions, including, among other things, that the Merger will be treated as a tax-free reorganization, pursuant to the Code, as amended, and that the definitive Merger Agreement would not differ in any material respect from the draft thereof furnished to Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley assumed, with Cousins' consent, that in connection with the receipt of all the necessary governmental, regulatory or other approvals, consents or agreements required in connection with the Merger, no delays, limitations, conditions or restrictions will be imposed that would have a material adverse effect on the contemplated benefits expected to be derived in the Merger. Morgan Stanley did not express any view on, and its opinion did not address, any other term or aspect of the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby or any term or aspect of any other agreement or instrument contemplated by the Merger Agreement or entered into or amended in connection therewith. Morgan Stanley is not a legal, tax or regulatory advisor. Morgan Stanley is a financial advisor only and relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment of TIER and Cousins and their legal, tax or regulatory advisors with respect to legal, tax or regulatory matters. Morgan Stanley expressed no opinion with respect to the fairness of the amount or nature of the compensation to any of TIER's officers, directors or employees, or any class of such persons, relative to the Merger consideration to be received by the holders of shares of TIER common stock in the transaction. Morgan Stanley was not requested to make, and did not make, any independent valuation or appraisal of the assets or liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of TIER or Cousins, nor was it furnished with any such valuations or appraisals. Morgan Stanley's opinion was necessarily based on financial, economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to it as of the date of its opinion. Events occurring after such date may affect Morgan Stanley's opinion and the assumptions used in preparing it, and Morgan Stanley did not assume any obligation to update, revise or reaffirm its opinion.

Summary of Financial Analyses of Morgan Stanley

        The following is a summary of the material financial analyses performed by Morgan Stanley in connection with its oral opinion and the preparation of its written opinion letter to the Cousins board of directors dated March 24, 2019. The following summary is not a complete description of the financial analyses performed and factors considered by Morgan Stanley in connection with its opinion, nor does the order of analyses described represent the relative importance or weight given to those analyses. The various analyses summarized below were based on the closing prices for TIER common stock and Cousins common stock as of March 22, 2019, the last trading day prior to the execution of the Merger Agreement. Some of these summaries of financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. In order to fully understand the financial analyses used by Morgan Stanley, the tables must be read together with the text of each summary. The tables alone do not constitute a complete description of the financial analyses. The analyses listed in the tables and described below must be

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considered as a whole. Assessing any portion of such analyses and of the factors reviewed, without considering all analyses and factors, could create a misleading or incomplete view of the process underlying Morgan Stanley's opinion. Furthermore, mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not in itself a meaningful method of using the data referred to below.

Comparable Public Company Analysis

        Morgan Stanley reviewed and compared certain publicly available, ratios and consensus estimates of each of TIER and Cousins with equivalent publicly available financial information and consensus estimates for companies that share business characteristics with TIER and Cousins to derive an implied exchange ratio reference range with respect to TIER and Cousins. After evaluating a number of potential comparable companies, Morgan Stanley in its professional judgment determined that the comparable company with business characteristics most similar to TIER and Cousins for the purposes of its opinion was Highwoods Properties, Inc., which we refer to as "Highwoods." Morgan Stanley evaluated the following factors in determining the view that Highwoods is the most relevant publicly traded REIT for comparison for TIER and Cousins and that no other publicly traded REITs were appropriate comparisons: (i) Market exposure—each of Tier, Cousins and Highwoods own office properties that are primarily located in Sun Belt markets in the United States and no other publicly traded REITs have portfolios with similar geographic exposure, and (ii) Portfolio characteristics—each of Tier, Cousins and Highwoods own a high-quality portfolio of office properties that are primarily located in amenitized sub-markets within Sun Belt markets which are largely urban and highly sought after markets and no other publicly traded REITs have portfolios with similar portfolio characteristics. In addition to Highwoods, the comparable companies set for Cousins included TIER, and the comparable companies set for TIER included Cousins.

        For purposes of this comparable public company analysis, Morgan Stanley analyzed the following statistics of Highwoods for comparison purposes: share premium or discount to Street consensus estimated net asset value, which we refer to as "NAV." Morgan Stanley determined that given that a substantial portion of TIER's asset base consists of non-income generating assets (development in process, land, etc.), earnings based multiples (such as funds from operations per share, which we refer to as "FFO", adjusted FFO, which we refer to as "AFFO", or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, which we refer to as "EBITDA") were not relevant statistics to consider when comparing TIER to its public peers and, therefore, such metrics also could not be used in comparing TIER with Cousins to derive the implied exchange ratio reference range. Rather, Morgan Stanley determined that trading relative to NAV was a more relevant comparison between TIER and its public peers. With respect to this metric, Morgan Stanley calculated implied premiums or discounts to consensus NAV, as the case may be. The statistics for Highwoods were calculated using its closing price on March 22, 2019 and were based on the most recent publicly available information and Street consensus estimates.

        Morgan Stanley then compared these statistics of Highwoods with the corresponding statistics for TIER and Cousins. The following table reflects the results of this analysis:

 
  Premium/Discount
to NAV
 
 
  Cons  

Highwoods Properties, Inc. 

    (7.4 )%

TIER REIT, Inc. 

    (0.4 )%

Cousins Properties Incorporated

    4.4 %

        Morgan Stanley then compared the percentage premiums / discounts to Street consensus NAV from the comparable companies set to Street consensus NAV for each of TIER and Cousins to derive a range of implied share prices for each share of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock. For

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Cousins, the low end of this range was calculated based upon the mean of the comparable companies (other than Cousins), less five percent, while the high end of this range was calculated based upon the mean of the comparable companies (other than Cousins), plus five percent. For TIER, the low end of this range was calculated based upon the mean of the comparable companies (other than TIER), less five percent, while the high end of this range was calculated based upon the mean of the comparable companies (other than TIER), plus five percent. The ranges of implied share prices derived from the above analyses were compared to (1) for Cousins, the Consensus NAV as of March 22, 2019 of $9.47 and (2) for TIER, the Consensus NAV as of March 22, 2019 of $25.59. The following table reflects the results of this analysis:

 
  TIER   Cousins
 
  Comparable
Companies Range
  Implied Share
Price Range
  Comparable
Companies Range
  Implied Share
Price Range

Consensus NAV

  (6.5)% - 3.5%   $23.92 - $26.48   (8.9)% - 1.1%   $8.62 - $9.57

        Following this analysis, Morgan Stanley then compared the ranges of implied share prices for each of Cousins and TIER. Morgan Stanley compared the lowest implied equity value per share for TIER to the highest implied equity value per share for Cousins to derive the lowest exchange ratio implied by each pair of estimates. Similarly, Morgan Stanley compared the highest implied equity value per share for TIER to the lowest implied equity value per share for Cousins to derive the highest exchange ratio implied by each pair of estimates. The implied exchange ratios resulting from this analysis, as compared to the exchange ratio of 2.98 provided for in the Merger, were:

 
  Implied Exchange
Ratio Range

Consensus NAV

  2.499x to 3.070x

        Highwoods is not identical to TIER or Cousins. In undertaking its comparable companies analysis, Morgan Stanley made judgments and assumptions with regard to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, which are beyond TIER's and Cousins' control, such as the impact of competition on TIER, Cousins and the industry generally, industry growth, and the absence of any material adverse effect in the financial condition and prospects of TIER, Cousins or the industry in which they operate, or in the financial markets in general. Mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not, in itself, a meaningful method of using comparable company data.

Dividend Discount Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a dividend discount analysis of shares of TIER common stock to calculate a range of implied present values per share of TIER common stock. To perform this analysis, Morgan Stanley calculated the aggregate implied present value of dividends per share that TIER was forecasted to generate for the period from July 1, 2019 through December 31, 2022 utilizing internal estimates of TIER's management, discounted based on a derived cost of equity using the capital asset pricing model. Morgan Stanley then derived an implied terminal value per share of TIER common stock by applying an estimated amount of FFO per share to an estimated FFO multiple per share, each for the calendar year 2023, based on TIER's historical FFO growth rate and historical FFO trading multiple, respectively. This implied terminal value was then discounted to present value by applying the same derived cost of equity and added to the sum of the implied present value of dividends per share to arrive at implied present value per share. Morgan Stanley then calculated a range of implied present values of TIER common stock by applying a selected range of FFO multiples of 13.6x to 16.6x, and cost of equity percentages of 5.9% to 7.9%, to the implied present value per share of TIER common

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stock described above, which was calculated using the mid-point of these ranges. This analysis indicated the following implied per share equity value reference range for TIER:

Implied Per Share Equity Value Reference Range

$23.61 to $30.06

        Similarly, Morgan Stanley performed a dividend discount analysis of Cousins common shares to calculate a range of implied present values per share of Cousins common stock. To perform this analysis, Morgan Stanley calculated the aggregate implied present value of dividends per share that Cousins was forecasted to generate during the fiscal years ending December 31, 2019 through December 31, 2022 utilizing internal estimates of Cousins management, discounted based on a derived cost of equity using the capital asset pricing model. Morgan Stanley then derived an implied terminal value per share of Cousins common stock by applying an estimated amount of FFO per share to an estimated FFO multiple per share, each for the calendar year 2023, based on Cousins' historical FFO growth rate and historical FFO trading multiple, respectively. This implied terminal value was then discounted to present value by applying the same derived cost of equity and added to the sum of the implied present value of dividends per share to arrive at implied present value per share. Morgan Stanley then calculated a range of implied present values of Cousins common stock by applying a selected range of FFO multiples of 12.7x to 15.7x, and cost of equity percentages of 5.2% to 7.2%, to the implied present value per share of Cousins common stock described above, which was calculated using the mid-point of these ranges. This analysis indicated the following implied per share equity value reference range for Cousins:

Implied Per Share Equity Value Reference Range

$8.34 to $10.72

        Following this analysis, Morgan Stanley then compared the ranges of implied equity values for each of Cousins and TIER. First, Morgan Stanley compared the lowest implied equity value per share for TIER to the highest implied equity value per share for Cousins to derive the lowest exchange ratio implied by each pair of estimates. Second, Morgan Stanley compared the highest implied equity value per share for TIER to the lowest implied equity value per share for Cousins to derive the highest exchange ratio implied by each pair of estimates. The implied exchange ratio range resulting from this analysis, as compared to the exchange ratio of 2.98x provided for in the Merger Agreement, was:

Implied Exchange Ratio Range

2.202x -3.606x

Net Asset Value Analysis

        Morgan Stanley also prepared a net asset value analysis for both TIER and Cousins using 2019 estimated net operating income and asset and liability balances expected as of June 30, 2019 provided by TIER and Cousins management, respectively.

        To arrive at an aggregate value for TIER's operating portfolio, Morgan Stanley applied a weighted average capitalization rate of 5.6% and 7.5% to the strategic operating portfolio and non-operating portfolio respectively based on guidance from Cousins management. To this aggregate value for TIER, Morgan Stanley added the value of development assets and development land of $579 million and $64 million, respectively, as provided by Cousins management, and deducted balance sheet liabilities of $777 million provided by Cousins management.

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        To arrive at an aggregate value for Cousins' operating portfolio, Morgan Stanley applied a weighted average capitalization rate of 6.5% to the strategic operating portfolio based on guidance from Cousins management. To this aggregate value for Cousins, Morgan Stanley added the value of development assets and development land of $161 million and $15 million, respectively, as provided by Cousins management, and deducted balance sheet liabilities of $1,428 million provided by Cousins management.

        Morgan Stanley then derived a range of per-share NAV estimates for shares of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock applying a range of capitalization rates falling within 50 basis points of a midpoint of 6.1% for TIER and 6.5% for Cousins. The resulting range of per-share NAV estimates for TIER as of June 30, 2019 was $25.54 to $30.54, and the resulting range of per-share NAV estimates for Cousins as of June 30, 2019 was $9.01 to $10.99. Morgan Stanley then identified the highest implied exchange ratio and the lowest implied exchange ratio to derive the following implied exchange ratio range, as compared to the exchange ratio of 2.98x provided for in the Merger:

Implied Exchange Ratio Range

2.324x to 3.391x

Premiums Paid Analysis

        Using publicly available information, Morgan Stanley reviewed the terms of the following selected public company precedent transactions announced between October 1, 2013 to December 7, 2018 in which the targets were REITs and the transaction was greater than $500 million for which sufficient information was available as of the date of the opinion.

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Selected Precedent Transactions

Completed
  Target   Acquirer
December 7, 2018   Forest City Realty Trust, Inc.   Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
November 30, 2018   LaSalle Hotel Properties   Pebblebrook Hotel Trust
October 10, 2018   Gramercy Property Trust   Blackstone Real Estate Partners
September 20, 2018   Education Realty Trust, Inc.   Greystar Real Estate Partners
August 28, 2018   GGP Inc.   Brookfield Property Partners L.P.
August 22, 2018   DCT Industrial Trust Inc.   Prologis, Inc.
May 24, 2018   Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust   Blackstone Real Estate Partners
May 4, 2018   Canadian REIT   Choice Properties REIT
October 12, 2017   Parkway Properties   CPP Investment Board
September 29, 2017   Monogram Residential Trust   Greystar Real Estate Partners
September 14, 2017   DuPont Fabros Technology   Digital Realty Trust
December 1, 2016   Post Properties   Mid-America Apartment Communities
October 6, 2016   Parkway Properties   Cousins Properties
July 6, 2016   Rouse Properties   Brookfield Asset Management
February 26, 2016   Campus Crest Communities   Harrison Street Real Estate LLC
January 27, 2016   Biomed Realty Trust   Blackstone Real Estate Partners
December 11, 2015   Strategic Hotels & Resorts   Blackstone Real Estate Partners
October 7, 2015   Home Properties   Lone Star Funds
August 7, 2015   Associated Estates Realty Corp.   Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
January 15, 2015   Excel Realty Trust   Blackstone Property Partners, LP
April 1, 2014   BRE Properties   Essex Property Trust
February 7, 2014   Cole Real Estate Investments   American Realty Capital Properties, Inc.
November 5, 2013   CapLease, Inc.   American Realty Capital Properties, Inc.
October 15, 2013   MPG Office Trust   Brookfield Office Properties
October 1, 2013   Colonial Properties Trust   Mid-America Apartment Communities

        Morgan Stanley reviewed the premiums paid to the target companies' unaffected stock prices (defined as the average stock price for the 10 trading days ending five trading days prior to the announcement of the transaction for such selected precedent transactions). The overall observed lowest and highest unaffected stock price premiums paid in all transactions reviewed (in each case after excluding highest and lowest premiums as outliers) were 9.3% and 29.5%, respectively, with a mean premium to unaffected stock price of 18.5%. An implied per share equity value reference range for TIER was then calculated based on applying those premiums to the closing price per share of TIER common stock on March 22, 2019 of $25.48. Based on the implied per share equity value reference range calculated in this analysis, Morgan Stanley derived an implied exchange ratio range using the closing price per share of Cousins common stock on March 22, 2019 of $9.88. This analysis indicated the following implied per share equity value reference range for a share of TIER common stock and the following implied exchange ratio range, as compared to the exchange ratio of 2.98x provided for in the Merger Agreement:

Implied Per Share Equity Value Reference Range   Implied Per Share Merger Consideration
$27.84 - $33.01   2.818x - 3.341x

        No company or transaction utilized in the premiums paid analysis is identical to TIER or the Merger, or directly comparable to the Merger in business mix, timing and size. The fact that points in the range of implied value per share of TIER common stock derived from the valuation of premiums paid in precedent transactions were less than or greater than the consideration is not necessarily

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dispositive in connection with Morgan Stanley's analysis of the consideration for the Merger, but is one of many factors Morgan Stanley considered.

Other Information

        Morgan Stanley observed certain additional factors that were not considered part of Morgan Stanley's financial analyses with respect to its opinion but were referenced for informational purposes, including the following:

Contribution Analysis

        For reference only, Morgan Stanley also performed a contribution analysis which reviewed the pro forma contribution of Cousins and TIER to the combined entity and implied contributions based on certain financial metrics using management plans for both Cousins and TIER as provided by both Cousins and TIER management for their separate companies, respectively. Such financial metrics included 2019 unadjusted FFO, 2019 FFO adjusted for projected synergies attributed to TIER and 2022 FFO adjusted for projected synergies attributed to TIER. Morgan Stanley evaluated 2022 FFO adjusted for synergies because Morgan Stanley determined that this metric was reflective of a period of time by which much of TIER's and Cousins' respective development pipelines are expected to be income generating and thus appropriate for such a contribution analysis. Morgan Stanley derived an implied pro forma contribution for each of TIER and Cousins by dividing each company's FFO estimates by the combined FFO estimates for both companies. Morgan Stanley also noted the implied exchange ratio derived from the implied contributions for the selected metrics.

Contribution Analysis
  Implied
Exchange Ratio

2019 Unadjusted FFO

  2.030x

2019 Synergy Adjusted FFO

  2.490x

2022 Synergy Adjusted FFO(1)

  3.209x

(1)
2020 Synergy Adjusted FFO shown to illustrate relative implied contributions once current development pipelines have been stabilized.

Projections per Company Models

Research Analyst Price Targets and NAV Targets

        Morgan Stanley reviewed public market trading price targets for each of TIER and Cousins common shares published by equity research analysts, which reflected low to high price targets for TIER and Cousins of $24.00 to $27.00 and $9.00 to $11.00, respectively. Morgan Stanley then compared the low and high price targets to derive the following implied exchange ratio range:

Implied Exchange Ratio Range

2.182x to 3.000x

        Morgan Stanley also reviewed available equity research analyst estimates of NAV per share for each of TIER and Cousins, which reflected lowest to highest NAV for TIER and Cousins of $21.45 to $28.56 and $9.04 to $9.99, respectively. Morgan Stanley then compared the highest and lowest NAV to derive the following implied exchange ratio range:

Implied Exchange Ratio Range

2.147x to 3.159x

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        The public market trading price targets and estimates of NAV per share published by equity research analysts do not necessarily reflect current market trading prices for the common shares of TIER and Cousins and these targets and estimates are subject to uncertainties, including the future financial performance of TIER and Cousins and future financial market conditions.

General

        Morgan Stanley performed a variety of financial and comparative analyses for purposes of rendering its opinion. The preparation of a financial opinion is a complex process and is not necessarily susceptible to a partial analysis or summary description. In arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley considered the results of all of its analyses as a whole and did not attribute any particular weight to any analysis or factor it considered. Morgan Stanley believes that selecting any portion of these analyses, without considering all analyses as a whole, would create an incomplete view of the process underlying its analyses and opinion. In addition, Morgan Stanley may have given various analyses and factors more or less weight than other analyses and factors, and may have deemed various assumptions more or less probable than other assumptions. As a result, the ranges of valuations resulting from any particular analysis described above should not be taken to be Morgan Stanley's view of the actual value of TIER or Cousins.

        In performing its analyses, Morgan Stanley made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, general business, regulatory, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters. These include, among other things, the impact of competition on the businesses of TIER and Cousins and the industry generally, industry growth, and the absence of any adverse material change in the financial condition and prospects of TIER, Cousins, or the industry, or in the financial markets in general. Many of these assumptions are beyond the control of TIER and Cousins. Any estimates contained in Morgan Stanley's analyses are not necessarily indicative of future results or actual values, which may be significantly more or less favorable than those suggested by such estimates.

        Morgan Stanley conducted the analyses described above solely as part of its analysis of the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the exchange ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement to Cousins, and in connection with the delivery of its opinion as of March 24, 2019 to the Cousins board of directors. These analyses do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices at which shares of Cousins common stock might actually trade.

        The exchange ratio provided for in the Merger was determined through arm's-length negotiations between TIER and Cousins and was unanimously approved by the Cousins board of directors. Morgan Stanley provided advice to the Cousins board of directors during these negotiations but did not, however, recommend any specific exchange ratio to Cousins or the Cousins board of directors, or that any specific exchange ratio constituted the only appropriate exchange ratio for the Merger. Morgan Stanley was not requested to opine as to, and its opinion does not in any manner address, the underlying business decision of Cousins to proceed with or effect the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, or the likelihood that the Merger is consummated. Morgan Stanley's opinion did not address the relative merits of the Merger as compared to any other alternative business transaction, or other alternatives, or whether or not such alternatives could be achieved or are available. Morgan Stanley's opinion was not intended to, and does not, express an opinion or a recommendation as to how any holder of shares of TIER common stock or Cousins common stock should vote at the special meeting to be held in connection with the Merger, or as to any other action that a holder of shares of TIER common stock or Cousins common stock should take relating to the Merger.

        Morgan Stanley's opinion and presentation to the Cousins board of directors was one of many factors taken into consideration by the Cousins board of directors in deciding to approve the Merger and other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Consequently, the analyses as described above should not be viewed as determinative of the opinion of the Cousins board of directors

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with respect to the exchange ratio or of whether the Cousins board of directors would have been willing to agree to a different exchange ratio.

        Morgan Stanley's opinion was approved by a committee of Morgan Stanley investment banking and other professionals in accordance with its customary practice. Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm engaged in the securities, investment management and individual wealth management businesses. Its securities business is engaged in securities underwriting, trading and brokerage activities, foreign exchange, commodities and derivatives trading, prime brokerage, as well as providing investment banking, financing and financial advisory services. Morgan Stanley, its affiliates, directors and officers may at any time invest on a principal basis or manage funds that invest, hold long or short positions, finance positions, and may trade or otherwise structure and effect transactions, for its own account or the accounts of its customers, in debt or equity securities or loans of TIER, Cousins or any other company, or any currency or commodity, that may be involved in the Merger, or any related derivative instrument.

        Under the terms of its engagement letter, Morgan Stanley provided the Cousins board of directors with financial advisory services and a financial opinion, and Cousins agreed to pay Morgan Stanley a total transaction fee of up to $19 million payable upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. If the transaction contemplated by the Merger Agreement is not consummated and Cousins receives compensation pursuant to the termination provisions contained in the Merger Agreement, which we refer to in this paragraph as the Breakup Fee, Morgan Stanley will charge a termination fee equal to the lesser of (1) 25% of the Breakup Fee and (2) the transaction fee that would have been payable by Cousins to Morgan Stanley if the transaction had been consummated. The Cousins board of directors has also agreed to reimburse Morgan Stanley for its expenses, including fees of outside counsel and other professional advisors, incurred in performing its services not to exceed $50,000 without the prior written consent of Cousins, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld; provided, however, that the expenses of the outside counsel of Morgan Stanley are not subject to such expense cap. In addition, the Cousins board of directors has agreed to indemnify Morgan Stanley and its affiliates, their respective officers, directors, employees and agents and each person, if any, controlling Morgan Stanley or any of its affiliates against certain liabilities and expenses, including certain liabilities under the federal securities laws, relating to, arising out of or in connection with Morgan Stanley's engagement.

        In the two years prior to the date of its opinion, Morgan Stanley and its affiliates have provided financial advisory and financing services to Cousins and have received approximately $700,000 in connection with such services. In the two years prior to the date of its opinion, Morgan Stanley has not provided financial advisory or financing services to TIER, and, accordingly, has not received fees in connection with the provision of such services. As of the date of the opinion, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley is a lender to Cousins under its credit facility. Morgan Stanley and its affiliates may seek to provide financial advisory and financing services to TIER and Cousins and their respective affiliates in the future and would expect to receive fees for the rendering of these services.

Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor

        Pursuant to an engagement letter, dated March 22, 2019, TIER retained J.P. Morgan as its financial advisor in connection with the Merger.

        At the meeting of TIER's board of directors on March 24, 2019, J.P. Morgan rendered its oral opinion to TIER's board of directors that, as of such date and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing the opinion, the exchange ratio in the Merger was fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of TIER common stock. J.P. Morgan confirmed its March 24, 2019 oral opinion by delivering its written opinion to TIER's board of directors, dated March 24, 2019, that, as of

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such date, the exchange ratio in the Merger was fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of TIER common stock.

        The full text of the written opinion of J.P. Morgan, dated March 24, 2019, which sets forth the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and limitations on the review undertaken by J.P. Morgan in preparing the opinion, is attached as Annex C to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated herein by reference. This summary of the opinion of J.P. Morgan set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such opinion. TIER's stockholders are urged to read the opinion in its entirety. J.P. Morgan's opinion was addressed to TIER's board of directors (in its capacity as such) in connection with and for the purposes of its evaluation of the Merger and was directed only to the exchange ratio in the Merger. J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion as to the fairness of any consideration to be paid in connection with the Merger to the holders of any other class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of TIER or as to the underlying decision by TIER to engage in the Merger. The issuance of J.P. Morgan's opinion was approved by a fairness committee of J.P. Morgan. The opinion does not constitute a recommendation to any stockholder of TIER as to how such stockholder should vote with respect to the Merger or any other matter.

        In arriving at its opinion, J.P. Morgan:

        In addition, J.P. Morgan held discussions with certain members of the management of TIER and Cousins with respect to certain aspects of the Merger, and the past and current business operations of TIER and Cousins, financial condition and future prospects and operations of TIER and Cousins, the effects of the Merger on the financial condition and future prospects of TIER and Cousins, and certain other matters J.P. Morgan believed necessary or appropriate to its inquiry.

        In giving its opinion, J.P. Morgan relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all information that was publicly available or was furnished to or discussed with J.P. Morgan by TIER and Cousins or otherwise reviewed by or for J.P. Morgan. J.P. Morgan did not independently verify any such information or its accuracy or completeness and, pursuant to its engagement letter with TIER, J.P. Morgan did not assume any obligation to undertake any such independent verification. J.P. Morgan did not conduct and was not provided with any valuation or appraisal of any assets or liabilities, nor did J.P. Morgan evaluate the solvency of TIER or Cousins under any state or federal laws relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or similar matters. In relying on financial analyses and forecasts provided to J.P. Morgan or derived therefrom, including the Synergies, J.P. Morgan assumed that they were reasonably prepared based on assumptions reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments by management as to the expected future results of operations and financial condition of TIER and Cousins to which such analyses

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or forecasts relate. J.P. Morgan expresses no view as to such analyses or forecasts (including the Synergies) or the assumptions on which they were based. J.P. Morgan also assumed that the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes and will be consummated as described in the Merger Agreement. J.P. Morgan also assumed that the representations and warranties made by TIER and Cousins in the Merger Agreement and the related agreements are and will be true and correct in all respects material to J.P. Morgan's analysis. J.P. Morgan is not a legal, regulatory or tax expert and relied on the assessments made by advisors to TIER with respect to such issues. J.P. Morgan further assumed that all material governmental, regulatory or other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the Merger will be obtained without any adverse effect on TIER or Cousins or on the contemplated benefits of the Merger.

        The projections furnished to J.P. Morgan were prepared by the management of TIER and Cousins as discussed more fully under "—Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" and "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" beginning on pages 74 and 76, respectively. Neither TIER nor Cousins publicly disclose internal management projections of the type provided to J.P. Morgan in connection with J.P. Morgan's analysis of the Merger, and such projections were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure. These projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain and may be beyond the control of TIER and Cousins' management, including, without limitation, factors related to general economic and competitive conditions and prevailing interest rates. Accordingly, actual results could vary significantly from those set forth in such projections. For more information regarding the use of projections, please refer to the sections entitled "—Cousins Audited Prospective Financial Information" and "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" beginning on pages 74 and 76, respectively.

        J.P. Morgan's opinion was necessarily based on economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to J.P. Morgan as of, the date of such opinion. J.P. Morgan's opinion noted that subsequent developments may affect J.P. Morgan's opinion and that J.P. Morgan does not have any obligation to update, revise, or reaffirm such opinion. J.P. Morgan's opinion is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view, of the exchange ratio in the Merger to the holders of TIER common stock, and J.P. Morgan has expressed no opinion as to the fairness of any consideration to be paid in connection with the Merger to the holders of any other class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of TIER or as to the underlying decision by TIER to engage in the Merger. Furthermore, J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion with respect to the amount or nature of any compensation to any officers, directors, or employees of any party to the Merger, or any class of such persons relative to the exchange ratio applicable to the holders of TIER common stock in the Merger or with respect to the fairness of any such compensation. J.P. Morgan expressed no opinion as to the price at which TIER common stock will trade at any future time.

        J.P. Morgan was not authorized to and did not solicit any expressions of interest from any other parties with respect to the sale of all or any part of TIER or any other alternative transaction.

        In accordance with customary investment banking practice, J.P. Morgan employed generally accepted valuation methodologies in rendering its opinion to TIER's board of directors on March 24, 2019 and in the presentation delivered to TIER's board of directors on such date in connection with the rendering of such opinion. The following is a summary of the material financial analyses utilized by J.P. Morgan in connection with rendering its opinion to TIER's board of directors and does not purport to be a complete description of the analyses or data presented by J.P. Morgan. Some of the summaries of the financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. The tables are not intended to stand alone, and in order to more fully understand the financial analyses used by J.P. Morgan, the tables must be read together with the full text of each summary. Considering the data set forth below without considering the full narrative description of the financial analyses, including the methodologies and assumptions underlying the analyses, could create a misleading or incomplete view of J.P. Morgan's analyses.

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        Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan compared selected financial data of TIER and Cousins with similar data for selected publicly traded companies engaged in businesses which J.P. Morgan judged to be sufficiently analogous to TIER and Cousins. The companies selected by J.P. Morgan were as follows:

        These companies were selected, among other reasons, because they are publicly traded companies with operations and businesses that, for the purposes of J.P. Morgan's analysis, may be considered similar to those of TIER and Cousins. However, certain of these companies may have characteristics that are materially different from those of TIER and Cousins. The analyses necessarily involve complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operational characteristics of the companies involved and other factors that could affect the selected companies differently than they would affect TIER or Cousins.

        Using publicly available information, J.P. Morgan calculated, for each selected company, the ratio of the company's share price to the company's FFO for the years ending December 31, 2019 (which we refer to as the "P/2019E FFO") and December 31, 2020 (which we refer to as the "P/2020E FFO"). This analysis indicated the following P/2019E FFOs and P/2020E FFOs for those companies compared to TIER and Cousins:

 
  P/FFO  
 
  P/2019E FFO   P/2020E FFO  

Highwoods Properties, Inc

    13.3x     12.8x  

Cousins Properties Incorporated

    14.9x     13.9x  

TIER REIT, Inc

    17.7x     16.5x  

        Based on the results of this analysis, J.P. Morgan selected multiple reference ranges of 13.25x - 17.75x and 12.75x - 16.50x for TIER's P/2019E FFO and P/2020E FFO, respectively, and 13.25x - 15.00x and 12.75x - 14.00x for Cousins' P/2019E FFO and P/2020E FFO, respectively. After applying such ranges to the projected FFO for TIER and for Cousins for the year ending December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020, based on the projections provided by TIER and Cousins' management, which can be found in the sections entitled "—Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" and "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" beginning on pages 74 and 76, respectively, the analysis indicated the following ranges of implied per share equity value for shares of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock, rounded to the nearest $0.25:

 
  Implied Per Share
Equity Value
 
 
  Low   High  

TIER P/2019E FFO

  $ 19.00   $ 25.25  

TIER P/2020E FFO

  $ 19.50   $ 25.50  

 

 
  Implied Per Share
Equity Value
 
 
  Low   High  

Cousins P/2019E FFO

  $ 9.75   $ 11.00  

Cousins P/2020E FFO

  $ 9.25   $ 10.00  

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        The ranges of implied per share equity value for TIER common stock were compared to TIER's closing share price of $25.48 on March 22, 2019, the NYSE trading day immediately preceding the execution of the Merger Agreement, and the implied per share offer price of $29.44. The ranges of implied per share equity value for Cousins common stock were compared to Cousins' closing share price of $9.88 on March 22, 2019, the NYSE trading day immediately preceding the execution of the Merger Agreement.

        J.P. Morgan conducted a discounted cash flow analysis for the purpose of determining an implied fully diluted equity value per share for each of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock. A discounted cash flow analysis is a method of evaluating an asset using estimates of the future unlevered cash flows generated by the asset and taking into consideration the time value of money with respect to those cash flows by calculating their "present value." The "unlevered free cash flows" refers to a calculation of the future cash flows generated by an asset without including in such calculation any debt servicing costs. "Present value" refers to the current value of the cash flows generated by the asset, and is obtained by discounting those cash flows back to the present using an appropriate discount rate and applying a discounting convention that assumes that all cash flows were generated at the midpoint of each period. "Terminal value" refers to the present value of all future cash flows generated by the asset for periods beyond the projection period.

        J.P. Morgan calculated the unlevered free cash flows that TIER and Cousins are expected to generate during fiscal years 2019 through 2023 based upon projections provided by the management of TIER and Cousins and approved by the management of TIER for J.P. Morgan's use in connection with its discounted cash flow analysis. Such projections can be found in the sections entitled "—Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" and "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information" beginning on pages 74 and 76, respectively. J.P. Morgan also calculated a range of terminal asset values of TIER and Cousins at the end of the five-year period ending in 2023 by applying a perpetual growth rate ranging from 1.50% to 2.00% to the unlevered free cash flow of TIER and Cousins during the final year of the five-year period. The unlevered free cash flows and the range of terminal asset values were then discounted to present values using a range of discount rates from 6.60% to 7.10% for TIER, and 6.50% to 7.00% for Cousins, which were chosen by J.P. Morgan based upon an analysis of the weighted average cost of capital of TIER and Cousins, respectively.

        Based on the foregoing, this analysis indicated the following implied per share equity value ranges for TIER common stock and Cousins common stock, rounded to the nearest $0.25:

 
  Implied Per Share
Equity Value
 
 
  Low   High  

TIER Discounted Cash Flow

  $ 20.50   $ 28.25  

Cousins Discounted Cash Flow

  $ 8.50   $ 10.75  

        The range of implied per share equity values for TIER common stock was compared to TIER's closing price per share of $25.48 on March 22, 2019, the NYSE trading day immediately preceding the execution of the Merger Agreement, and the implied per share offer price of $29.44, based on the exchange ratio in the Merger. The range of implied per share equity value for Cousins was compared to Cousins' closing price per share of $9.88 on March 22, 2019, the NYSE trading day immediately preceding the execution of the Merger Agreement.

        J.P. Morgan compared the results for TIER to the results for Cousins with respect to the public trading multiples and discounted cash flow analyses described above.

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        J.P. Morgan compared the highest equity value per share for TIER to the lowest equity value per share for Cousins to derive the lowest exchange ratio implied by each pair of results. J.P. Morgan also compared the lowest equity value per share for TIER to the highest equity value per share for Cousins to derive the highest exchange ratio implied by each pair of results. The implied exchange ratios resulting from this analysis were:

 
  Implied Exchange
Ratio
 
 
  Low   High  

P/2019E FFO

    1.7273x     2.5897x  

P/2020E FFO

    1.9500x     2.7568x  

 

 
  Implied Exchange
Ratio
 
 
  Low   High  

Discounted Cash Flow

    1.9070x     3.3235x  

        The implied exchange ratios were compared to (i) the exchange ratio under the Merger Agreement of 2.9800x and (ii) the exchange ratio of shares of TIER common stock to shares of Cousins common stock of 2.5789x implied by the closing share prices of TIER common stock and of Cousins common stock on March 22, 2019, of $25.48 and $9.88, respectively.

        J.P. Morgan conducted an analysis of the theoretical value creation to the existing holders of TIER common stock that compared the estimated implied equity value of TIER common stock on a standalone basis based on the midpoint value determined in J.P. Morgan's discounted cash flow analysis described above to the estimated implied equity value of former TIER stockholders' ownership in the combined company, pro forma for the Merger.

        J.P. Morgan calculated the pro forma implied equity value of TIER common stock by (1) adding the sum of (a) the implied equity value of TIER on a stand-alone basis of approximately $1.35 billion, using the midpoint value determined in J.P. Morgan's discounted cash flow analysis of TIER described above, (b) the implied equity value of Cousins on a stand-alone basis of approximately $4.051 billion, without Synergies, using the midpoint value determined in J.P. Morgan's discounted cash flow analysis of Cousins described above, and (c) the estimated present value of the Synergies, as reflected in synergy estimates TIER's management provided to J.P. Morgan for use in connection with its analysis, in the aggregate amount of approximately $375 million, grown at 1.75% annually and discounted using TIER's midpoint discount rate of 6.85%, as applicable, used in J.P. Morgan's discounted cash flow analysis described above, (2) subtracting the sum of the estimated transaction expenses relating to the Merger of $75 million, and (3) multiplying such result by the pro forma equity ownership of the combined company by the existing holders of TIER common stock of approximately 28.1%. This analysis indicated that the Merger implied pro forma equity value for such holders of approximately $1.602 billion, which represents accretion in value of approximately $252 million, or 18.7% compared to the standalone equity value of TIER. There can be no assurance, however, that the Synergies, transaction-related expenses and other impacts referred to above will not be substantially greater or less than those estimated by TIER's management and described above.

        The foregoing summary of certain material financial analyses does not purport to be a complete description of the analyses or data presented by J.P. Morgan. The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex process and is not necessarily susceptible to partial analysis or summary description.

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J.P. Morgan believes that the foregoing summary and its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting portions of the foregoing summary and these analyses, without considering all of its analyses as a whole, could create an incomplete view of the processes underlying the analyses and its opinion. As a result, the ranges of valuations resulting from any particular analysis or combination of analyses described above were merely utilized to create points of reference for analytical purposes and should not be taken to be the view of J.P. Morgan with respect to the actual value of TIER. The order of analyses described does not represent the relative importance or weight given to those analyses by J.P. Morgan. In arriving at its opinion, J.P. Morgan did not attribute any particular weight to any analyses or factors considered by it and did not form an opinion as to whether any individual analysis or factor (positive or negative), considered in isolation, supported or failed to support its opinion. Rather, J.P. Morgan considered the totality of the factors and analyses performed in determining its opinion.

        Analyses based upon forecasts of future results are inherently uncertain, as they are subject to numerous factors or events beyond the control of the parties and their advisors. Accordingly, forecasts and analyses used or made by J.P. Morgan are not necessarily indicative of actual future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by those analyses. Moreover, J.P. Morgan's analyses are not and do not purport to be appraisals or otherwise reflective of the prices at which businesses actually could be acquired or sold. None of the selected companies reviewed as described in the above summary is identical to TIER or Cousins. However, the companies selected were selected, among other reasons, because they are publicly traded companies with operations and businesses that, for purposes of J.P. Morgan's analysis, may be considered similar to those of TIER and Cousins. The analyses necessarily involve complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and operational characteristics of the companies involved and other factors that could affect the companies compared to TIER or Cousins.

        As a part of its investment banking business, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates are continually engaged in the valuation of businesses and their securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions, investments for passive and control purposes, negotiated underwritings, secondary distributions of listed and unlisted securities, private placements, and valuations for corporate and other purposes. J.P. Morgan was selected to advise TIER with respect to the Merger on the basis of, among other things, such experience and its qualifications and reputation in connection with such matters and its familiarity with TIER and the industries in which it operates.

        TIER has agreed to pay J.P. Morgan an estimated fee of approximately $19.75 million, $3.0 million of which became payable to J.P. Morgan at the time J.P. Morgan delivered its opinion and the remainder of which is contingent and payable upon the consummation of the Merger. In addition, TIER has agreed, subject to certain limitations, to reimburse J.P. Morgan for its expenses incurred in connection with its services, including the fees and disbursements of counsel, and will indemnify J.P. Morgan against certain liabilities arising out of J.P. Morgan's engagement.

        During the two years preceding the date of its opinion, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates have had commercial or investment banking relationships with TIER and Cousins, for which J.P. Morgan and such affiliates have received customary compensation. Such services during such period for TIER have included acting as joint lead arranger and joint lead bookrunner on each of TIER's revolving credit facility, term loan A and term loan B in March 2017, which was refinanced in January 2018, and as sales agent on TIER's at-the-market offering of equity securities. Such services during such period for Cousins have included acting as joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner on each of Cousins' revolving credit facility and term loan in January 2018. In addition, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates hold, on a proprietary basis, less than 1% of the outstanding common stock of each of TIER and Cousins. During the two year period preceding the delivery of its opinion, the aggregate fees received by J.P. Morgan from TIER were approximately $1.7 million and from Cousins were approximately $1.0 million. In the ordinary course of their businesses, J.P. Morgan and its affiliates may actively trade the debt and equity

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securities or financial instruments (including derivatives, bank loans or other obligations) of TIER or Cousins for their own account or for the accounts of customers and, accordingly, J.P. Morgan may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities or other financial instruments.

Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information

        Cousins does not as a matter of course make public long-term projections as to future revenues, earnings or other results, except for annual FFO guidance, due to, among other reasons, the uncertainty of the underlying assumptions and estimates. In connection with the Merger, Cousins' management prepared and provided to the Cousins board of directors in connection with its evaluation of the transaction, and to Morgan Stanley, its financial advisor, in connection with its financial analyses described above under the section entitled "—Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC," certain nonpublic, internal financial projections regarding Cousins' future operations for fiscal years 2019 through 2022, which we refer to as the "Cousins Projections." As described below, certain of the Cousins Projections were also provided to TIER and its financial advisor, J.P. Morgan, for its use and reliance in connection with its financial analyses and opinion. For more information, see "—Background of the Merger," "—Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC" and "—Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor—Opinion of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC."

        In addition, in connection with the Merger, TIER's management prepared and provided to Morgan Stanley certain nonpublic, internal financial projections regarding TIER's projected future operations for fiscal years 2019 through 2022 for purposes of evaluating TIER and the Merger. For more information, see "—TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information."

        Cousins has included below a summary of the Cousins Projections for the purpose of providing stockholders and investors access to certain nonpublic information that was furnished to certain parties in connection with the Merger, and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes, and is not included to influence your decision, if you are a Cousins stockholder, to vote for the Cousins Issuance Proposal, or, if you are a TIER stockholder, to vote for the TIER Merger Proposal or the TIER Compensation Proposal.

        The Cousins Projections were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure, nor were they prepared with a view toward compliance with published guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for preparation and presentations of financial projections. This information is not fact and should not be relied upon as being necessarily indicative of future results, and readers of this joint proxy statement/prospectus are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the Cousins Projections which have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of, Cousins' management. Neither the independent registered public accounting firm of Cousins, nor any independent accountants, have examined, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying prospective financial information and, accordingly, the independent registered accounting firm of Cousins does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on such information or its achievability, and assume no responsibility for, and disclaim any association with, the Cousins Projections. The independent registered public accounting firm's report, contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, relates to Cousins' historical financial information. It does not extend to the Cousins Projections and should not be read to do so. Furthermore, the Cousins Projections do not take into account any circumstances or events occurring after the date it was prepared.

        While presented with numeric specificity, the Cousins Projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently subjective and uncertain and are beyond the control of Cousins management. Important factors that may affect actual results and cause the Cousins

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Projections to not be achieved include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to Cousins' business (including its ability to achieve strategic goals, objectives and targets over applicable periods), industry performance, general business and economic conditions and other factors described in the sections entitled "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors," beginning on pages 33 and 24, respectively. The Cousins Projections also reflect numerous variables, expectations and assumptions available at the time they were prepared as to certain business decisions that are subject to change. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those contained in these internal financial projections. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the projected results summarized below will be realized. Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders are urged to review the most recent SEC filings of Cousins for a description of the reported results of operations and financial condition and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Cousins' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        The inclusion of a summary of the Cousins Projections in this joint proxy statement/prospectus should not be regarded as an indication that any of Cousins, TIER or their respective officers, directors, affiliates, advisors or other representatives considered the Cousins Projections to necessarily be predictive of actual future events, and the Cousins Projections should not be relied upon as such nor should the information contained in the Cousins Projections be considered appropriate for other purposes. None of Cousins, TIER or their respective officers, directors, affiliates, advisors or other representatives can give you any assurance that actual results will not differ materially from the Cousins Projections. Cousins undertakes no obligation to update or otherwise revise or reconcile the Cousins Projections to reflect circumstances existing after the date the Cousins Projections were generated or to reflect the occurrence of future events, even in the event that any or all of the assumptions underlying Cousins Projections are shown to be in error. Since the Cousins Projections cover multiple years, such information by its nature becomes less predictive with each successive year.

        Cousins and TIER may calculate certain non-GAAP financial metrics, including NOI, FFO and FAD, using different methodologies. Consequently, the financial metrics presented in each company's prospective financial information disclosures and in the sections of this joint proxy statement/prospectus with respect to the opinions of the financial advisors to Cousins and TIER may not be directly comparable to one another.

        Cousins has not made and makes no representation to TIER, any stockholder, in the Merger Agreement or otherwise, concerning the Cousins Projections or regarding Cousins' ultimate performance compared to the information contained in the Cousins Projections or that the projected results will be achieved. Cousins urges all stockholders to review Cousins' most recent SEC filings for a description of Cousins' reported financial results.

        The Cousins Projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions, including but not limited to the following: (i) no property acquisitions (other than a previously disclosed transaction, and not including the Merger) during the relevant period, (ii) the continuation of previously disclosed in-process developments and one speculative development start in 2019 during the relevant period, and (iii) no material fee income (other than the fee income associated with a headquarters relocation previously disclosed) during the relevant period.

        The Cousins Projections were provided to the Cousins board of directors and its financial advisor, Morgan Stanley, and to TIER and its financial advisor, J.P. Morgan. For more information, see

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"—Background of the Merger." The following table presents a summary of the Cousins Projections, as prepared by Cousins' management, with all figures rounded to the nearest million.

 
  2019E   2020E   2021E   2022E  

Net Operating Income (NOI)(1)

  $ 356   $ 371   $ 382   $ 382  

Funds From Operations (FFO)(2)

  $ 313   $ 309   $ 313   $ 301  

Funds Available for Distribution (FAD)(3)

  $ 178   $ 209   $ 204   $ 218  

(1)
Cousins defines net operating income (which we refer to as "NOI") as rental property revenues less rental property operating expenses. NOI is not a measure of cash flows or operating results as measured by GAAP, is not indicative of cash available to fund cash needs and should not be considered an alternative to cash flows as a measure of liquidity. NOI excludes corporate general and administrative expenses, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, impairments, gains/loss on sales of real estate, and other non-operating items.

(2)
Cousins defines Funds From Operations (which we refer to as "FFO") in accordance with the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts' definition, which is net income (loss) available to common stockholders (computed in accordance with GAAP) excluding extraordinary items, cumulative effect of change in accounting principle and gains or losses from sales of depreciable real property, plus depreciation and amortization of real estate assets, impairment losses on depreciable investment property and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures to reflect FFO on the same basis. FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance.

(3)
Cousins defines Funds Available for Distribution (which we refer to as "FAD") as FFO, adjusted to exclude the effect of straight-line rent and above and below market lease amortization less 2nd generation tenant improvements and leasing costs and building capital expenditures, which are those expenditures necessary for operating and maintaining existing properties at historic performance levels. FAD is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance or cash provided by operating activities as a cashflow measurement. Cousins does not provide guidance on FAD in its public filings.

TIER Unaudited Prospective Financial Information

        Although TIER periodically may issue limited financial guidance to investors, TIER does not as a matter of course make public long-term projections as to future revenues, earnings, EBITDA, funds from operations, or other results due to, among other reasons, the uncertainty of the underlying assumptions and estimates. However, in connection with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, TIER's management prepared and provided to the TIER board of directors in connection with its evaluation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, and to its financial advisor, J.P. Morgan, including in connection with J.P. Morgan's financial analyses described above under the section entitled "—Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor," certain unaudited prospective financial information regarding TIER's operations for fiscal years 2019 through 2023, which we refer to as the "TIER Projections." As described below, certain of these financial projections were also provided to Cousins' financial advisor, Morgan Stanley, for its use and reliance in connection with its financial analyses and opinion. For more information, see "—Background of the Merger," "—Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor—Opinion of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC" and "—Opinion of Cousins' Financial Advisor—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC."

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        In addition, in connection with the Merger, Cousins management prepared and provided to the Cousins board of directors, Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan certain nonpublic, internal financial projections regarding Cousins projected future operations for fiscal years 2019 through 2022 for purposes of evaluating Cousins and the Merger. For more information, see "—Cousins Unaudited Prospective Financial Information."

        The below summary of selected measures of the TIER Projections is included for the purpose of providing stockholders and investors access to certain nonpublic information that was furnished to certain parties in connection with the Merger and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes, and is not included to influence your decision, if you are a Cousins stockholder, to vote for the Cousins Issuance Proposal, or, if you are a TIER stockholder, to vote for the TIER Merger Proposal or the TIER Compensation Proposal.

        The TIER Projections were not prepared with a view toward public disclosure, nor were they prepared with a view toward compliance with published guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for preparation and presentation of financial projections. The inclusion of the TIER Projections should not be regarded as an indication that such information is predictive of actual future events or results and such information should not be relied upon as such, and readers of this joint proxy statement/prospectus are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the TIER Projections. The TIER Projections included in this joint proxy statement/prospectus have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of, TIER's management. Neither the independent registered public accounting firm of TIER, nor any independent accountants, have examined, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying prospective financial information and, accordingly, the independent registered accounting firm of TIER does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on such information or its achievability, and assume no responsibility for, and disclaim any association with, the TIER Projections. The independent registered public accounting firm's report, contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus, relates to TIER's historical financial information. It does not extend to the TIER Projections and should not be read to do so. Furthermore, the TIER Projections do not take into account any circumstances or events occurring after the date it was prepared.

        While presented with numeric specificity, the unaudited prospective financial information set forth below was based on numerous variables and assumptions (including assumptions related to industry performance and general business, economic, market and financial conditions and additional matters specific to TIER's business) that are inherently subjective and uncertain and are beyond the control of TIER's management. Important factors that may affect actual results and cause this unaudited prospective financial information not to be achieved include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to TIER's business (including its ability to achieve strategic goals, objectives and targets over applicable periods), industry performance, general business and economic conditions and other factors described in the sections of this joint proxy statement/prospectus entitled "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors," beginning on pages 33 and 24, respectively, and the risks described in the periodic reports filed by TIER with the SEC, which reports can be found as described under "Where You Can Find More Information." This unaudited prospective financial information also reflects numerous variables, expectations and assumptions available at the time they were prepared as to certain business decisions that are subject to change. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those contained in this unaudited prospective financial information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the projected results summarized below will be realized. TIER stockholders and Cousins stockholders are urged to review the most recent SEC filings of TIER for a description of the reported and anticipated results of operations and financial condition and capital resources, including in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in TIER's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year

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ended December 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        The inclusion of a summary of the TIER Projections in this joint proxy statement/prospectus should not be regarded as an indication that any of TIER, Cousins or their respective officers, directors, affiliates, advisors or other representatives considered the TIER Projections to necessarily be predictive of actual future events, and the TIER Projections should not be relied upon as such nor should the information contained in the TIER Projections be considered appropriate for other purposes. None of TIER, Cousins or their respective officers, trustees, directors, affiliates, advisors or other representatives can give you any assurance that actual results will not differ materially from this unaudited prospective financial information. TIER undertakes no obligation to update or otherwise revise or reconcile the below unaudited prospective financial information to reflect circumstances existing after the date this unaudited prospective financial information was generated or to reflect the occurrence of future events, even in the event that any or all of the assumptions underlying such information are shown to be in error. Since the unaudited prospective financial information covers multiple years, such information by its nature becomes less predictive with each successive year.

        TIER and Cousins may calculate certain non-GAAP financial metrics, including FFO and FAD, using different methodologies. Consequently, the financial metrics presented in each company's prospective financial information disclosures and in the sections of this joint proxy statement/prospectus with respect to the opinions of the financial advisors to TIER and Cousins may not be directly comparable to one another.

        TIER has not made and makes no representation to Cousins or any TIER stockholder, in the Merger Agreement or otherwise, concerning the below unaudited prospective financial information or regarding TIER's ultimate performance compared to the unaudited prospective financial information or that the projected results will be achieved. In light of the foregoing factors and the uncertainties inherent in the unaudited prospective financial information, TIER urges all TIER stockholders not to place undue reliance on such information and to review TIER's most recent SEC filings for a description of TIER's reported financial results.

        The TIER Projections were based on numerous variables and assumptions, including the variables and assumptions discussed above, as well as the following material assumptions: general and administrative expense growth of approximately 5% per year for the projected period, disposition of Eldridge One & Two, Eldridge III and Third + Shoal, and development costs associated with Third + Shoal, Domain 9, Domain 10, Domain 11, Domain 12 and Legacy Union Two.

        The TIER Projections were provided to the TIER board of directors and TIER's financial advisor, J.P. Morgan. The TIER Projections were also provided to Cousins' financial advisor, Morgan Stanley. The following table presents selected measures from the TIER Projections for the fiscal years 2019 through 2023 for TIER.

 
  Year Ending December 31,  
 
  2019E   2020E   2021E   2022E   2023E  
 
  ($ in millions)
 

Net Operating Income (NOI)(1)

  $ 124   $ 139   $ 155   $ 173   $ 181  

Funds from Operations (FFO), excluding certain items(2)

  $ 80   $ 86   $ 94   $ 105   $ 112  

Funds Available for Distribution (FAD)(3)

  $ 43   $ 34   $ 63   $ 77   $ 96  

(1)
Net operating income (NOI) is a non-GAAP financial measure equal to rental revenue, less property operating expenses, real estate taxes, and property management expenses.

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(2)
Funds from operations (FFO) is a non-GAAP financial measure that is widely recognized as a measure of a REIT's operating performance and is defined in accordance with the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts' definition, which is net income (loss), computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding gains (or losses) from sales of property and impairments of depreciable real estate (including impairments of investments in unconsolidated entities which resulted from measurable decreases in the fair value of the depreciable real estate held by the unconsolidated entity), plus depreciation and amortization of real estate assets, and after related adjustments for unconsolidated entities and noncontrolling interests. The determination of whether impairment charges have been incurred is based partly on anticipated operating performance and hold periods. Estimated undiscounted cash flows from a property, derived from estimated future net rental and lease revenues, net proceeds on the sale of the property, and certain other ancillary cash flows, are taken into account in determining whether an impairment charge has been incurred. FFO as presented in the table above also excludes certain items related to non-operating activities or certain non-recurring activities that may create significant FFO volatility and affect the comparability of FFO across periods. FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance.

(3)
Funds available for distribution (FAD) is a non-GAAP financial measure that TIER defines as FFO, excluding fair value mark to market adjustments, non-real estate depreciation and amortization, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, the amortization of financing costs, straight-line rent amounts, amortization of above- or below-market intangible assets and liabilities, gains or losses on early extinguishment of debt, default interest incurred or forgiven, and other non-recurring charges, less recurring capital expenditures, each as adjusted for TIER's pro rata share of consolidated and unconsolidated amounts. Recurring capital expenditures are those capital expenditures, tenant improvement, leasing commissions and deferred lease incentives that are incurred to maintain current in-place rents including the leasing costs incurred to replace tenants upon lease expiration. Recurring capital expenditures exclude non-recurring capital expenditures. Non-recurring capital expenditures are those capital expenditures (i) incurred to change the class or characterization of an asset, (ii) identified as deferred capital needs at the acquisition of a property and were incurred within a reasonable period of time subsequent to the property's acquisition, or (iii) incurred for tenant improvements, leasing commissions, or deferred lease incentives within twelve months of acquisition to lease space that was vacant at acquisition and costs incurred to lease space that has been vacant for at least twelve months. FAD does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) as an indication of TIER's performance or to cash flows as a measure of liquidity or TIER's ability to make distributions.

        At the direction of TIER management, J.P. Morgan extrapolated from the Cousins Projections NOI for Cousins for the calendar year ending December 31, 2023 of $385,000,000. Such calculation was neither included in the Cousins Projections provided to TIER and J.P. Morgan, nor was such calculation otherwise reviewed or approved by Cousins or Morgan Stanley.

        Additionally, J.P. Morgan prepared, at the direction of, and approved by, TIER, estimated unlevered free cash flow of TIER and Cousins from the TIER Projections and the Cousins Projections in order to facilitate certain of the financial analyses described in "Opinion of TIER's Financial Advisor." Such estimates were neither included in the Cousins Projections provided to TIER and J.P. Morgan, nor were such estimates otherwise reviewed or approved by Cousins or Morgan Stanley. In addition, while these estimates of unlevered free cash flow were not included in TIER Projections, they

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are being presented in the table below in order to provide a more complete understanding of the data utilized by J.P. Morgan in conducting its financial analyses.

 
  Year Ending December 31,  
 
  2019E   2020E   2021E   2022E   2023E  

TIER unlevered free cash flow(1)

  $ 6   $ (124 ) $ 44   $ 84   $ 126  

Cousins unlevered free cash flow(1)

  $ 142   $ 127   $ 279   $ 241   $ 245  

(1)
Unlevered free cash flow was determined by making certain adjustments (including various non-cash items, capital expenditures and development costs) to NOI.

Interests of Cousins Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

        In addition to their interests in the Merger as stockholders, the directors and executive officers of Cousins have interests in the Merger that may be different from, or in addition to, those of Cousins stockholders generally. The Cousins board of directors was aware of these interests and considered them, among other matters, in approving the Merger Agreement.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will be expanded from nine to 11 members, the two new members being Mr. Scott W. Fordham, Chief Executive Officer of TIER and a member of the TIER board of directors, and one individual who was an independent member of the TIER board of directors as of March 25, 2019 to be mutually designated by TIER and Cousins.

        The current senior leadership team of Cousins is not expected to change as a result of the Merger. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, the senior leadership team of Cousins will include Mr. Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III as Executive Chair, Mr. M. Colin Connolly as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gregg Adzema as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Pamela Roper as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Mr. Richard Hickson as Executive Vice President—Operations, Mr. John McColl as Executive Vice President—Development, Ms. Kennedy Hicks as Senior Vice President—Investments and Mr. Jay Harris as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer.

Interests of TIER Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger

        In considering the recommendation of the TIER board of directors with respect to the TIER Proposals, TIER stockholders should be aware that aside from their interests as stockholders of TIER, the directors and executive officers of TIER have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of TIER stockholders generally. These interests include, but are not limited to:

        These interests are described in more detail below, and certain of them are quantified in the narrative and the tables below. The TIER board of directors was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the Merger Agreement and the Merger, and in recommending that the TIER stockholders approve the TIER Proposals.

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        TIER's executive officers and directors are as follows:

Name
  Position
Scott W. Fordham   Chief Executive Officer and Director
Dallas E. Lucas   President and Chief Operating Officer
William J. Reister   Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President
Telisa Webb Schelin   Chief Legal Officer, Executive Vice President and Secretary
James E. Sharp   Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Richard I. Gilchrist   Chairman of the Board and Director
Christie Kelly   Director
R. Kent Griffin, Jr.    Director
Dennis J. Martin   Director
Gregory J. Whyte   Director

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will be expanded from nine to 11 members, the two new members being Mr. Scott W. Fordham, Chief Executive Officer of TIER and a member of the TIER board of directors, and one individual who was an independent member of the TIER board of directors as of March 25, 2019 to be mutually designated by TIER and Cousins.

        The payments and benefits provided under the Employment Agreements (as defined below) of TIER's executive officers in connection with a change in control of TIER may be subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code. These payments and benefits also may not be eligible for a federal income tax deduction by TIER pursuant to Section 280G of the Code.

        Although TIER's executive officers' severance payments can be reduced under their Employment Agreements, the compensation committee of the TIER board of directors (which we refer to as the "TIER Compensation Committee") has assessed the costs and benefits of making excise tax gross-up payments to alleviate the effect of excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code on all the affected individuals to TIER, TIER's stockholders, the surviving corporation and each of the affected executive officers. The TIER board of directors, upon recommendation of the TIER Compensation Committee, determined that it was in the best interests of TIER's stockholders to mitigate the negative tax impact to the affected executive officers that would otherwise result from the Merger. Upon recommendation of the TIER Compensation Committee, the TIER board of directors approved an arrangement whereby, if any of TIER's executive officers would be subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code, TIER may, in consultation with Cousins and subject to Cousins' consent, entitle one, some or all such affected executives to receive a tax gross-up payment from TIER; provided, that the tax gross-up payments for all executive officers shall not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate. The actual amounts of any gross-up payments for the named executive officers will not be allocated, and the corresponding gross-up agreements with the individual officers will not be entered into, until immediately prior to the closing of the Merger.

        In addition to such gross-up payments, TIER may take further actions to reduce the amount of any potential "excess parachute payments" (as defined in Section 280G of the Code) to TIER's executive officers. This may include, without limitation, obtaining third-party valuations of restrictive covenants, or the reduction of the payments and benefits due under each agreement, whichever results in the receipt by the executive officer of the greatest amount of the aggregate benefits under his or her Employment Agreement on an after-tax basis.

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        The information set forth below is intended to comply with Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K regarding specified compensation that is based on or otherwise relates to the Merger that is payable or may become payable to each of TIER's named executive officers under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. This compensation is referred to as "golden parachute" compensation by the applicable SEC disclosure rules.

        For purposes of this disclosure, the group of executive officers who comprise TIER's named executive officers includes the following individuals: Scott W. Fordham, TIER's Chief Executive Officer; Dallas E. Lucas, TIER's President and Chief Operating Officer; William J. Reister, TIER's Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President; Telisa Webb Schelin, TIER's Chief Legal Officer, Executive Vice President and Secretary; and James E. Sharp, TIER's Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

        The table below sets forth an estimate of the approximate values of "golden parachute" compensation that may become payable to TIER's named executive officers in connection with the Merger as described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The table assumes that the closing of the Merger will occur on June 30, 2019, that a qualifying termination of employment occurs immediately following the closing of the Merger, that no amount of withholding taxes are applicable to any payments set forth in the table, that no payments are delayed for six months to the extent required under Section 409A of the Code and that no payments are subject to reduction to the extent required by the terms of any applicable agreement to account for the application of Section 4999 of the Code to such payments. The amounts set forth in the table are estimates using $28.45 per share (the average closing market price of TIER common stock over the first five business days following the public announcement of the Merger) as the value of the per share Merger consideration of Cousins common stock, which is based on the average closing price of a share of Cousins common stock on the first five days following the public announcement of the Merger. As a result of these assumptions and estimates, and the additional assumptions and estimates described in the footnotes accompanying this table, the actual amounts, if any, that a named executive officer receives may materially differ from the amounts set forth in the below table. For a narrative description of the terms and conditions applicable to the payments quantified in the table below, see "The Merger—Treatment of TIER Equity-Based Awards" and "The Merger—Interests of TIER Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger—Executive Compensation Payable in Connection with the Merger" beginning on pages 86 and 80, respectively.

Name
  Cash
($)(1)
  Equity
($)(2)
  Perquisites/
Benefits
($)(3)
  Tax
Reimbursement
($)(4)
  Total
($)
 

Scott W. Fordham

    5,218,126     9,338,769     89,576   *     14,646,471  

Dallas E. Lucas

    2,569,087     4,561,389     87,576   *     7,218,052  

William J. Reister

    1,707,391     2,776,521     89,576   *     4,573,488  

Telisa Webb Schelin

    1,669,334     2,660,388     89,576   *     4,419,298  

James E. Sharp

    1,378,176     2,552,477     89,576   *     4,020,229  

(1)
The cash amounts payable to each named executive officer consist of: (a) a severance payment, payable in a lump sum, in an amount equal to a "Severance Multiple" times the sum of such named executive officer's (x) annual base salary and (y) the greater of (i) the named executive officer's target annual cash incentive compensation or (ii) the average of the annual cash incentive compensation received by the named executive officer during the past three completed years of his or her employment agreement; and (b) each named executive officer's pro rata portion of the named executive officer's target annual cash incentive compensation for the year in which the date of termination occurs (which we refer to as the "Pro-Rated Bonus"). The severance multipliers are as follows: Mr. Fordham—2.6; each of Messrs. Lucas and Reister and Ms. Schelin—2.25; and

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  Cash Severance    
   
 
 
Name
  Base
Salary
($)
  Average Annual
Incentive
Compensation or
Target Annual
Incentive
Compensation
($)
  Severance
Multiplier
(#)
  Subtotal
($)
  Pro-Rated
Bonus
($)
  Total
($)
 
 

Scott W. Fordham

    695,000     1,152,905     2.60     4,804,553     413,573     5,218,126  
 

Dallas E. Lucas

    390,000     648,671     2.25     2,337,010     232,077     2,569,087  
 

William J. Reister

    315,000     381,358     2.25     1,566,806     140,585     1,707,391  
 

Telisa Webb Schelin

    335,000     347,860     2.25     1,536,435     132,899     1,669,334  
 

James E. Sharp

    340,000     281,647     2.00     1,243,294     134,882     1,378,176  
(2)
The amounts set forth in the table above include: the aggregate value of all TIER restricted stock awards and TIER RSU awards held by each named executive officer that would accelerate on a "single-trigger" basis upon the closing of the Merger, including dividend shares in respect of the performance-based TIER RSU awards (which we refer to as "TIER Performance RSU awards"). For purposes of estimating the value of outstanding TIER Performance RSU awards held by each named executive officer, we have assumed such awards will be achieved at maximum performance, subject to pro ration for awards for which the performance period commenced within 12 months of the Merger. For additional details regarding the treatment of these equity awards in the Merger, see the "The Merger Agreement—Treatment of TIER Equity-Based Awards in the Merger."
 
Name
  Company
Restricted Stock
Awards
($)
  Company RSU
Awards
($)
  Total
($)
 
 

Scott W. Fordham

    2,035,569     7,303,200     9,338,769  
 

Dallas E. Lucas

    909,632     3,651,757     4,561,389  
 

William J. Reister

    553,324     2,223,197     2,776,521  
 

Telisa Webb Schelin

    531,048     2,129,340     2,660,388  
 

James E. Sharp

    741,549     1,810,928     2,552,477  
(3)
Pursuant to the Employment Agreements, if any named executive officer experiences a qualifying termination of employment, then, subject to his or her execution and non-revocation of a general release of claims, such named executive officer is entitled to receive a lump-sum payment equal to: (a) 18 times the amount of the monthly payment made to an insurer to provide group medical, vision and dental plan benefits to the named executive officer and his or her dependents in the month immediately preceding the date of termination, plus (b) the amount TIER would have contributed to such named executive officer's health reimbursement arrangement for 18 months from the date of termination if the named executive officer had remained employed by TIER (in connection with the Merger, the Employment Agreements will be amended to provide that such subsidy will be for the full amount of the cost of medical, vision and dental benefits, rather than the employer-paid portion of such costs). The amounts represented in this column quantify the value of benefits coverage that each named executive officer would be entitled to receive based on the current cost of health insurance premiums. All benefits payments are "double-trigger" and would be due in the event of a qualifying termination of employment.

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(4)
The amounts reflected in the table set forth above do not include the value of any tax gross-up payments in respect of excise taxes imposed under Section 4999 of the Code. As noted above, TIER may make tax gross-up payments to one or more of the named executive officers; provided that the aggregate amount of all such gross-up payments does not exceed $5.5 million in the aggregate. The actual amounts of any gross-up payments for the named executive officers will not be allocated until immediately prior to closing of the Merger. The table includes the full value of all other parachute payments and benefits without giving effect to any reduction pursuant to any cutback provision of the respective Employment Agreements.

        The Merger Agreement provides that, from and after the effective time of the Merger, Cousins will exculpate and indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all present and former officers and directors of TIER and its subsidiaries, and any persons who become a director or officer of TIER prior to the effective time of the Merger, against claims arising with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to the effective time of the Merger (including acts or omissions occurring in connection with the approval of the Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Merger) to the same extent such persons were entitled to indemnification or the right of advancement of expenses pursuant to any organizational documents of TIER or its subsidiaries or applicable law.

        TIER has entered into employment agreements with each of Scott W. Fordham, dated as of September 1, 2012, as amended; Dallas E. Lucas, dated as of May 27, 2014, as amended; William J. Reister, dated as of September 1, 2012, as amended; Telisa Webb Schelin, dated as of September 1, 2012, as amended; and James E. Sharp, dated as of September 1, 2012, as amended (each, as amended, an "Employment Agreement" and, collectively, the "Employment Agreements"). TIER's executive officers are entitled to certain severance and change in control benefits pursuant to their Employment Agreements, the material terms of which are described below. The Merger will constitute a change in control under the Employment Agreements.

        Under each of the Employment Agreements, if the executive officer's employment is terminated for any reason, TIER will pay the executive officer the sum of (1) the executive officer's base salary earned through the date of termination of the executive officer's employment, (2) unpaid expense reimbursements, (3) unused paid time off accrued through the date of termination, (4) any vested benefits the executive officer may have under TIER employee benefit plans through the date of termination, and, (5) except in the case of the executive officer's termination for "cause" (as defined in the Employment Agreements), any awarded and unpaid cash incentive compensation earned on or before the date of termination (which we refer to as the "Accrued Benefit"). In addition, each executive officer has the right to additional compensation and benefits depending upon the manner of termination of employment, as summarized below.

        Under each of the Employment Agreements, TIER may terminate the executive officer's employment with or without "cause" (as defined in the applicable Employment Agreement). In addition, each executive officer may terminate his or her employment under the applicable Employment Agreement for any reason, including, but not limited to, "good reason" (as defined in the applicable Employment Agreement). In addition, in connection with the Merger, the Employment Agreements will be amended to provide that if the executive officer's employment is terminated by TIER without cause or by the executive officer for good reason (a "qualifying termination"), TIER will pay the executive officer the Accrued Benefit and the pro rata portion of the executive officer's target annual cash incentive compensation for the year in which the date of termination occurs (which we refer to as the "Pro-Rated Bonus"). Upon a qualifying termination, each executive officer would be

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entitled to receive the Accrued Benefit and a Pro-Rated Bonus. In addition, subject to the executive officer's timely execution and non-revocation of a release:

        Pursuant to the TIER equity plan and the applicable award agreements, in the event of a "sale event" (as defined in the TIER equity plan), all equity awards with time-based vesting will immediately vest and each equity award with performance vesting will vest at an amount based on TIER's performance from the commencement of the performance period through the end of the calendar month immediately preceding the sale event, provided that, if the sale event occurs within the first 12 months of the performance period, the award shall be pro-rated by multiplying such award shares by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of days the executive officer was employed by TIER from the commencement of the performance period through the date of the sale event and the denominator of which shall be 365. Such treatment supersedes the treatment of equity awards with performance vesting upon a "sale event" in the Employment Agreements.

        Each of the Employment Agreements also contains customary restrictive covenants including non-competition and customer and employee non-solicitation provisions that apply during the term of the executive officer's employment with TIER and for 15 months thereafter.

Directors and Management Following the Merger

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will have 11 members, including the existing members of the Cousins board of directors and two new members from the TIER board of directors: Mr. Scott W. Fordham, Chief Executive Officer of TIER and a member of the TIER board of directors, and one individual who was an independent member of the TIER board of directors as of March 25, 2019 to be mutually designated by TIER and Cousins.

        For additional information regarding the directors and executive officers of Cousins following the Merger, including the directors designated by TIER, please refer to Cousins' proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed on March 14, 2019 and TIER's proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 9, 2018, respectively, the relevant portions of which are incorporated into this document by reference through their respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

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        The current senior leadership team of Cousins is not expected to change as a result of the Merger. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, the senior leadership team of Cousins will include Mr. Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III as Executive Chair, Mr. M. Colin Connolly as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gregg Adzema as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Pamela Roper as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Mr. Richard Hickson as Executive Vice President—Operations, Mr. John McColl as Executive Vice President—Development, Ms. Kennedy Hicks as Senior Vice President—Investments and Mr. Jay Harris as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer.

Treatment of TIER Equity-Based Awards in the Merger

        At the effective time of the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, (i) each TIER restricted stock award that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will vest in full and be treated in the same manner as any other share of TIER common stock, and (ii) each TIER RSU award that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will vest to the extent provided in the TIER equity plan (with any performance goals determined to be achieved as set forth in the TIER equity plan and the applicable award agreements) and will be settled in shares of TIER common stock which will be treated in the same manner as any other share of TIER common stock. All vested shares pursuant to TIER equity awards, including those held by TIER's executive officers and directors, will be converted into the right to receive 2.98 newly issued shares of Cousins common stock (with cash in lieu of fractional shares) in connection with the Merger, including TIER Performance RSU awards.

        The following table identifies for each executive officer and director of TIER the number of shares subject to his or her outstanding equity awards and the value of such equity awards in the Merger. TIER's directors have outstanding TIER RSU awards that vest based on continued service requirements (which we refer to as "TIER Time-Based RSU awards"), but TIER's executive officers do not have such awards outstanding. The following table assumes that the closing of the Merger occurs on June 30, 2019. The amounts shown do not attempt to forecast any dividends, deferrals, forfeitures or additional grants, but does account for any awards that will vest between the date of this filing and June 30, 2019. The estimated aggregate amounts set forth below are based on an assumed value of the Merger consideration equal to $28.45 (the average closing market price of Cousins common stock over the first five business days following the public announcement of the Merger multiplied by 2.98), without interest, for each share of TIER common stock, multiplied by the total number of accelerated shares subject to each applicable award.

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  TIER Restricted Stock
Awards
  TIER Time-Based RSU
Awards
  TIER Performance RSU
Awards
   
 
 
  Number of
TIER
Restricted
Stock Awards
Subject to
Acceleration
(#)
  Aggregate
Value ($)(1)
  Number of
TIER
Time-Based
RSU Awards
Subject to
Acceleration
(#)
  Aggregate
Value ($)(2)
  Number of
TIER
Performance
RSU Awards
Subject to
Acceleration
(#)(3)
  Aggregate
Value ($)(4)
  Total Equity
Value ($)
 

Executive Officers

                                           

Scott W. Fordham

    71,549     2,035,569             256,703     7,303,200     9,338,769  

Dallas E. Lucas

    31,973     909,632             128,357     3,651,757     4,561,389  

William J. Reister

    19,449     553,324             78,144     2,223,197     2,776,521  

Telisa Webb Schelin

    18,666     531,048             74,845     2,129,340     2,660,388  

James E. Sharp

    26,065     741,549             63,653     1,810,928     2,552,477  

Directors

                                           

Richard I. Gilchrist

            2,582     73,458             73,458  

Christie Kelly

            891     25,349             25,349  

R. Kent Griffin, Jr. 

            2,582     73,458             73,458  

Dennis J. Martin

            2,582     73,458             73,458  

Gregory J. Whyte

            2,582     73,458             73,458  

(1)
The amounts included in this column are equal to (a) the number of TIER restricted stock awards subject to acceleration multiplied by (b) the value of the per share Merger consideration equal to $28.45.

(2)
The amounts included in this column are equal to (a) the number of Time-Based RSU awards subject to acceleration multiplied by (b) the value of the per share Merger consideration equal to $28.45.

(3)
Includes dividend shares in respect of the TIER Performance RSU awards.

(4)
The amounts included in this column are equal to (a) the number of TIER Performance RSU awards (including dividend shares in respect of the TIER Performance RSU awards) multiplied by (b) the value of the per share Merger consideration equal to $28.45. For purposes of calculating the value of outstanding TIER Performance RSU awards, such awards have been deemed earned at maximum performance in accordance with their terms as of the consummation of the contemplated Merger.

Accounting Treatment

        Cousins prepares its financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The Merger will be accounted for by using the business combination accounting rules, which require the application of a screen test to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets to determine whether a transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition or a business combination. In the event that the screen test is not met, the rules require a further assessment to determine whether an asset acquisition or a business combination has occurred. In addition, the rules require the identification of the acquirer, the determination of the acquisition date, the recognition and measurement, at fair value, of the identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the consolidated subsidiaries of the acquire. After consideration of all applicable factors pursuant to the business combination accounting rules, the Merger will be treated as a business combination under GAAP with Cousins as the acquirer.

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Regulatory Approvals

        Cousins and TIER have each agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to take all actions and to do all things necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including preparing and filing as promptly as practicable all documentation to effect all necessary filings and other documents necessary to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        The parties' respective obligations to complete the Merger are conditioned, among other matters, upon (i) the absence of any temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction or other order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the consummation of the Merger; (ii) the absence of any action taken, or any statute, rule, regulation or order enacted, entered, enforced or deemed applicable to the Merger, by any governmental entity of competent jurisdiction which makes the consummation of the Merger illegal; and (iii) the SEC having declared effective the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part, with no stop order, or proceeding seeking a stop order, in effect thereto.

        There can be no assurances that any necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained and, if obtained, there can be no assurances as to the timing of any approvals, Cousins' and TIER's ability to obtain the approvals on satisfactory terms or the absence of any litigation challenging such approvals. For more information, see "Risk Factors," beginning on page 24.

Expected Timing of the Merger

        Cousins and TIER are working to complete the Merger in the third quarter of 2019. However, the Merger is subject to various conditions, and it is possible that factors outside the control of both companies could result in the Merger being completed at a later time, or not at all. There may be a substantial amount of time between the respective Cousins and TIER special meetings and the completion of the Merger. Cousins and TIER hope to complete the Merger as soon as reasonably practicable following the satisfaction of all applicable conditions. For more information, see "Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Merger."

Exchange of Shares in the Merger

        At or prior to the effective time of the Merger, Cousins will appoint the exchange agent to handle the exchange of certificates formerly representing TIER common stock for shares of Cousins common stock. After the Merger is completed, if a stockholder held certificates representing TIER common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, the exchange agent, within five business days after the effective time of the Merger, will send such stockholder a letter of transmittal and instructions for exchanging its shares of TIER common stock for the Merger consideration of 2.98 shares of Cousins common stock. Upon surrender of the certificates for cancellation (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) along with the executed letter of transmittal and other required documents described in the instructions, a holder of shares of TIER common stock will receive the applicable Merger consideration, with cash paid in lieu of any fractional shares.

        Holders of shares of TIER common stock in book-entry form immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will not need to take any action to receive the applicable Merger consideration, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares.

        If you are a Cousins stockholder, you are not required to take any action with respect to your Cousins stock certificates. Such certificates will continue to represent shares of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock after the Merger.

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Dividends

        Cousins and TIER will take such actions as are necessary to ensure that the timing of any regular quarterly dividend paid by either Cousins or TIER prior to the effective time of the Merger will be coordinated so that, if either the holders of Cousins common stock or TIER common stock receive a distribution for a particular quarter prior to the effective time of the Merger, then the holders of TIER common stock and the holders of Cousins common stock, respectively, will also receive a distribution for such quarter prior to the effective time of the Merger. Additionally, Cousins and TIER will coordinate such that any such quarterly distributions will have the same record date and the same payment date, which will be consistent with Cousins' historical record dates and payment dates unless otherwise agreed between the parties, in order to ensure that the holders of Cousins and the holders of TIER receive the same number of such dividends prior to the effective time of the Merger, subject to certain conditions.

        If either party (in consultation with the other) determines that it is necessary to declare a special distribution in accordance with the Merger Agreement in order to maintain its qualification as a REIT, such party must notify the other in writing at least 10 business days prior to that party's stockholders meeting, and such other party will be entitled to declare a dividend per share payable (i) in the case of TIER, to holders of shares of TIER common stock, in an amount per share equal to the product of (A) the special Cousins distribution declared by Cousins with respect to each share of Cousins common stock and (B) the exchange ratio and (ii) in the case of Cousins, to holders of shares of Cousins common stock, in an amount per share equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the special TIER distribution declared by TIER with respect to each share of TIER common stock by (y) the exchange ratio, subject to certain conditions.

        In the event that a dividend or distribution with respect to the shares of TIER common stock permitted under the terms of the Merger Agreement has (i) a record date prior to the effective time of the Merger and (ii) has not been paid as of the effective time of the Merger, the holders of TIER common stock shall be entitled to receive such dividend or distribution upon receipt of the Merger consideration in accordance with the procedures described under "The Merger Agreement—Exchanges of Shares in the Merger."

Listing of Cousins Common Stock in the Merger

        It is a condition to the completion of the Merger that the Cousins common stock issuable in the Merger be approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance.

De-Listing and Deregistration of TIER Common Stock

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, after the effective time of the Merger, the TIER common stock currently listed on the NYSE will cease to be quoted on the NYSE and will be deregistered under the Exchange Act.

No Appraisal or Dissenters' Rights

        Under Section 3-202(c) of the MGCL, holders of TIER common stock do not have the right to receive the appraised value of their shares in connection with the Merger because they are publicly traded.

        Under Section 14-2-1302 of the GBCC, holders of Cousins common stock do not have the right to receive the appraised value of their shares in connection with the Merger.

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The Merger Agreement

        The following section summarizes material provisions of the Merger Agreement. This summary does not purport to be complete and may not contain all of the information about the Merger Agreement that is important to you. This summary is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the Merger Agreement, which is attached as Annex A to this joint proxy statement/prospectus and is incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. The rights and obligations of the parties are governed by the express terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and not by this summary or any other information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. You are urged to read the Merger Agreement carefully and in its entirety before making any decisions regarding the Merger Agreement and the Merger.

        The summary of the Merger Agreement is included in this joint proxy statement/prospectus only to provide you with information regarding the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, and not to provide any other factual information about Cousins or TIER or their respective subsidiaries or businesses. Accordingly, the representations and warranties and other provisions of the Merger Agreement should not be read alone, but instead should be read together with the information provided elsewhere in this joint proxy statement/prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

        The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement and described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus were made only for purposes of the Merger Agreement and as of specific dates and may be subject to more recent developments, were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the Merger Agreement and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by reference to confidential disclosures, for the purposes of allocating risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material by you or other investors. The representations and warranties contained in the Merger Agreement will not survive the effective time of the Merger. Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any description thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or conditions of Cousins, TIER or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures by Cousins or TIER.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, TIER will merge with and into Merger Sub, with Merger Sub continuing its existence as a wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins.

        The legacy holders of Cousins common stock and the legacy holders of TIER common stock will own approximately 72% and 28%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock following the effective time of the Merger.

        In connection with the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, each TIER common stockholder will receive 2.98 newly issued shares of Cousins common stock for each share of TIER common stock that such holder owns immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The exchange ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted to reflect stock price changes prior to the closing of the Merger.

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        The exchange ratio is subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments. If, at any time during the period between March 25, 2019 and the effective time of the Merger, there is a change in the number of issued and outstanding shares of TIER common stock or shares of Cousins common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into shares of TIER common stock or shares of Cousins common stock, in each case, as a result of a reclassification, stock split (including reverse stock split), stock dividend or stock distribution, recapitalization, merger, subdivision or other similar transaction, the exchange ratio shall be equitably adjusted to provide the holders of TIER common stock and Cousins common stock with the same economic effect as contemplated by the Merger Agreement prior to such event, provided that there will be no more than one such adjustment for any single action.

        For more information, see "—Exchange of Shares in the Merger."

        At the effective time of the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, outstanding TIER equity awards will be adjusted as follows:

        Unless the parties otherwise agree, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, the closing of the Merger will take place on the date that is the second business day after the satisfaction or permitted waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement (other than the conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the closing, but subject to the satisfaction or permitted waiver of those conditions at the closing).

        Unless the parties otherwise agree, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, the Merger will become effective at the time when the Articles of Merger (which we refer to as the "articles of Merger") have been accepted for record by the State Department of Assessment and Taxation of the State of Maryland, with such date and time specified in the articles of Merger. After the Merger becomes effective, Cousins will continue with the name "Cousins Properties Incorporated."

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, (i) the Merger Sub articles of incorporation in effect immediately prior to the Merger will be the articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation following the Merger and (ii) the bylaws of Merger Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Merger will be the bylaws of the surviving corporation following the Merger.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, the parties have agreed that, immediately following the effective time of the Merger, the

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Cousins board of directors will be increased from nine to 11 members. The Cousins board of directors following the effective time of the Merger will consist of:

        The current senior leadership team of Cousins is not expected to change as a result of the Merger. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, the senior leadership team of Cousins will include Mr. Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III as Executive Chair, Mr. M. Colin Connolly as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gregg Adzema as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Pamela Roper as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Mr. Richard Hickson as Executive Vice President—Operations, Mr. John McColl as Executive Vice President—Development, Ms. Kennedy Hicks as Senior Vice President—Investments and Mr. Jay Harris as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer.

        At or prior to the effective time of the Merger, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, Cousins will appoint the exchange agent to handle the exchange of certificates formerly representing TIER common stock for shares of Cousins common stock. After the Merger is completed, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, if a stockholder held certificates representing TIER common stock immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, the exchange agent will send them a letter of transmittal and instructions for exchanging their shares of TIER common stock for the Merger consideration of 2.98 shares of Cousins common stock, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments and with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. Upon surrender of the certificates for cancellation along with the executed letter of transmittal and other required documents described in the instructions, a holder of shares of TIER common stock will receive the applicable Merger consideration, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares.

        Holders of shares of TIER common stock in book-entry form immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will not need to take any action to receive the applicable Merger consideration, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares.

        The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties made by each of Cousins and Merger Sub, on the one hand, and TIER, on the other hand, to each other. These representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and limitations. Some of the significant representations and warranties of both Cousins and TIER contained in the Merger Agreement relate to, among other things:

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        In addition, Cousins and Merger Sub represented to TIER that Merger Sub was formed solely in connection with the Merger and has no other business activities.

        Many of the representations of Cousins and TIER are qualified by a "material adverse effect" standard (that is, they will not be deemed to be untrue or incorrect unless their failure to be true or correct, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect). A "material adverse effect" with regard to either Cousins or TIER, for purposes of the Merger Agreement, means any effect that is materially adverse to the assets, properties, liabilities, financial condition, business or results of operations of such party and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except that a material adverse effect will not include any effect arising out of or resulting from:

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        In addition, if the events referred to the first, second, fourth and fifth bullets above has had a disproportionate adverse impact on such party relative to other companies operating in the industry in which such party operates, then the incremental impact of such event shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining whether a Cousins material adverse effect has occurred.

        Under the Merger Agreement, between March 25, 2019 and the earlier of the effective time of the Merger or the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, unless (i) expressly contemplated or permitted by the Merger Agreement, (ii) as set forth in the parties' confidential disclosure letters, (iii) as required by applicable law or the regulations or (iv) with the other party's prior written consent (which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), each of Cousins and TIER have agreed that they will, and will cause their respective subsidiaries to, conduct their businesses in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, to use reasonable best efforts to preserve their business organizations intact, to maintain their material assets and properties in their current condition (normal wear and tear excepted), their existing relations and goodwill with customers, suppliers, distributors, creditors, lessors and tenants and to maintain the status of such party as a REIT.

        In addition, between March 25, 2019 and the earlier of the effective time of the Merger or the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, unless (i) expressly contemplated or permitted by the Merger Agreement, (ii) as set forth in such party's confidential disclosure letters, (iii) as required by applicable law or the regulations or (iv) with the other party's prior written consent (which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), each of Cousins and TIER have agreed that they will not, and will cause their subsidiaries not to:

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        In addition, unless (i) expressly contemplated or permitted by the Merger Agreement, (ii) as set forth in Cousins' confidential disclosure letters, (iii) as required by applicable law or the regulations or (iv) with TIER's prior written consent (which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), Cousins has agreed that it shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not to engage in any transactions that would be reasonably expected to prevent or materially delay the consummation of the Merger.

        Subject to these same general exceptions, TIER has agreed that it shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not to:

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        Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Merger Agreement does not prohibit or restrict either party, or any of their respective subsidiaries, from taking any action that in the reasonable judgment of such party's board of directors, upon advice of counsel, is reasonably necessary to maintain their qualification as a REIT under the Code for any period or portion thereof ending on or prior to the

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effective time of the Merger or to avoid incurring entity level income or excise taxes under the Code (including making dividend or other distribution payments to stockholders in accordance with the Merger Agreement) or to preserve the status of any subsidiary of such party as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes or as a QRS, a TRS or a REIT under the applicable provisions of Section 856 of the Code.

        The Merger Agreement contains certain other covenants and agreements, including covenants related to:

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        Prior to the effective time of the Merger, Cousins shall, and shall cause its subsidiaries to, cooperate with reasonable requests by Cousins in connection with the contemplated post-closing transactions involving Tier OP, provided TIER and its subsidiaries shall not be required to enter into any contracts or obligations binding on them that would become effective prior to the effective time of the Merger or to incur any out-of-pocket costs or expenses (unless such costs or expenses will be promptly reimbursed by Cousins) in connection with its cooperation with Cousins' requests.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, TIER shall:

        For a period of one year following the effective time of the Merger, Cousins will provide, or will cause to be provided, to each employee of TIER and its subsidiaries who continues to be employed by Cousins or its subsidiaries following the effective time of the Merger (which we refer to as "continuing employees"), for so long as such continuing employee is employed following the effective time of the Merger, (i) an annual base salary or wage rate no less favorable than was provided immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, (ii) an annual cash bonus opportunity that is no less than was provided to such continuing employee immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger and

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(iii) employee benefits that are no less favorable, in the aggregate, than those provided to similarly situated employees of Cousins and its subsidiaries. For purposes of clause (iii), the employee benefits generally provided to employees of TIER and its subsidiaries as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will be deemed to be no less favorable in the aggregate than those provided to similarly situated employees of Cousins or its subsidiaries.

        For purposes of any Cousins benefit plans that provide benefits to any continuing employees after the effective time of the Merger, Cousins will (i) waive all pre-existing conditions, exclusions and waiting periods with respect to participation and coverage requirements, except to the extent such preexisting conditions or exclusions would apply under the analogous TIER benefit plan, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to credit continuing employees and their dependents for any co-payments and deductibles paid during the portion of the TIER plan year ending on the date such continuing employee's participation in the Cousins benefit plan begins (to the same extent that such credit was given under the analogous TIER benefit plan) and (iii) recognize all service of the continuing employees with TIER and its subsidiaries (and any predecessors or affiliates thereof) to the same extent such service was taken into account under the analogous TIER benefit plan. The foregoing clause (iii) will not apply to the extent it would result in duplication of benefits or for any purpose with respect to any defined benefit pension plan, postretirement welfare plan or any Cousins benefit plan under which similarly situated employees of Cousins and its subsidiaries do not receive credit for prior service or that is grandfathered or frozen, either with respect to level of benefits or participation.

        The Merger Agreement provides that (i) the parties shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that the timing of any regular quarterly dividend paid by either party prior to the closinhg date will be coordinated so that, if either holders of common stock of either party receive a distribution for a particular quarter prior to the closing date, then the holders of the common stock of the other party shall also receive a distribution for such quarter prior to the closing date and (ii) the parties will coordinate such that any such quarterly distribution by the parties shall have the same record date and the same payment date, which shall be consistent with Cousins' historical record dates and payment dates unless otherwise agreed between the parties, in order to ensure that the stockholders of both parties receive the same number of such dividends prior to the effective time of the Merger (provided that the amount of any such quarterly dividend declared by TIER or Cousins must be not exceed a quarterly rate of $0.18 per share and $0.0725 per share, respectively).

        The Merger Agreement further provides that if either party determines that it is necessary to declare a special distribution in order to maintain its qualification as a REIT, such party shall notify the other party in writing at least ten business days prior to that other party's stockholders meeting, and such other party shall be entitled to declare a dividend per share payable (i) in the case of TIER, to holders of shares of TIER common stock, in an amount per share equal to the product of (A) the Cousins special distribution declared by Cousins and (B) the exchange ratio and (ii) in the case of Cousins, to holders of shares of Cousins common stock, in an amount per share equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the TIER special distribution declared by TIER by (y) the exchange ratio. The record date and payment date for any such dividend shall be the close of business on the last business day prior to the closing date.

        In the event that a dividend or distribution with respect to the shares of TIER common stock permitted under the terms of the Merger Agreement has (i) a record date prior to the effective time of the Merger and (ii) has not been paid as of the effective time of the Merger, the holders of shares of TIER common stock shall be entitled to receive such dividend or distribution upon receipt of the Merger consideration in accordance with the procedures described under "—Exchanges of Shares in the Merger."

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        The obligations of Cousins and TIER to complete the Merger are subject to certain conditions being satisfied or, where legally permissible, waived. These conditions include:

        In addition, the obligation of TIER to effect the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the following additional conditions:

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        The obligation of Cousins to effect the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the following additional conditions:

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, TIER has agreed that neither it nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, directors, officers and employees of it or its subsidiaries will, directly or indirectly, (i) initiate, solicit, propose, knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate any inquiry or the making of any proposal

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or offer that constitutes, or would reasonably be expected to lead to, an acquisition proposal, or any other effort or attempt to make or implement an acquisition proposal, (ii) engage in, continue or otherwise participate in any discussions or negotiations relating to any acquisition proposal or any inquiry, proposal or offer that would reasonably be expected to lead to an acquisition proposal, (iii) provide any nonpublic information to any person in connection with any acquisition proposal or any inquiry, proposal or offer that would reasonably be expected to lead to an acquisition proposal, (iv) approve or execute or enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, merger agreement, business combination agreement, sale or purchase agreement or share exchange agreement, option agreement or any other similar agreement related to any acquisition proposal (which we refer to as an "acquisition agreement") or (v) propose or agree to do any of the foregoing.

        For purposes of the Merger Agreement, an "acquisition proposal" means (i) any proposal, offer, inquiry or indication of interest relating to a merger, joint venture, partnership, consolidation, dissolution, liquidation, tender offer, recapitalization, reorganization, spin-off, share exchange, business combination or similar transaction involving TIER or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) any transaction or acquisition by any person or group resulting in, or any proposal, offer, inquiry or indication of interest that, in the case of (i) or (ii), if consummated would result in, any person (or the stockholders or other equity interest holders of such person) or "group" (as defined pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) becoming the beneficial owner of, directly or indirectly, in one or a series of related transactions, 15% or more of the total voting power of any class of equity securities of TIER (or of the surviving parent entity in such transaction), as applicable, or 15% or more of the consolidated net revenues, net income or total assets (it being understood that assets include equity securities of subsidiaries) of TIER, in each case other than the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, prior to the TIER special meeting, in response to an unsolicited, bona fide written acquisition proposal (that did not result from TIER's breach of its non-solicitation obligations under the Merger Agreement) made after March 25, 2019, subject to compliance with the other terms of this covenant and TIER first entering into a confidentiality agreement with the person who has made such acquisition proposal having confidentiality and use provisions that are no less favorable to TIER than those contained in that certain confidentiality agreement entered into between Cousins and TIER, TIER shall be permitted to (i) engage in discussions and negotiations with the person who has made such acquisition proposal and (ii) provide nonpublic information or data to such person, provided that prior to taking any such actions, the TIER board of directors must determine in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that (A) based on the information then available and after consultation with its financial advisor, such acquisition proposal constitutes a superior proposal or is reasonably likely to result in a superior proposal, and (B) the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the duties of members of the TIER board of directors under applicable law. TIER shall provide Cousins with a copy of any nonpublic information provided to any person pursuant to the prior sentence prior to or simultaneously with furnishing such information to such person, unless such information has been previously made available to Cousins.

        For purposes of the Merger Agreement, a "superior proposal" means a bona fide written acquisition proposal that the TIER board of directors determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel, taking into account all legal, financial, timing, regulatory and other aspects of the proposal and the person making the proposal (including any termination fees, expense reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation), if consummated, would result in a transaction that is more favorable to the stockholders of TIER than the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, except that the references to "15% or more" in the definition of "acquisition proposal" above shall be deemed to be references to "more than 50%."

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        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, TIER has agreed to notify Cousins within 24 hours after receipt of an acquisition proposal, any request for nonpublic information relating to TIER or any of its subsidiaries that it is considering making, or has made, an acquisition proposal or any inquiry from any person seeking to have discussions or negotiations with TIER relating to a possible acquisition proposal. TIER has also agreed to notify Cousins within 24 hours if it enters into discussions or negotiations concerning any acquisition proposal or provides nonpublic information to any person in accordance with its non-solicitation obligations, and to keep Cousins reasonably informed of the status and terms of any such discussions or negotiations on a reasonably current basis, including by providing a copy of all material documentation or material correspondence relating thereto, including proposed agreements and any material change in its intentions.

        TIER has also agreed that (i) it will and will cause its subsidiaries, and its and their representatives to, cease immediately and terminate any and all existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any third parties conducted before March 25, 2019 with respect to any acquisition proposal, (ii) it will not release any third party from, or waive any provisions of, any confidentiality or standstill agreement to which it or any of its subsidiaries is a party with respect to any acquisition proposal except to the extent a failure to do so would be inconsistent with the directors' respective duties under applicable law, (iii) it will promptly request that each person that has previously executed a confidentiality agreement relating to an potential or actual acquisition proposal destroy or return all non-public information provided under such confidentiality agreement and (iv) it will promptly terminate the access of any third party to any electronic datasite or data room established in connection with any such confidentiality agreement.

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, Cousins has agreed to take all lawful action to call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its stockholders as promptly as practicable following the effective date of the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part for the purpose of obtaining approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal and, if elected by Cousins, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal. Cousins and its board of directors will (i) use reasonable best efforts to obtain from the stockholders of Cousins the approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal and (ii) recommend to the stockholders of Cousins approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, and Cousins shall cause the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part to include such recommendation.

        TIER has agreed to take all lawful action to call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of its stockholders as promptly as practicable following the effective date of the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part for the purpose of obtaining the approval of the TIER Merger Proposal. Unless a change in recommendation has occurred, as described below, TIER and its board of directors will (i) use reasonable best efforts to obtain from the stockholders of TIER the approval of the TIER Merger Proposal and (ii) recommend to the stockholders of TIER the approval of the Merger, and TIER shall cause the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part to include such recommendation.

        The parties have agreed to cooperate and use reasonable best efforts to cause their respective stockholder meetings to be held on the same date and as soon as reasonably practicable after March 25, 2019.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, the TIER board of directors has agreed that it will not (i) withhold, withdraw, qualify or

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modify in any manner adverse to Cousins, or propose publicly or resolve to withhold, withdraw, qualify or modify in any manner adverse to Cousins, the approval, recommendation or declaration of advisability by the TIER board of directors, or any such committee thereof, of the Merger, (ii) fail to include the recommendation of the TIER board of directors that the stockholders of TIER approve the Merger in the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part, (iii) make or publicly propose to make any recommendation in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer commenced by a third party other than a recommendation against such offer or a customary "stop, look and listen" communication or (iv) fail to reaffirm the recommendation of the TIER board of directors in favor of the Merger within five business days of Cousins' written request (we refer to each of the foregoing events as a "change in recommendation").

        Nevertheless, prior to the TIER special meeting, with respect to an acquisition proposal, the TIER board of directors may make a change in recommendation or may authorize TIER to terminate the Merger Agreement to enter into an acquisition agreement, in each case, if and only if:

        In the case of termination of the Merger Agreement by TIER to enter into an acquisition agreement, (i) TIER must pay or cause to be paid to Cousins the TIER termination fee (as described below) and (ii) neither TIER nor any subsidiary or representative of TIER shall enter into any acquisition agreement unless the Merger Agreement has been or is prior to or substantially concurrently terminated in accordance with its terms.

        The Merger Agreement does not permit Cousins and its board of directors to change its recommendation in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal.

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        Whether or not the Merger is consummated, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby shall be paid by the party incurring such expense, except (i) the TIER termination fee, as described below, and (ii) that expenses incurred in connection with filing, printing and mailing of the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part (other than legal fees) shall be shared equally by Cousins and TIER.

        Termination.    The Merger Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the effective time of the Merger as follows:

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        Effect of Termination.    In the event of termination of the Merger Agreement by either party, as provided immediately above, written notice shall be given to the other party specifying the provision pursuant to which such termination is made, and the Merger Agreement shall become null and void and there shall be no liability or obligation on the part of either party or their respective directors or representatives, except (i) that no party shall be relieved or released from any liabilities or damages arising out of its fraud or willful breach of the Merger Agreement, (ii) certain miscellaneous provisions of the Merger Agreement and certain provisions relating to the TIER termination fee, fees and expenses, dividends and effects of termination shall survive such termination and (iii) that certain confidentiality agreement entered into between Cousins and Tier shall survive such termination.

        TIER has agreed to pay a termination fee of $45,450,000 to Cousins in the following circumstances:

        Such termination fee will be the maximum amount owed by TIER in connection with any termination of the Merger Agreement, except in the case of any fraud or willful breach of the Merger Agreement by TIER. The amount payable to Cousins by TIER may also be reduced to the extent necessary to maintain Cousins' qualification as a REIT under the Code. Should any amount of the fee be unpaid because of REIT requirements, TIER shall place the unpaid amount of the fee in escrow and shall not release any portion thereof to Cousins unless and until Cousins receives a reasoned opinion from counsel or other tax advisor or a ruling from the IRS providing that Cousins' receipt of the unpaid fee will not impact its qualification as a REIT under the Code. The obligations of TIER to pay any unpaid portion of the fee shall terminate on December 31 following the date which is five years from the date of March 25, 2019. Amounts remaining in escrow after the obligation of TIER to pay the fee terminates shall be released to TIER.

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        The Merger Agreement provides that Cousins will indemnify and hold harmless all past and present directors and officers of TIER and its subsidiaries for six years from and after the effective time of the Merger against any costs or expenses, judgments, fines, penalties, losses, claims, damages, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any actual or threatened claim, action, investigation, suit or proceeding in respect of acts or omissions occurring or alleged to have occurred at or prior to the effective time of the Merger (including acts or omissions occurring in connection with the approval of the Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Merger), whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the effective time of the Merger, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by law and to the same extent that TIER or its subsidiaries would have been permitted to do so pursuant to the organizational documents of TIER or its subsidiaries, as applicable.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement Cousins shall, and shall cause the surviving corporation to, obtain a six-year prepaid "tail" policy or policies for the extension of the directors' and officers' liability coverage of TIER's existing directors' and officers' liability insurance policies and fiduciary liability insurance policies, in each case for a claims reporting or discovery period of six years from and after the effective time of the Merger, on terms and conditions substantially equivalent to the directors' and officers' current policies maintained by TIER with respect to matters arising on or before the effective time of the Merger. Cousins or the surviving corporation, as applicable, shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the most favorable pricing and most comprehensive coverage reasonably available for such "tail" policy and shall not be required to commit or spend on such "tail" policy more than 300% of the last aggregate annual premium paid by TIER prior to March 25, 2019 for TIER's current policies of directors' and officers' liability insurance and fiduciary liability insurance. If the cost of such "tail" policy would otherwise exceed the such amount, Cousins or the surviving corporation, as applicable, may purchase as much coverage as reasonably practicable for such amount.

        In lieu of Cousins' or the surviving corporation's purchase of the "tail" policy, TIER may purchase, prior to the effective time of the Merger, a prepaid "tail" policy or policies for the extension of the directors' and officers' liability coverage of TIER's existing directors' and officers' liability insurance policies and fiduciary liability insurance policies, in each case for a claims reporting or discovery period of six years from and after the effective time of the Merger, on terms and conditions providing coverage retentions, limits and other material terms substantially equivalent to the current policies of directors' and officers' liability insurance and fiduciary liability insurance maintained by TIER with respect to matters arising on or before the effective time of the Merger, provided that the aggregate premium for such policy shall not exceed the same 300% cap.

        Subject to the provisions of applicable laws, at any time prior to the effective time of the Merger, the Merger Agreement may be amended, modified or waived if, and only if, such amendment, modification or waiver is in writing and signed, in the case of an amendment or modification, by the parties, or in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom the waiver is to be effective. The conditions to each of the respective parties' obligations to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are for the sole benefit of such party and may be waived by such party in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable law. No failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege under the Merger Agreement shall operate as a waiver, nor shall any single or partial exercise preclude any other or further exercise or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.

        Except to the extent the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated under the Merger Agreement may be required to be governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, the Merger Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland (without giving effect to choice of law principles thereof).

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE MERGER

        The following is a general discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger to U.S. holders (as defined below) of TIER common stock that exchange their shares of TIER common stock for shares of Cousins common stock in the Merger. The following discussion is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, rulings and decisions, all as in effect as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus. These authorities may change, possibly with retroactive effect, and any such change could affect the accuracy of the statements and conclusions set forth in this discussion. This discussion assumes that the Merger will be completed in accordance with the Merger Agreement and as further described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This discussion is not a complete description of all of the tax consequences of the Merger and, in particular, does not address any tax reporting requirements, tax consequences arising under the unearned income Medicare contribution tax pursuant to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 or any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, or under any U.S. federal laws other than those pertaining to the income tax.

        The following discussion applies only to U.S. holders (as defined below) of shares of TIER common stock who hold such shares as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). Further, this discussion does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to U.S. holders in light of their particular circumstances and does not apply to U.S. holders subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws (such as, for example, banks and certain other financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, partnerships, S corporations or other pass-through entities (or investors in partnerships, S corporations or other pass-through entities), regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, insurance companies, mutual funds, dealers or brokers in stocks and securities, commodities or currencies, traders in securities that elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting, holders who are required to recognize income or gain with respect to the Merger no later than such income or gain is required to be reported on an applicable financial statement under Section 451(b) of the Code, holders subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, holders who acquired TIER common stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options, through a tax qualified retirement plan or otherwise as compensation, holders who actually or constructively own more than 5% of TIER common stock, persons that are not U.S. holders, U.S. holders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, holders who hold shares of TIER common stock as part of a hedge, straddle, constructive sale, conversion or other integrated transaction, or United States expatriates).

        For purposes of this discussion, the term "U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner of TIER common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation, or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) a trust if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) such trust has made a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (iv) an estate, the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source.

        If an entity or an arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds TIER common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in such partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes that holds TIER common stock and any partners in such partnership should consult their own independent tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the Merger to their specific circumstances.

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        This discussion is not binding on the IRS. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any described herein.

        Determining the actual tax consequences of the Merger to you may be complex and will depend on your specific situation and on factors that are not within our control. You should consult your own independent tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences of the Merger to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the applicability and effect of the alternative minimum tax and any state, local, foreign and other tax laws and of changes in those laws.

        Cousins and TIER intend for the Merger to be treated as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. It is a condition to Cousins' obligation to complete the Merger that Cousins receive an opinion from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Cousins, dated as of the closing date, to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. It is a condition to TIER's obligation to complete the Merger that TIER receive an opinion from Goodwin Procter LLP, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to TIER, dated as of the closing date, to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. These opinions will be based on customary assumptions and representations from Cousins and TIER, as well as certain covenants and undertakings by Cousins and TIER. If any of these assumptions, representations, covenants or undertakings is incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate or is violated, the validity of the opinions described above may be affected and the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger could differ from those described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. An opinion of counsel represents counsel's best legal judgment but is not binding on the IRS or any court. Neither Cousins nor TIER intends to obtain a ruling from the IRS regarding any matter relating to the Merger. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the conclusions set forth below.

        On the basis of the opinions described above, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger to U.S. holders of TIER common stock generally will be as follows:

        Upon exchanging TIER common stock for Cousins common stock in the Merger, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize gain or loss, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of fractional shares of Cousins common stock (as discussed below). A U.S. holder's aggregate tax basis in the Cousins common stock received in the Merger (including any fractional shares deemed received and exchanged for cash, as discussed below) will equal such U.S. holder's aggregate adjusted tax basis in the shares of TIER common stock surrendered in exchange therefor. A U.S. holder's holding period for the shares of Cousins common stock received in the Merger (including any fractional share deemed received and exchanged for cash, as discussed below) will include such U.S. holder's holding period for the shares of TIER common stock surrendered. If a U.S. holder acquired different blocks of TIER common stock at different times or at different prices, the basis and holding period of each block of Cousins common stock received by such U.S. holder in the Merger will be determined on a block-for-block basis depending on the basis and holding period of the blocks of TIER common stock exchanged for such Cousins common stock. U.S. holders that acquired different blocks of TIER common stock at different times or at different prices should consult their tax advisors regarding the allocation of the tax basis and holding period of such shares to particular shares of Cousins common stock received in the Merger.

        In general, a U.S. holder that receives cash in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock will be treated as having received such fractional share of Cousins common stock pursuant to the Merger and then as having sold such fractional share of Cousins common stock for cash. As a result, such U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash received for such fractional share and such U.S. holder's tax basis allocable to such fractional share of Cousins common stock as set forth above. Any such capital gain or loss generally

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will be long-term capital gain or loss if, as of the effective time of the Merger, the U.S. holder's holding period for such fractional share (as described above) exceeds one year. Long-term capital gains of certain non-corporate taxpayers, including individuals, are generally taxed at preferential rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Backup Withholding Tax and Information Reporting

        In general, information reporting requirements will apply to any cash received pursuant to the Merger. Certain U.S. holders of TIER common stock may be subject to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 24%) with respect to such payments. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder of TIER common stock that furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding on IRS Form W-9 or is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and provides appropriate proof of the applicable exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld will be allowed as a refund or credit against the U.S. holder's U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that such U.S. holder timely furnishes the required information to the IRS.

        This preceding discussion is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be a complete analysis or discussion of all the potential tax consequences of the Merger and of the ownership and disposition of Cousins common stock received in the Merger, nor is it legal or tax advice. Holders of TIER common stock should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific tax consequences to them of the Merger and of the ownership and disposition of Cousins common stock received in the Merger, including any tax return reporting requirements and the applicability and effect of U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. and other applicable tax laws in light of their particular circumstances.

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THE COUSINS SPECIAL MEETING

Date, Time and Place

        The Cousins special meeting will be held at                , at            local time, on                        , 2019.

Purpose of the Cousins Special Meeting

        At the Cousins special meeting, Cousins stockholders will be asked to consider and vote upon the following matters:

Recommendation of the Cousins Board of Directors

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously has determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement are advisable and in the best interests of Cousins and its stockholders and has unanimously approved the Merger Agreement, the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that holders of Cousins common stock vote "FOR" the Cousins Issuance Proposal, "FOR" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, "FOR" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and "FOR" the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

Cousins Record Date; Stock Entitled to Vote

        Only holders of record of shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock at the close of business on                        , 2019, the record date for the Cousins special meeting, will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Cousins special meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. You may cast one vote for each share of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock that you owned on the record date. Holders of Cousins preferred stock are not entitled to cast a vote on the Cousins Issuance Proposal or the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

        On the record date, there were                shares of Cousins common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Cousins special meeting and                shares of Cousins preferred stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Cousins special meeting.

        On the record date, approximately        % of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and approximately        % of the outstanding shares of Cousins preferred stock were held by Cousins directors and executive officers and their respective affiliates. Cousins currently expects that the directors and executive officers of Cousins will vote their shares in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and the Cousins Adjournment Proposal, although none has entered into any agreements obligating them to do so.

Quorum

        Stockholders who hold a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock entitled to vote must be present or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum at the

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Cousins special meeting. All shares of Cousins common stock and Cousin preferred stock represented at the Cousins special meeting, including abstentions and broker non-votes (shares held by a broker, bank or nominee that are represented at the meeting, but with respect to which the broker, bank or nominee is not instructed by the beneficial owner of such shares to vote on the particular proposal), will be treated as present for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum at the Cousins special meeting.

Required Vote

        Approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by Cousins common stockholders at the Cousins special meeting, assuming a quorum is present. Approval of the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal each require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. Approval of the Cousins Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Cousins common stock represented, in person or by proxy, at the Cousins special meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal, whether or not a quorum is present.

        The approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal is a condition to the completion of the Merger.

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

        If you are a Cousins stockholder and fail to vote or abstain from voting, it will have the same effect as a vote against the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal, but it will have no effect on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, assuming a quorum is present, or the Cousins Adjournment Proposal. If you are a Cousins stockholder and you attend the Cousins special meeting and fail to vote or abstain from voting, it will have the same effect as a vote against the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal and the Cousins Adjournment Proposal, but it will have no effect on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, assuming a quorum is present.

Shares Held in Street Name

        If you hold your shares in a stock brokerage account or if your shares are held by a bank or nominee (that is, in street name), you must provide the record holder of your shares with instructions on how to vote your shares. Please follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee. Please note that you may not vote shares held in street name by returning a proxy card directly to Cousins or by voting in person at the Cousins special meeting unless you provide a "legal proxy," which you must obtain from your broker, bank or nominee. Further, brokers, banks or nominees who hold shares of Cousins common stock on behalf of their customers may not give a proxy to Cousins to vote those shares without specific instructions from their customers.

        If you are a Cousins stockholder and you do not instruct your broker, bank or nominee to vote, your broker, bank or nominee may not vote those shares, and it will have the same effect as a vote against the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal, but it will have no effect on the Cousins Issuance Proposal, assuming a quorum is present, or the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

Voting of Proxies

        A proxy card is enclosed for your use. Cousins requests that you sign the accompanying proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. You may also vote your shares by telephone or through the Internet. Information and applicable deadlines for voting proxies by telephone or through the Internet are set forth on the enclosed proxy card. When the accompanying proxy is

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returned properly executed, the shares of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock represented by it will be voted at the Cousins special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof in accordance with the instructions contained in the proxy.

        If a proxy is signed and returned without an indication as to how the shares of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock represented by the proxy are to be voted with regard to a particular proposal, the Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock represented by the proxy will be voted in favor of each such proposal. At the date hereof, Cousins' management has no knowledge of any business that will be presented for consideration at the Cousins special meeting and which would be required to be set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus other than the matters set forth in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders of Cousins. In accordance with the Cousins Bylaws, as amended and restated (which we refer to as the "Cousins Bylaws") and Georgia law, business transacted at the Cousins special meeting will be limited to those matters set forth in such notice. Nonetheless, if any other matter is properly presented at the Cousins special meeting for consideration, it is intended that the persons named in the enclosed proxy and acting thereunder will vote in accordance with their discretion on such matter.

        Your vote is important. Accordingly, please sign and return the enclosed proxy card whether or not you plan to attend the Cousins special meeting in person.

Revocability of Proxies or Voting Instructions

        If you are a holder of record of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock on the record date for the Cousins special meeting, you have the power to revoke your proxy at any time before your proxy is voted at the Cousins special meeting. You can revoke your proxy in one of three ways:

        If you choose either of the first two methods, your notice of revocation or your new proxy must be received by Cousins' Secretary at 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, no later than the beginning of the Cousins special meeting. If you have voted your shares by telephone or through the Internet, you may revoke your prior telephone or Internet vote by recording another vote using the telephone or Internet, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone or Internet vote.

Solicitation of Proxies

        In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the cost of proxy solicitation for the Cousins special meeting will be borne by Cousins. In addition to the use of the mail, proxies may be solicited by officers and directors and regular employees of Cousins, without additional remuneration, by personal interview, telephone, facsimile or otherwise. Cousins will also request brokerage firms, nominees, custodians and fiduciaries to forward proxy materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record on the record date and will provide customary reimbursement to such firms for the cost of forwarding these materials. Cousins has retained                to assist in its solicitation of proxies and has agreed to pay them a fee of $            , plus reasonable expenses, for these services.

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COUSINS PROPOSALS

COUSINS PROPOSAL 1: THE COUSINS ISSUANCE PROPOSAL

        Pursuant to NYSE rules, stockholder approval is required prior to the issuance of shares if the number of shares to be issued in a transaction equals 20% or more of the number of shares outstanding prior to the issuance. Accordingly, Cousins is requesting that holders of outstanding shares of Cousins common stock consider and vote on a proposal to approve the issuance of additional shares of Cousins common stock in connection with the Merger contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

        Approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal is a condition to the closing of the Merger. If the Cousins Issuance Proposal is not approved, the Merger will not occur. For a detailed discussion of the terms and conditions of the Merger, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Conditions to Completion of the Merger."

Required Vote

        Approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by Cousins common stockholders at the Cousins special meeting, assuming a quorum is present.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the approval of the Cousins Issuance Proposal.

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COUSINS PROPOSAL 2: THE COUSINS REVERSE STOCK SPLIT PROPOSAL

        Cousins proposes to amend the Cousins Articles, which will be the articles of incorporation of Cousins, effective at the effective time of the Merger, in the form attached as Annex D to this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        If this proposed amendment is approved by the Cousins stockholders, upon the effective date of the amendment, each four shares of Cousins common stock will be combined into one share of Cousins common stock, and the number of shares of Cousins common stock issued and outstanding will be reduced correspondingly. Concurrently with such reverse stock split, the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock will be reduced proportionally.

General

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously approved an amendment to the Cousins Articles to effect a reverse stock split of outstanding Cousins common stock by a 1-for-4 ratio (which we refer to as the "reverse stock split"). If approved by Cousins stockholders, each four shares of issued and outstanding Cousins common stock will be combined into one share of Cousins common stock. Concurrently with the reverse stock split, Cousins would also file an amendment to the Cousins Articles to proportionately reduce the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock from 1,200,000,000 shares to 300,000,000 shares if the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal is also approved by Cousins stockholders, or from 700,000,000 shares to 175,000,000 shares if the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal is not approved. For more information on the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal, see "Cousins Proposal 3: Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal."

        To avoid the existence of fractional shares of Cousins common stock, Cousins stockholders of record who would otherwise hold fractional shares of Cousins common stock as a result of the reverse stock split will be entitled to receive a cash payment (without interest and subject to applicable withholding taxes) in lieu of such fractional shares from Cousins' transfer agent.

        The reverse stock split, if approved by the Cousins stockholders, would become effective upon the filing of Articles of Amendment to the Cousins Articles with the Secretary of State of the State of Georgia. The exact timing of the filing of the Articles of Amendment that will effect the reverse stock split will be determined by the Cousins board of directors based on its evaluation as to when such action will be the most advantageous to Cousins and the Cousins stockholders. If the Merger is effectuated, it is expected that the reverse stock split would become effective following the effective time of the Merger.

        The following table summarizes the shares of Cousins common stock outstanding and reserved for issuance upon the exercise of all outstanding options, the vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units and the issuance of shares under Cousins' deferred compensation plan. The table then shows all such shares as adjusted for the approval of the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal.

Cousins Common Stock—Shares
        , 2019   If Only
Proposal 2
Approved
  If
Proposals 2
and 3
Approved
 

Total Authorized

    700,000,000     175,000,000     300,000,000  

Outstanding

                                                                

Generally reserved for issuance

                                                                

Treasury shares

                                                                

Available for future issuance

                                                                

Shares available for issuance as a percentage of potential shares outstanding

                                                                

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Reasons for the Reverse Stock Split and Other Considerations

        Broaden the Pool of Investors and Attract New Investors—Cousins believes that the reverse stock split could enhance the appeal of Cousins common stock to the financial community, including institutional investors, and the general investing public. Cousins believes that a number of institutional investors and investment funds may be reluctant to invest in lower-priced securities and that brokerage firms may be reluctant to recommend lower-priced stock to their clients, which may be due in part to a perception that lower-priced securities are less promising as investments, are less liquid in the event that an investor wishes to sell its shares, have a higher level of price volatility, or are less likely to be followed by institutional securities research firms and therefore to have less third-party analysis of the company available to investors. In addition, certain institutional investors or investment funds may be prohibited from buying stocks whose price is below a certain threshold. Cousins believes that the reduction in outstanding shares of Cousins common stock caused by the reverse stock split, together with the anticipated increased stock price immediately following and resulting from the reverse stock split, may encourage interest and trading in Cousins common stock and thus possibly promote greater liquidity for Cousins stockholders, thereby resulting in a broader market for Cousins common stock than that which currently exists.

        Reduce the Number of Outstanding Shares—Cousins has a large number of outstanding shares of Cousins common stock as compared to other publicly traded companies the size of Cousins. Cousins believes that the reverse stock split will cause Cousins to have a number of outstanding shares of Cousins common stock that is more customary for a company the size of Cousins. By reducing the number of outstanding shares of Cousins common stock, Cousins will better align with market practice.

        Reduce Relatively High Transaction Costs for Cousins Stockholders—Trading commissions, which are often set at a fixed price, tend to have an adverse impact on holders of lower-priced securities because the brokerage commissions on a sale of lower-priced securities generally represent a higher percentage of the sales prices than the commissions on relatively higher-priced securities, which may discourage trading in such lower-priced securities. In addition, the bid / ask spread on low priced stock is generally greater than for on stocks with normalized prices. A larger bid / ask spread generally increases trading costs. A reduction in outstanding shares of Cousins common stock should result in a price level for Cousins common stock that may reduce the adverse effect trading commissions have on the tendencies of certain stockholders to trade in Cousins common stock and may reduce the bid / ask spread of shares of Cousins common stock. Moreover, a reduction in outstanding shares of Cousins common stock would reduce the actual transaction costs imposed on those investors who pay commissions on trades of Cousins common stock based on the number of shares actually traded.

        Cousins cannot assure holders of Cousins common stock that all or any of the anticipated beneficial effects on the trading market for Cousins common stock will occur. Cousins cannot predict with certainty what effect the reverse stock split will have on the market price of Cousins common stock, particularly over the longer term. Some investors may view the reverse stock split negatively, which could result in a decrease in Cousins' market capitalization. Additionally, any improvement in liquidity due to increased institutional or brokerage interest or lower trading commissions may be offset by the lower number of outstanding shares.

        Cousins stockholders should recognize that if the reverse stock split is effected, they will own a fewer number of shares than they currently own. While Cousins expects that the reverse stock split will result in an increase in the per share price of Cousins common stock, the reverse stock split may not increase the per share price of Cousins common stock in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of Cousins common stock outstanding or result in a permanent increase in the per share price

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(which depends on many factors, including Cousins' performance, prospects and other factors that may be unrelated to the number of shares outstanding and may not be within Cousins' control).

        If the reverse stock split is effected and the per share price of Cousins common stock declines, the percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of Cousins' overall market capitalization may be greater than would occur in the absence of the reverse stock split. Furthermore, the liquidity of Cousins common stock could be adversely affected by the reduced number of shares that would be outstanding after the reverse stock split. In addition, the reverse stock split will likely increase the number of Cousins stockholders who own odd lots (less than 100 shares). Cousins stockholders who hold odd lots typically will experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares and potentially greater difficulty in effecting such sales. Accordingly, the reverse stock split may not achieve all of the desired results that are outlined above.

        The reverse stock split is not being presented with the intent to prevent or discourage an attempt to obtain control of Cousins.

Beneficial Holders of Cousins Common Stock

        Upon the implementation of the reverse stock split, Cousins intends to treat shares of Cousins common stock held by stockholders through a bank, broker, custodian or other nominee in the same manner as registered stockholders whose shares are registered in their names. Banks, brokers, custodians or other nominees will be instructed to effect the reverse stock split for their beneficial holders holding Cousins common stock in street name. However, these banks, brokers, custodians or other nominees may have different procedures than registered stockholders for processing the reverse stock split. Cousins stockholders who hold shares of Cousins common stock with a bank, broker, custodian or other nominee and who have any questions in this regard are encouraged to contact their banks, brokers, custodians or other nominees.

Registered "Book-Entry" Holders of Cousins Common Stock

        Certain of Cousins' registered holders of Cousins common stock may hold some or all of their shares electronically in book-entry form with Cousins' transfer agent. These Cousins stockholders do not have stock certificates evidencing their ownership of Cousins common stock. They are, however, provided with a statement reflecting the number of shares registered in their accounts. Cousins stockholders who hold shares electronically in book-entry form with Cousins' transfer agent will not need to take action (the exchange will be automatic) to receive shares of post-reverse stock split Cousins common stock.

Holders of Certificated Shares of Cousins Common Stock

        Cousins stockholders holding shares of Cousins common stock in certificated form will be sent a transmittal letter by Cousins' transfer agent after the reverse stock split is consummated. The letter of transmittal will contain instructions on how a Cousins stockholder should surrender his, her or its certificate(s) representing shares of Cousins common stock (which shares we refer to as the "Old Shares") to Cousins' transfer agent in exchange for a book-entry with the transfer agent representing the appropriate number of shares of post-reverse stock split Cousins common stock (which shares we refer to as the "New Shares"). No New Shares will be issued to a Cousins stockholders until such stockholder has surrendered all Old Shares, together with a properly completed and executed letter of transmittal, to Cousins' transfer agent. No Cousins stockholder will be required to pay a transfer or other fee to exchange Old Shares. Cousins stockholders will then receive confirmation from Cousins' transfer agent that a book-entry has been made for the New Shares, representing the number of shares of Cousins common stock to which such stockholder is entitled as a result of the reverse stock split. Until surrendered, Cousins will deem outstanding Old Shares held by Cousins stockholders to be

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cancelled and only to represent the number of shares of post-reverse stock split Cousins common stock to which these stockholders are entitled. Any Old Shares submitted for exchange, whether because of a sale, transfer or other disposition of stock, will automatically be exchanged for New Shares. If Old Shares contain a restrictive legend on the back, the New Shares will be restricted in the same manner.

        COUSINS STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD NOT DESTROY ANY STOCK CERTIFICATE(S) AND SHOULD NOT SUBMIT ANY STOCK CERTIFICATE(S) UNTIL REQUESTED TO DO SO.

Fractional Shares

        No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. In lieu of any fractional shares, any holder of less than one share of Cousins common stock will be entitled to receive cash (without interest and subject to applicable withholding taxes) for such holder's fractional share based upon the closing price of Cousins' common stock on the NYSE on the trading day immediately prior to the effective time of the reverse stock split (as adjusted to give effect to the reverse stock split). The cash payment is subject to applicable U.S. federal and state income tax and state abandoned property laws. After the reverse stock split, a Cousins stockholder will have no further interest in Cousins with respect to its fractional share interest, and persons otherwise entitled to a fractional share will not have any voting, dividend or other rights with respect thereto except the right to receive a cash payment as described above.

Cousins OP Partnership Units and Cousins Limited Voting Preferred Stock

        Conditioned upon and substantially concurrently with the reverse stock split, Cousins expects to amend the organizational documents of the Cousins OP to effect a reverse stock split of the partnership units at a 1-to-4 ratio (which we refer to as the "Cousins OP reverse stock split"), such that each partnership unit shall continue to be exchangeable into one share of Cousins common stock (after giving effect to the reverse stock split).

        Pursuant to the Cousins Articles, each share of Cousins preferred stock is "paired" to one limited partnership unit of the Cousins OP, and, if at any time any shares of Cousins preferred stock are not paired with one limited partnership unit of the Cousins OP, such un-paired shares of Cousins preferred stock shall automatically be redeemed by Cousins for no consideration. Accordingly, at the effective time of the Cousins OP reverse stock split, a number of shares of Cousins preferred stock (and any fractional shares thereto) will be redeemed automatically by Cousins without consideration such that the number of issued and outstanding shares of Cousins preferred stock will be reduced in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio.

Effect on Equity Compensation Plans

        The proposed reverse stock split will reduce the number of shares of Cousins common stock available for issuance under Cousins' 2009 Incentive Stock Plan and Cousins' 2019 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan (which we refer to together as the "Cousins equity plans") in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio. Under the terms of the Cousins equity plans, proportionate adjustments are generally required to be made to the number of shares reserved for issuance, the number of shares subject to outstanding awards, the exercise price applicable to any outstanding awards and any individual limitations on awards. The Cousins board of directors has also authorized the Compensation, Succession, Nominating, and Governance Committee of the Cousins board of directors to determine and approve any other adjustments to outstanding awards, which could include performance metrics, that may be necessary, desirable, or appropriate to reflect the impact of the reverse stock split in a reasonable and equitable manner.

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Accounting Matters

        The par value per share of Cousins common stock will remain unchanged at $1 per share after the reverse stock split. As a result of the reverse stock split, the stated capital on Cousins' balance sheet attributable to Cousins common stock, which consists of the par value per share of Cousins common stock multiplied by the aggregate number of shares of Cousins common stock issued and outstanding, will be reduced in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio. Correspondingly, Cousins' additional paid-in capital account, which consists of the difference between Cousins' stated capital and the aggregate amount paid to Cousins upon issuance of all currently outstanding shares of Cousins common stock, will be credited with the amount by which the stated capital is reduced. Cousins stockholders' equity, in the aggregate, will remain unchanged. In addition, the earnings or loss per share of Cousins common stock, for all periods, will be restated because there will be fewer outstanding shares of Cousins common stock.

No Dissenters' Rights

        Under Georgia law, stockholders will not be entitled to dissenters' rights of appraisal with respect to the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split

        The following is a general discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the reverse stock split to U.S. holders (as defined below) of Cousins common stock. The following discussion is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, rulings and decisions, all as in effect as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus. These authorities may change, possibly with retroactive effect, and any such change could affect the accuracy of the statements and conclusions set forth in this discussion. This discussion assumes that the reverse stock split will be completed in accordance with the amended Cousins Articles in the form attached as Annex D and as further described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. This discussion is not a complete description of all of the tax consequences of the reverse stock split and, in particular, does not address any tax reporting requirements, tax consequences arising under the unearned income Medicare contribution tax pursuant to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, or under any U.S. federal laws other than those pertaining to the income tax.

        The following discussion applies only to U.S. holders (as defined below) of shares of Cousins common stock who hold such shares as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). Further, this discussion does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to U.S. holders in light of their particular circumstances and does not apply to U.S. holders subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws (such as, for example, banks and certain other financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, partnerships, S corporations or other pass-through entities (or investors in partnerships, S corporations or other pass-through entities), regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, insurance companies, mutual funds, dealers or brokers in stocks and securities, commodities or currencies, traders in securities that elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting, holders who are required to recognize income or gain with respect to the reverse stock split no later than such income or gain is required to be reported on an applicable financial statement under Section 451(b) of the Code, holders subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, holders who acquired Cousins common stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options, through a tax qualified retirement plan or otherwise as compensation, holders who actually or constructively own more than 5% of Cousins common stock, persons that are not U.S. holders, U.S. holders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, holders who hold shares of Cousins common stock as part of a hedge, straddle, constructive sale, conversion or other integrated transaction, or United States expatriates).

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        For purposes of this discussion, the term "U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner of Cousins common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes (i) an individual citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation, or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) a trust if (a) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) such trust has made a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (iv) an estate, the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source.

        If an entity or an arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds Cousins common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in such partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes that holds Cousins common stock and any partners in such partnership should consult their own independent tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the Merger to their specific circumstances.

        Determining the actual tax consequences of the reverse stock split to you may be complex and will depend on your specific situation and on factors that are not within our control. You should consult your own independent tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences of the reverse stock split to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the applicability and effect of the alternative minimum tax and any state, local, foreign and other tax laws and of changes in those laws.

        The reverse stock split is intended to be treated as a "recapitalization" for U.S. federal income tax purposes within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. Accordingly, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the reverse stock split, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock (which fractional share will be treated as received and then exchanged for such cash). A U.S. holder's aggregate tax basis of Cousins common stock received in the reverse stock split (including any fractional shares deemed received and exchanged for cash) will generally equal the aggregate tax basis in such U.S. holder's pre-reverse stock split shares of Cousins common stock immediately prior to the reverse stock split, and such U.S. holder's holding period for the shares of Cousins common stock received in the reverse stock split (including any fractional share deemed received and exchanged for cash) will include such U.S. holder's holding period for the pre-reverse stock split shares of Cousins common stock surrendered. U.S. holders that acquired different blocks of Cousins common stock at different times or at different prices should consult their tax advisors regarding the allocation of the tax basis and holding period of such shares to particular shares of Cousins common stock received in the reverse stock split.

        In general, a U.S. holder that receives cash in lieu of a fractional share of Cousins common stock in the reverse stock split generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash received for such fractional share and such U.S. holder's tax basis allocable to such fractional share. Any such gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if, as of the effective time of the reverse stock split, the U.S. holder's holding period for such fractional share exceeds one year. Long-term capital gains of certain non-corporate taxpayers, including individuals, are generally taxed at preferential rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

        In general, information reporting requirements will apply to any cash received pursuant to the reverse stock split. Certain U.S. holders of Cousins common stock may be subject to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 24%) with respect to such payments. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder of Cousins common stock that furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding on IRS Form W-9 or is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and provides appropriate proof of the applicable exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld will be allowed as a refund or

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credit against the U.S. holder's U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that such U.S. holder timely furnishes the required information to the IRS.

        This preceding discussion does not purport to be a complete analysis or discussion of all the potential tax consequences of the reverse stock split. Holders of Cousins common stock should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific tax consequences to them of the reverse stock split, including any tax return reporting requirements and the applicability and effect of U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. and other applicable tax laws in light of their particular circumstances.

Required Vote

        Approval of the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. For purposes of this vote, an abstention or a failure to vote will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal.

        Approval of the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal is not a condition to consummation of the Merger.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal.

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COUSINS PROPOSAL 3: THE COUSINS AUTHORIZED SHARE COUNT PROPOSAL

        Cousins proposes to amend the Cousins Articles, which will be the articles of incorporation of Cousins, effective at the effective time of the Merger, in the form attached as Annex E to this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        There are currently 700,000,000 authorized shares of Cousins common stock. If this proposed amendment is approved by the Cousins stockholders, upon the effective date of the amendment, the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock will be increased to 1,200,000,000 shares of Cousins common stock (or 300,000,000 shares of Cousins common stock if the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal is approved by the Cousins stockholders). For more information on the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, see "Cousins Proposal 2: The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal."

General

        Paragraph A. to Article 4 of the Cousins Articles authorizes Cousins to issue 700,000,000 shares of Cousins common stock. This authorization was established pursuant to an amendment to the Cousins Articles, which became effective on October 6, 2016. As of the close of business on                        , 2019, there were             shares of Cousins common stock issued and outstanding.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that paragraph A. to Article 4 be amended to increase the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock to 1,200,000,000 shares of Cousins common stock (or 300,000,000 shares of Cousins common stock if the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal is approved by the Cousins stockholders).

        The increase to the authorized share count, if approved by the Cousins stockholders, would become effective upon the filing of Articles of Amendment to the Cousins Articles with the Secretary of State of the State of Georgia. The exact timing of the filing of the Articles of Amendment that will effect the increase to the authorized share count will be determined by the Cousins board of directors based on its evaluation as to when such action will be the most advantageous to Cousins and Cousins stockholders. If the Merger is effectuated, it is expected that the increase to the authorized share count would become effective following the effective time of the Merger.

        Currently, the Cousins Articles authorizes us to issue up to 7,335,000 shares of Cousins preferred stock; under this proposal, no changes will be made to the number of shares of Cousins preferred stock authorized for issuance.

Reasons for the Authorized Share Count Proposal

        Given the limited number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock that we expect will be available for future issuance under the Cousins Articles after giving effect to the issuance of Cousins common stock in connection with the Merger, we believe that an increase in the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock is critical to ensure that a sufficient number of shares are available for future issuance if and when the Cousins board of directors deems it to be in Cousins' and our stockholders' best interests.

        Capital Raising Transactions.    An increase in the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock will provide us with greater flexibility to issue additional shares in capital-raising transactions, which Cousins has completed historically to reduce outstanding indebtedness, fund property or strategic acquisitions or development of properties, fund other opportunistic investments and for general corporate purposes. If Cousins is unable to rapidly issue additional shares of Cousins common stock, or securities convertible into Cousins common stock, (i) it may have difficulty raising funds to complete future investments or meet obligations and commitments as they mature (depending on its access to other sources of capital), and/or (ii) it may be forced to limit future investments or alter its capitalization structure and increase leverage in order to finance future investments and obligations.

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        Align Authorized Share Capacity with Market Practice.    If the Merger is consummated but the Authorized Share Count Proposal is not approved, the number of outstanding shares of our common stock as a percentage of authorized shares will be one of the highest of any company in the office REIT sector. Accordingly, approval of the Authorized Share Count Proposal will better align Cousins with market practice in our peer group.

        Equity Incentives.    Cousins has issued equity awards denominated in shares of Cousins common stock under its equity incentive plans, and, subject to stockholder approval, intends to issue equity awards denominated in shares of Cousins common stock under the 2019 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan and may issue additional shares of Cousins common stock or equity awards under other equity plans in the future to compensate officers, employees, consultants and directors for Cousins' performance. Accordingly, an increased in the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock will improve Cousins' ability to provide equity incentives in order to attract and retain employees, officers and directors.

        Speed and Flexibility.    Without an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock, the number of remaining shares of Cousins common stock available for issuance may be insufficient to complete one or more of the above transactions if and when our board of directors deems it to be in the best interests of the stockholders to do so. An increased in Cousins' authorized share count will allow us to promptly consider and respond to future business opportunities as they arise, including in relation to offerings of Cousins common stock or acquisition opportunities, which generally are competitive and time-sensitive. Due to market, industry, and other factors, the delay involved in calling and holding a stockholders' meeting to approve an increase in authorized shares at the time a business opportunity presents itself may prevent us from timely pursuing that opportunity, or may adversely affect the economic or strategic value of that opportunity.

        Although there are no present agreements, plans, arrangements, commitments or understandings with respect to the issuance of additional shares of Cousins common stock other than in connection with the Merger, the newly authorized shares of Cousins common stock could be issued at such times and for such corporate purposes as the Cousins board of directors may deem advisable without further action by Cousins stockholders, except as may be required by applicable law, such as the rules of the New York Stock Exchange.

        For these reasons, the Cousins board of directors believes that the availability of additional shares is essential for Cousins to successfully pursue its business strategy and, therefore, the Cousins board of directors has unanimously determined it advisable and in the best interests of Cousins to amend the Cousins Articles to increase the authorized number of shares of Cousins common stock.

Other Considerations for the Authorized Share Count Proposal

        The additional authorized shares of Cousins common stock, if any when issued, would be part of the existing class of Cousins common stock and would have the same rights and privileges as the shares of Cousins common stock currently outstanding. Cousins stockholders do not have preemptive rights with respect to Cousins common stock issuances. Accordingly, any issuance of additional shares of Cousins common stock, other than on a pro-rata basis to all current stockholders, will reduce the current Cousins stockholders' percentage ownership interest in the total outstanding shares of Cousins common stock. The authorization and subsequent issuance of additional shares of Cousins common stock may, among other things, have a dilutive effect on earnings per share, FFO and FAD per share and on the equity and voting power of existing holders of Cousins common stock. The Cousins board of directors recognizes the potential dilutive impact issuing additional shares will have on the outstanding shares and believes that the proposed increase in the authorized shares of Cousins common stock strikes an appropriate balance between advancing its investment strategy and minimizing dilution.

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        The availability for issuance of additional shares of Cousins common stock could enable the Cousins board of directors to render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of Cousins. For example, by increasing the number of outstanding shares, the interest of the party attempting to gain control of Cousins could be diluted. Also, the additional shares could be used to render more difficult a merger or similar transaction. The Cousins board of directors is not aware of any attempt, or contemplated attempt, to obtain control of Cousins. The proposed increase in the number of authorized shares of Cousins common stock is not being presented with the intent that it be used to prevent or discourage an attempt to obtain control of Cousins. However, nothing would prevent the Cousins board of directors from taking any appropriate actions consistent with what the Cousins board of directors determines is in the best interests of Cousins. Further, in order for Cousins to maintain its qualification as a REIT, among other purposes, Cousins prohibits the ownership by any single person, of more than the ownership limit of 3.9% (by value) of the issued and outstanding shares of each of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock (unless such limitations are waived by the board of directors). Consequently, the approval of the proposed amendment should have little incremental effect in discouraging unsolicited takeover attempts.

No Dissenters' Rights

        Under Georgia law, stockholders will not be entitled to dissenters' rights of appraisal with respect to Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal.

Required Vote

        Approval of the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock, voting together as a single class, assuming a quorum is present. For purposes of this vote, an abstention or a failure to vote will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal.

        Approval of the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal is not a condition to consummation of the Merger.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal.

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COUSINS PROPOSAL 4: THE COUSINS ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

        Cousins stockholders are being asked to approve the adjournment of the Cousins special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the above proposals, if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve such proposals.

        If, at the Cousins special meeting, the number of shares of shares present or represented and voting in favor of the Cousins Issuance Proposal, the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal or the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal is insufficient to approve the corresponding proposal, Cousins may move to adjourn the Cousins special meeting in order to enable the Cousins board of directors to solicit additional proxies for approval of such proposals.

        Cousins is asking its stockholders to authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by the Cousins board of directors to vote in favor of granting discretionary authority to the proxy holders, and each of them individually, to adjourn the Cousins special meeting to another time and place for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies. If the Cousins stockholders approve this proposal, Cousins could adjourn the Cousins special meeting and any adjourned session of the Cousins special meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from Cousins stockholders who have previously voted.

Required Vote

        Approval of the Cousins Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of Cousins common stock represented, in person or by proxy, at the Cousins special meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal, whether or not a quorum is present.

        The Cousins board of directors unanimously recommends that Cousins stockholders vote "FOR" the Cousins Adjournment Proposal.

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THE TIER SPECIAL MEETING

Date, Time and Place

        The TIER special meeting will be held at                    , at                local time, on                    , 2019.

Purpose of the TIER Special Meeting

        At the TIER special meeting, TIER stockholders will be asked to consider and vote upon the following matters:

Recommendation of the TIER Board of Directors

        The TIER board of directors unanimously has determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, are advisable and in the best interests of TIER and its stockholders and has unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that holders of TIER common stock vote "FOR" the TIER Merger Proposal, "FOR" the TIER Compensation Proposal and "FOR" the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

TIER Record Date; Stock Entitled to Vote

        Only holders of record of TIER common stock at the close of business on                    , 2019, the record date for the TIER special meeting, will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the TIER special meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. Each share of TIER common stock is entitled to cast one vote on all matters that come before the TIER special meeting.

        On the record date, there were            shares of TIER common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the TIER special meeting.

        On the record date, approximately        % of the outstanding shares of TIER common stock were held by TIER directors and executive officers and their respective affiliates. TIER currently expects that the directors and executive officers of TIER will vote their shares in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal, although none has entered into any agreements obligating them to do so.

Quorum

        Stockholders who hold a majority of the total number of shares of TIER common stock issued and outstanding on the record date must be present in person or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum at the TIER special meeting. All shares of TIER common stock represented at the TIER special meeting, including abstentions and broker non-votes (shares held by a broker, bank or nominee that are represented at the special meeting, but with respect to which the broker, bank or nominee is not instructed by the beneficial owner of such shares to vote on the particular proposal), will be treated as present for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum at the TIER special meeting.

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Required Vote

        Approval of the TIER Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of TIER common stock. The approval of the TIER Compensation Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, assuming a quorum is present; however, the vote on the TIER Compensation Proposal is nonbinding and advisory only. The TIER Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, whether or not a quorum is present. Therefore, the votes cast "FOR" each of the TIER Compensation Proposal and the TIER Adjournment Proposal must exceed the votes cast "AGAINST" each such proposal. If a quorum is not present, the holders of a majority of TIER common stock present in person or by proxy at the TIER special meeting may adjourn the meeting.

        The approval of the TIER Merger Proposal is a condition to the completion of the Merger.

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

        If you are a TIER stockholder and fail to vote, fail to instruct your broker, bank or nominee to vote or abstain from voting, it will have the same effect as a vote against the TIER Merger Proposal, and will have no effect on the TIER Compensation Proposal, assuming a quorum is present, and the TIER Adjournment Proposal. If a quorum is not present, the holders of a majority of TIER common stock present in person or by proxy at the TIER special meeting may adjourn the meeting. Although abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present to organize the TIER special meeting, they will not be counted as cast for purposes of determining whether the requisite vote to approve any of such proposals has been obtained.

Shares Held in Street Name

        If you hold your shares in a stock brokerage account or if your shares are held by a bank or nominee (that is, in street name), you must provide the record holder of your shares with instructions on how to vote your shares. Please follow the voting instructions provided by your broker, bank or nominee. Please note that you may not vote shares held in street name by returning a proxy card directly to TIER or by voting in person at the TIER special meeting unless you provide a "legal proxy," which you must obtain from your broker, bank or nominee. Further, brokers, banks and nominees who hold shares of TIER common stock on behalf of their customers may not give a proxy to TIER to vote those shares without specific instructions from their customers.

        If you are a TIER stockholder and you do not instruct your broker, bank or nominee to vote, your broker, bank or nominee may not vote those shares, and it will have the effect as described above under "—Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes."

Voting of Proxies

        A proxy card is enclosed for your use. TIER requests that you sign the accompanying proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. You may also vote your shares by telephone or through the Internet. Information and applicable deadlines for voting by telephone or through the Internet are set forth on the enclosed proxy card. When the accompanying proxy is returned properly executed, the shares of TIER common stock represented by it will be voted at the TIER special meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof in accordance with the instructions contained in the proxy.

        If a proxy is signed and returned without an indication as to how the shares of TIER common stock represented by the proxy are to be voted with regard to a particular proposal, the shares of TIER common stock represented by the proxy will be voted in favor of each such proposal, as applicable. As

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of the date hereof, the management of TIER has no knowledge of any business that will be presented for consideration at the TIER special meeting and which would be required to be set forth in this joint proxy statement/prospectus other than the matters set forth in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders of TIER. In accordance with the Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of TIER, as amended (which we refer to as the "TIER Bylaws") and the MGCL, business transacted at the TIER special meeting will be limited to those matters set forth in such notice. Nonetheless, if any other matter is properly presented at the TIER special meeting for consideration, it is intended that the persons named in the enclosed proxy and acting thereunder will vote in accordance with their discretion on such matter.

        Your vote is important. Accordingly, please sign and return the enclosed proxy card whether or not you plan to attend the TIER special meeting in person.

Revocability of Proxies or Voting Instructions

        If you are a holder of record of shares of TIER common stock on the record date for the TIER special meeting, you have the power to revoke your proxy at any time before your proxy is voted at the TIER special meeting. You can revoke your proxy in one of three ways:

        Attending the TIER special meeting without voting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy. If your shares of TIER common stock are held by a bank, broker or nominee, you should follow the instructions provided by the bank, broker or nominee.

        If you choose either of the first two methods, your notice of revocation or your new proxy must be received by the corporate secretary of TIER at: Corporate Secretary, 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75225, no later than the beginning of the TIER special meeting. If you have voted your shares by telephone or through the Internet, you may revoke your prior telephone or Internet vote by recording a different vote using the telephone or Internet, or by signing and returning a proxy card dated as of a date that is later than your last telephone or Internet vote.

Solicitation of Proxies

        In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the cost of proxy solicitation for the TIER special meeting will be borne by TIER. In addition to the use of the mail, proxies may be solicited by officers and directors and regular employees of TIER, without additional remuneration, by personal interview, telephone, facsimile or otherwise. TIER will also request brokerage firms, nominees, custodians and fiduciaries to forward proxy materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record on the record date and will provide customary reimbursement to such firms for the cost of forwarding these materials. TIER has retained                to assist in its solicitation of proxies and has agreed to pay them a fee of $            , plus reasonable expenses, for these services.

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TIER PROPOSALS

TIER PROPOSAL 1: THE TIER MERGER PROPOSAL

        TIER is asking its stockholders to approve the Merger on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement. For a detailed discussion of the terms of the Merger Agreement, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement." As discussed in the section entitled "The Merger—TIER's Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the TIER Board of Directors," after careful consideration, the TIER board of directors, by a unanimous vote of all directors, approved the Merger Agreement and transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and declared the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, to be advisable and in the best interest of TIER and its stockholders.

        Approval of the TIER Merger Proposal is a condition to the closing of the Merger. If the TIER Merger Proposal is not approved, the Merger will not occur. For a detailed discussion of the terms and conditions of the Merger, see "The Merger—The Merger Agreement—Conditions to Completion of the Merger."

Required Vote

        Approval of the TIER Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of TIER common stock entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the Merger. For purposes of this vote, an abstention or a failure to vote will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the TIER Merger Proposal.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the TIER Merger Proposal.

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PROPOSAL 2: THE TIER COMPENSATION PROPOSAL

        TIER is providing its stockholders with the opportunity to vote, on a non-binding, advisory basis, to approve the agreements or understandings between TIER's named executive officers and TIER concerning compensation that is based on or otherwise relates to the Merger, as required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act and the applicable SEC rules issued thereunder, which were enacted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. This proposal, commonly known as the "say on golden parachute" vote, gives TIER stockholders the opportunity to vote on a non-binding, advisory basis on such agreements or understandings and the related compensation that will or may be paid to its named executive officers in connection with the Merger. This non-binding, advisory proposal relates only to already existing contractual obligations of TIER that may result in a payment or benefit to TIER's named executive officers in connection with, or following, the consummation of the Merger and does not relate to any new compensation or other arrangements that may be entered into between TIER's named executive officers and Cousins or any of its subsidiaries following the Merger.

        The compensation payments that TIER's named executive officers may be entitled to receive in connection with the Merger are summarized in the section entitled "The Merger—Interests of TIER Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger—Executive Compensation Payable in Connection with the Merger" beginning on page 84.

        The TIER board of directors encourages you to carefully review the compensation information disclosed in this joint proxy statement/prospectus, including in the description referenced above.

        The TIER board of directors is presenting this TIER Compensation Proposal, which gives TIER stockholders the opportunity to express their views on a non-binding, advisory basis on the "golden parachute" compensation by voting for or against (or abstaining with respect to) the following resolution:

        The vote on the TIER Compensation Proposal is a vote separate and apart from the vote on the TIER Merger Proposal and is not a condition to completion of the Merger. Accordingly, you may vote to adopt the Merger Agreement pursuant to the TIER Merger Proposal and vote not to approve the TIER Compensation Proposal and vice versa. This TIER Compensation Proposal is merely an advisory vote and will not be binding on TIER, Cousins, the TIER board of directors or the Cousins board of directors regardless of whether the Merger Agreement is adopted pursuant to the TIER Merger Proposal. Further, the underlying compensation agreements and understandings are contractual in nature and not, by their terms, subject to stockholder approval. Regardless of the outcome of the advisory vote, if the Merger is completed, TIER's named executive officers will be eligible to receive the Merger-related compensation payments and benefits, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable compensation agreements and understandings relating to those payments and benefits.

Required Vote

        Approval of the non-binding, TIER Compensation Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting interests of the TIER shares present, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal at the TIER special meeting. If you fail to submit a proxy and do not attend the TIER

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special meeting in person or if you do not provide your bank, broker or nominee with voting instructions on the TIER Compensation Proposal, it will have no effect on the TIER Compensation Proposal. For purposes of this vote, an abstention or a failure to vote will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the TIER Compensation Proposal.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the TIER Compensation Proposal.

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PROPOSAL 3: THE TIER ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

        TIER stockholders are being asked to approve the adjournment of the TIER special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal, if there are insufficient votes at the time of such adjournment to approve such proposal.

        If, at the TIER special meeting, the number of shares of TIER common stock present or represented and voting in favor of the TIER Merger Proposal is insufficient to approve such proposal, TIER may move to adjourn the TIER special meeting in order to enable the TIER board of directors to solicit additional proxies for approval of the TIER Merger Proposal.

        TIER is asking its common stockholders to authorize the holder of any proxy solicited by the TIER board of directors to vote in favor of granting discretionary authority to the proxy holders, and each of them individually, to adjourn the TIER special meeting to another time and place for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies. If the TIER stockholders approve this proposal, TIER could adjourn the TIER special meeting and any adjourned session of the TIER special meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from TIER stockholders who have previously voted.

Required Vote

        Approval of the TIER Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by holders of TIER common stock, whether or not a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present, the holders of TIER common stock entitled to vote at the TIER special meeting, present in person or by proxy, may adjourn the meeting.

        The TIER board of directors unanimously recommends that TIER stockholders vote "FOR" the TIER Adjournment Proposal.

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

        On March 25, 2019, Cousins Properties Incorporated ("Cousins"), Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation ("Merger Sub"), and TIER REIT, Inc. ("TIER"), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, TIER will be merged with and into Merger Sub (the "Merger"), with Merger Sub continuing as the surviving corporation of the Merger and a wholly owned subsidiary of Cousins.

        Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, each share of TIER common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the Merger, will be converted into the right to receive 2.98 (the "Exchange Ratio") shares of newly issued shares of Cousins' common stock.

        The Merger Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated in the Merger Agreement were unanimously approved by the respective board of directors of Cousins and TIER on March 25, 2019.

        The following unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been prepared (i) as if the Merger occurred on December 31, 2018 for purposes of the unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet, and (ii) as if the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018 for purposes of the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018. Per share financial information does not give effect to the reverse stock split contemplated by the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal.

        The preliminary fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and related adjustments for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed related to the Merger incorporated into the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements are based on preliminary estimates and information currently available. The amount of the equity to be issued in connection with the Merger and the assignment of fair value to assets and liabilities of TIER have not been finalized and are subject to change. The amount of the equity to be issued in connection with the Merger will be based on the number of TIER shares outstanding prior to the effective date of the Merger converted pursuant to the Exchange Ratio, and the fair value of the assets and liabilities assumed will be based on the actual net tangible and intangible assets and liabilities of TIER that exist on the effective date of the Merger.

        Actual amounts recorded in connection with the Merger may change based on any increases or decreases in the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed upon the completion of the final valuation and may result in variances to the amounts presented in the unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet and/or unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations. Assumptions and estimates underlying the adjustments to the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements are described in the accompanying notes. These adjustments are based on available information and assumptions that management of Cousins considered to be reasonable. The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements do not purport to: (1) represent Cousins' actual financial position had the Merger occurred on December 31, 2018; (2) represent the results of Cousins' operations that would have actually occurred had the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018; or (3) project Cousins' financial position or results of operations as of any future date or for any future period, as applicable.

        During the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, TIER acquired and disposed of various real estate operating properties. None of the assets acquired or disposed by the respective companies during this period exceeded the significance level that requires the presentation of pro forma financial information pursuant to Regulation S-X, Article 11. As such, the following unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 do not include pro forma adjustments to present the impact of these insignificant acquisitions and dispositions as if they occurred on January 1, 2018. The impact of these insignificant acquisitions and dispositions are

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reflected in TIER's historical consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018. Subsequent to December 31, 2018, TIER disposed of one real estate operating property for gross proceeds of $78.4 million. The unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations does not include the impact of this disposition as if it occurred on January 1, 2018, and the pro forma balance sheet does not include adjustments to assume that this disposition occurred on December 31, 2018.

        The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements have been developed from, and should be read in conjunction with, the consolidated financial statements of Cousins and accompanying notes thereto included in Cousins' annual report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, incorporated herein by reference, the consolidated financial statements of TIER and accompanying notes thereto included in TIER's annual report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, incorporated herein by reference, and the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial statements. In Cousins' opinion, all adjustments necessary to reflect the Merger with TIER and the issuance of Cousins' shares have been made.

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COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018
(in thousands)

 
  Cousins
Historical(1)
  TIER
Historical(1)
  Merger
Adjustments
   
  Cousins
Pro Forma
 

Assets:

                             

Real estate assets:

                             

Operating properties, net of accumulated depreciation

  $ 3,603,011   $ 1,358,592   $ 589,642   A   $ 5,551,245  

Projects under development

    24,217     49,084     133,538   A     206,839  

Land

    72,563     25,905     36,983   A     135,451  

    3,699,791     1,433,581     760,163         5,893,535  

Cash and cash equivalents

    2,547     30,741             33,288  

Restricted cash

    148     6,141             6,289  

Notes and accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts

    13,821     13,117             26,938  

Deferred rents receivable

    83,116     49,203     (46,820 ) B     85,499  

Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures

    161,907     32,746     38,248   C     232,901  

Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization

    145,883     22,100     117,481   A     285,464  

Other assets

    39,083     29,922     (10,507 ) D     58,498  

Total assets

  $ 4,146,296   $ 1,617,551   $ 858,565       $ 6,622,412  

Liabilities:

                             

Notes payable

  $ 1,062,570   $ 714,755   $ 3,330   E   $ 1,780,655  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses          

    110,159     91,548     77,500   F     279,207  

Deferred income

    41,266     6,005     (6,005 ) G     41,266  

Intangible liabilities, net of accumulated amortization

    56,941     22,651     17,084   A     96,676  

Other liabilities

    54,204     5,111     (4,339 ) H     54,976  

Total liabilities

    1,325,140     840,070     87,570         2,252,780  

Equity:

                             

Stockholders' investment:

                             

Preferred stock

    6,867                 6,867  

Common stock

    430,725     5     167,265   I     597,995  

Additional paid-in capital

    3,606,191     2,749,106     (1,300,548 ) I     5,054,749  

Treasury stock

    (148,473 )               (148,473 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income          

        3,409     (3,409 ) J      

Distributions in excess of cumulative net income

    (1,129,445 )   (1,977,969 )   1,900,469   K     (1,206,945 )

Total stockholders' investment

    2,765,865     774,551     763,777         4,304,193  

Nonredeemable noncontrolling interests          

    55,291     2,930     7,218   L     65,439  

Total equity

    2,821,156     777,481     770,995         4,369,632  

Total liabilities and equity

  $ 4,146,296   $ 1,617,551   $ 858,565       $ 6,622,412  

See accompanying notes


(1)
Historical financial information of Cousins and TIER is derived from their respective Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Certain TIER amounts have been reclassified to conform to Cousins' financial statement presentation.

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COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018
(in thousands, except per share data)

 
  Cousins
Historical(1)
  TIER
Historical(1)
  Merger
Adjustments
   
  Cousins
Pro Forma
 

Revenues:

                             

Rental property revenues

  $ 461,853   $ 216,826   $ 2,940   a   $ 681,619  

Fee income

    10,089     206             10,295  

Other

    3,270     2,435             5,705  

    475,212     219,467     2,940         697,619  

Expenses:

                             

Rental property operating expenses          

    164,678     87,694             252,372  

Reimbursed expenses

    3,782                 3,782  

General and administrative expenses

    22,040     21,951       b     43,991  

Interest expense

    39,430     29,371     (4,616 ) c     64,185  

Impairment losses

        41,564             41,564  

Depreciation and amortization

    181,382     101,036     15,246   d     297,664  

Acquisition and related costs

    248                 248  

Other

    556     3,834             4,390  

    412,116     285,450     10,630         708,196  

Gain on extinguishment of debt

    8     22,018             22,026  

Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes, unconsolidated joint ventures, and sale of investment properties

    63,104     (43,965 )   (7,690 )       11,449  

Income (loss) from unconsolidated joint ventures

    12,224     718     (613 ) e     12,329  

Income (loss) from continuing operations before gain on sale of investment properties

    75,328     (43,247 )   (8,303 )       23,778  

Gain on sale of investment properties and remeasurement in unconsolidated entities

    5,437     37,918             43,355  

Net income (loss)

    80,765     (5,329 )   (8,303 )       67,133  

Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests

    (1,601 )   308     (152 ) f     (1,445 )

Net income (loss) available to common stockholders

  $ 79,164   $ (5,021 ) $ (8,455 )     $ 65,688  

Per common share information—basic and diluted:

                             

Net income (loss) available to common stockholders

  $ 0.19   $ (0.10 )           $ 0.11  

Weighted average shares—basic          

    420,305     50,234         g     587,575  

Weighted average shares—diluted

    427,473     50,234         g     594,743  

Comprehensive income (loss):

                             

Net income (loss)

  $ 80,765   $ (5,329 ) $ (8,303 )     $ 67,133  

Other comprehensive income (loss)          

        (1,634 )   1,634   h      

Comprehensive income (loss)

    80,765     (6,963 )   (6,669 )       67,133  

Comprehensive (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests

    (1,601 )   308     (152 )       (1,445 )

Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

  $ 79,164   $ (6,655 ) $ (6,821 )     $ 65,688  

See accompanying notes


(1)
Historical financial information of Cousins and TIER is derived from their respective Annual Reports filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Certain TIER amounts have been reclassified to conform to Cousins' financial statement presentation.

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COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in thousands unless otherwise noted)

Adjustments to the Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Balance Sheet

        The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 reflects the following adjustments:

A.    Real Estate Tangible and Intangible Assets and Liabilities

        The real estate assets acquired in connection with the Merger are reflected in the unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet of Cousins at a preliminary fair market value. The preliminary fair market value is based, in part, on a valuation prepared by Cousins with assistance of a third party valuation advisor. The acquired assets and assumed liabilities for an acquired operating property generally include, but are not limited to: land, buildings and improvements, identified tangible and intangible assets and liabilities associated with in-place leases, including tenant improvements, leasing costs, value of above-market and below-market leases, and value of acquired in-place leases.

        The adjustments reflected in the unaudited consolidated balance sheet for real estate assets, intangible assets and intangible liabilities represent the differences between the preliminary fair market value of consolidated properties acquired by Cousins in connection with the Merger and TIER's historical balances, which are presented as follows (in thousands):

 
  TIER Consolidated Properties as of
December 31, 2018
 
 
  Fair Market
Value
  TIER
Historical
  Adjustments as a
Result of Merger
 

Operating properties

  $ 1,948,234   $ 1,358,592   $ 589,642  

Projects under development

    182,622     49,084     133,538  

Land

    62,888     25,905     36,983  

Real estate assets

    2,193,744     1,433,581     760,163  

Intangible assets, net

    139,581     22,100     117,481  

Intangible liabilities, net

    (39,735 )   (22,651 )   (17,084 )

Total

  $ 2,293,590   $ 1,433,030   $ 860,560  

        Fair value is based on estimated cash flow projections that utilize available market information and discount and/or capitalization rates as appropriate. The fair value of land is derived from comparable sales of land within the same submarket and/or region. The fair value of buildings, tenant improvements, and leasing costs are based upon current market replacement costs and other relevant market rate information. The fair value of the above-market or below-market component of an acquired in-place lease is based upon the present value (calculated using a market discount rate) of the difference between (i) the contractual rents to be paid pursuant to the lease over its remaining term and (ii) management's estimate of the rents that would be paid using fair market rental rates and rent escalations at the date of acquisition over the remaining term of the lease. The fair value of acquired in-place leases is derived based on assessment of lost revenue and costs incurred for the period required to lease the "assumed vacant" property to the occupancy level when purchased. This fair value is based on a variety of considerations including, but not necessarily limited to: (1) the value associated with avoiding the cost of originating the acquired in-place leases; (2) the value associated with lost revenue related to tenant reimbursable operating costs estimated to be incurred during the assumed lease-up period; and (3) the value associated with lost rental revenue from existing leases during the assumed lease-up period.

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B.    Deferred Rents Receivable

        Straight-lining of rent pursuant to the underlying leases associated with the real estate acquired in connection with the Merger will commence at the effective date of the Merger; therefore, the balance of deferred rent associated with the operating properties that will be acquired in connection with the Merger included on TIER's historical balance sheet has been eliminated. The deferred rent associated with one TIER property that was sold subsequent to December 31, 2018, and is included in these pro forma financial statements at historical cost, has not been eliminated.

C.    Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures

        Represents the difference between the preliminary fair market value of TIER's investments in unconsolidated joint ventures and TIER's historical cost as of December 31, 2018. See note A. above for more information on preliminary fair market values of properties acquired in the Merger.

D.    Other Assets

        Represents the elimination of the fair value of TIER's interest rate swaps and unamortized deferred financing costs related to TIER's credit facility (the "TIER Credit Facility") that were recorded in other assets on the TIER historical balance sheet. These swaps and the TIER Credit Facility will be terminated on the effective date of the Merger.

E.    Notes Payable

        At the effective time of the Merger, the TIER Credit Facility will be terminated and amounts outstanding under the TIER Credit Facility will be repaid with borrowings under Cousins $1 billion credit facility (the "Cousins Credit Facility"). Cousins will also assume one TIER mortgage loan at the effective time of the Merger. At December 31, 2018, TIER had an additional mortgage loan that was repaid in 2019.

        As outlined below the pro forma adjustments to Notes Payable include the termination of the TIER Credit Facility and repayment of amounts outstanding with proceeds from the Cousins Credit Facility and the effect of recording the TIER mortgage loan that will be assumed in the Merger at fair value. No adjustment has been made to fair value of the TIER mortgage loan that was repaid in 2019 since this loan will not be assumed by Cousins in the Merger (in thousands):

Cousins Credit Facility

  $ 575,000  

Repayment of TIER indebtedness

    (575,000 )

Above-market debt value

    2,574  

Write-off of TIER Credit Facilities deferred financing costs

    756  

Total

  $ 3,330  

F.     Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses

        Represents non-recurring transaction costs to be paid by Cousins and TIER directly attributable to the Merger. These transaction costs, consisting primarily of fees for investment bankers, legal, accounting, tax and other professional services, are factually supportable because such amounts are based on reliable, documented evidence such as invoices for costs incurred to date and estimates from third-parties for additional costs expected to be incurred until the Merger. Such costs are non-recurring in nature directly related to the Merger and, therefore, are reflected as a reduction to equity and not included in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations.

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G.    Deferred Income

        Represents the elimination of TIER's historical balance of Deferred Income as this amount relates to leases which were recorded at fair value as discussed in note A.

H.    Other Liabilities

        Represents elimination of the fair value of TIER's interest rate swaps that were recorded in Other Liabilities on the TIER historical balance sheet. These swaps will be terminated at the effective date of the Merger.

I.     Common Stock and Additional Paid-in Capital

        Represents adjustments to common stock and additional paid-in capital as a result of the issuance of shares of Cousins' common stock at the market value of $9.66 per share (closing price as of March 31, 2019) at a conversion ratio of 2.98 to 1.0, to holders of TIER common stock at the effective date of the Merger. These amounts will be adjusted at the effective date of the Merger to reflect the number of TIER shares then issued and outstanding and the then per share market value of Cousins common stock. The market value of the consideration is calculated as follows (amounts in thousands, except Exchange Ratio and per share amounts):

Outstanding shares of TIER common stock—at March 31, 2019

    55,299  

TIER equity-based awards converted to TIER common stock

    832  

Outstanding shares of TIER common stock

    56,131  

Exchange ratio

    2.98  

Shares of Cousins common stock to be issued—pro forma basis

    167,270  

Market Value of Cousins Stock at March 31, 2019

  $ 9.66  

Total Purchase Price

  $ 1,615,828  

        The following table presents the changes to the value of the stock consideration and the preliminary purchase price based on a 10% increase and decrease in the per share price of Cousins common stock (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 
  Price of
Cousins Stock
  Cousins
Shares Issued
  Value of
Consideration
 

As of March 31, 2019

  $ 9.66     167,270     1,615,828  

Decrease of 10%

  $ 8.69     167,270     1,453,576  

Increase of 10%

  $ 10.63     167,270     1,778,080  

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        Adjustments to common stock and additional paid-in capital based on Cousins shares assumed to be issued at a per share value of $9.66 are as follows:

Common Stock:

       

Shares of Cousins common stock to be issued

    167,270  

Cousins par value per share

  $ 1.00  

Par value of Cousins common stock to be issued

  $ 167,270  

Par value of TIER common stock—historical basis

    (5 )

Pro forma adjustment

  $ 167,265  

Additional Paid-in Capital:

   
 
 

Equity value of shares to be issued

  $ 1,615,828  

Less: Par value of Cousins common stock to be issued

    (167,270 )

    1,448,558  

TIER additional paid-in capital—historical basis

    (2,749,106 )

Pro forma adjustment

  $ (1,300,548 )

J.     Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

        Accumulated other comprehensive income included on TIER's historical balance sheet represents the effect of their interest rate swaps. As discussed in note H. above, Cousins will terminate TIER's interest rate swaps on the effective date of the Merger.

K.    Distributions in Excess of Cumulative Net Income

        Represents elimination of TIER's Accumulated Deficit of $2.0 billion as of December 31, 2018 and an adjustment of $77.5 million to increase distributions in excess of cumulative net income for non-recurring transaction costs directly attributable to the Merger that have not yet been expensed in the historical statements of operations or accrued in the historical balance sheets used as the starting point for the pro forma financial statements (see note F. above for related information).

L.    Nonredeemable Noncontrolling Interests

        Represents adjustments to noncontrolling interests as a result of marking properties held by consolidated joint ventures to preliminary fair market value.

Adjustments to the Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2018

        The historical amounts include Cousins' and TIER's actual operating results for the periods presented, and as filed with the SEC on their Form 10-K, incorporated herein by reference. The pro forma adjustments to historical amounts are presented in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 assuming the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018. The following are the explanations for the adjustments to revenues, costs and expenses, and income from unconsolidated joint ventures included in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018:

a.     Rental Property Revenues

        The historical rental property revenues for Cousins and TIER represent contractual, straight-line rents and amortization of above and below-market rents associated with the leases in effect during the periods presented. The adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of

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operations are presented to adjust contractual rental property revenue to a straight-line basis and to amortize above and below-market rents in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805-10, Business Combinations, as if the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2018.

        The following table summarizes the adjustments made to rental property revenues for the real estate properties acquired as part of the Merger for the year ended December 31, 2018 (in thousands):

Adjustment to straight-line rent

  $ 5,038  

(Above)/below market rent

    (2,098 )

Pro forma adjustment

  $ 2,940  

b.     General and Administrative Expenses

        Cousins anticipates that it will experience cost savings as certain duplicative general and administrative expenses will not be incurred subsequent to the Merger. These duplicative general and administrative expenses include, but are not limited to, compensation and employee related expense, accounting and other professional fees, board of director fees, professional liability insurance premiums, and other office related expenses. Since these savings are not currently factually supportable, no adjustments to historical general and administrative expenses have been included.

c.     Interest Expense

        The adjustments to interest expense related to the Merger represent (1) the repayment of the TIER Credit Facility (Term Loans and Revolver) with proceeds from the Cousins Credit Facility, (2) the elimination of the impact of TIER's interest rate swaps (for more information, see notes D. and H. above), and (3) amortization of above-market debt values created by marking the assumed TIER debt to fair market value (for more information, see note E. above). The interest rate used to calculate pro forma interest expense on the additional borrowings under the Cousins Credit Facility were calculated based on London Inter-Bank Offered Rate plus a spread of 1.05%, consistent with terms under the Cousins Credit Facility during 2018.

        The following table summarizes the adjustments to the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 to reflect the debt activity outlined above (in thousands):

Pro forma interest on Cousins Credit Facility from:

       

$575 from TIER Term Loan

  $ 17,723  

Balances from TIER Revolver

    917  

Pro forma interest expense savings on Cousins' repayment of:

       

$575 TIER Term Loans

    (21,008 )

TIER Revolver

    (1,807 )

Pro forma elimination of interest rate swap interest expense

    1,349  

Pro forma elimination of amortization of deferred financing costs related to:

       

$575 TIER Term Loans

    (229 )

TIER Revolver

    (917 )

Pro forma amortization of above-market debt

    (644 )

Decrease in interest expense

  $ (4,616 )

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d.     Depreciation and Amortization Expense

        Depreciation and amortization is adjusted to remove the historical depreciation and amortization of TIER and to recognize depreciation and amortization of the TIER assets acquired in the Merger, assuming the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018, based on an estimate of the preliminary market value of each property and an estimate of the allocation of the market value to the components of operating properties. The general range of useful lives for buildings is 31 to 40 years; the general range of useful lives for site improvements is seven to 16 years; and the general range of remaining contractual, in-place lease terms was three to nine years.

        The following table summarizes pro forma depreciation and amortization by asset category for the properties acquired in the Merger that would have been recorded for year ended December 31, 2018 less the reversal of depreciation and amortization included in TIER's historical financial statements (in thousands):

Buildings

  $ 84,267  

In-place leases

    32,015  

Less: TIER Historical Depreciation and Amortization

    (101,036 )

Pro forma adjustment

  $ 15,246  

e.     Income from Unconsolidated Joint Ventures

        Represents adjustments to contractual rental property revenues of properties owned by unconsolidated joint ventures to a straight-line basis as if the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2018.

f.      Net Income and Comprehensive Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests

        Represents share of pro forma adjustments to net income and comprehensive loss allocable to noncontrolling interests.

g.     Weighted-Average Shares

        The following table summarizes the pro forma weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding for the year ended December 31, 2018 as if the Merger occurred on January 1, 2018 (see note I. above) (in thousands):

Cousins weighted average common shares outstanding, basic—historical basis

    420,305  

Shares of common stock issued to TIER stockholders—pro forma basis

    167,270  

Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic—pro forma basis

    587,575  

Cousins potential dilutive common shares, stock options—historical basis

    194  

Cousins weighted average units of CPLP, convertible to common shares—historical basis

    6,974  

Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted—pro forma basis

    594,743  

h.     Other Comprehensive Income

        Other comprehensive income included on TIER's historical consolidated statement of operations represents the effect of TIER's interest rate swaps, which will be terminated at the effective time of the Merger (see notes D. and H. above). The adjustments in the unaudited pro forma consolidated statement of operations represent the elimination of the effect of the interest rate swaps.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

        The following summary of the terms of Cousins capital stock is not complete and is qualified by reference to the Cousins Articles and the Cousins Bylaws. You should read these documents for complete information on Cousins capital stock. The Cousins Articles and the Cousins Bylaws are incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. Cousins files instruments that define the rights of holders of its capital stock as exhibits to its annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Also, from time to time Cousins might file an amendment to these documents or a new instrument that defines the rights of holders of its capital stock as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. For more information, see "Where You Can Find More Information."

Shares Authorized

        Cousins is currently authorized under the Cousins Articles to issue an aggregate of 720 million shares of capital stock, consisting of 700 million shares of Cousins common stock and 20 million shares of Cousins preferred stock.

Shares Outstanding

        As of                    , 2019, the record date, there were:

        All outstanding shares of Cousins common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

        Following the Merger, it is expected that there will be:

Cousins Common Stock

        Shares of Cousins common stock have no preemptive rights.

        Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of Cousins common stock are entitled to dividends when, as and if authorized by the Cousins board of directors and declared by Cousins out of funds legally available for that purpose.

        Holders of Cousins common stock are entitled to one vote per share on each matter submitted for their vote at any meeting of Cousins stockholders for each share of Cousins common stock held as of

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the record date for the meeting. Holders of Cousins common stock are not permitted to cumulate their votes for the election of directors. The Cousins board of directors is not classified.

        Currently, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the then outstanding shares of Cousins common stock is required to approve certain extraordinary actions, including any merger or consolidation of Cousins, any sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of Cousins, the adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of Cousins, any reclassification of the securities of Cousins or any recapitalization or reorganization of Cousins.

        In the event that Cousins is liquidated, dissolved or wound up, the holders of Cousins common stock will be entitled to a pro rata share in any distribution to Cousins stockholders, but only after satisfaction of all of the liabilities of Cousins and of the prior rights of any outstanding class or series of Cousins stock.

        Shares of Cousins common stock do not have the benefit of any retirement or sinking fund.

        Shares of Cousins common stock are traded on the NYSE under the symbol "CUZ." Following completion of the Merger, the shares of Cousins common stock will be traded on the NYSE under the symbol "CUZ."

        To help Cousins maintain its qualification as a REIT, among other purposes, the Cousins Articles provide that, subject to certain exceptions, no person may own in excess of 3.9% (by value) of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock. The Cousins board of directors may waive the ownership limits under certain circumstances. The Cousins Articles provide that shares of Cousins common stock or Cousins preferred stock acquired or held in excess of the ownership limit will be transferred to a trust for the benefit of the prior owner of such transferred shares, and that any person who acquires shares in violation of the ownership limit will not be entitled to any dividends on the shares or be entitled to vote the shares and shall be deemed offered for sale to Cousins or its designee at the lesser of the price at which they were transferred in violation of the ownership limit or the market price on the date Cousins chooses to accept such offer. A transfer of shares in violation of the limit may be void under certain circumstances.

Cousins Limited Voting Preferred Stock

        Each share of Cousins preferred stock is "paired" with a limited partnership unit of the Cousins OP. A share of Cousins preferred stock will be automatically redeemed by Cousins without consideration if such share's paired limited partnership unit is transferred to someone other than a permitted transferee, such share is transferred to any person separate and apart from its paired limited partnership unit, its paired limited partnership unit is transferred to any person separate and apart from the share of limited voting stock, such limited partnership unit is redeemed or such share is not otherwise paired with a limited partnership unit of the Cousins OP.

        Holders of shares of Cousins preferred stock are entitled to one vote on the following matters only: the election of directors; any proposed amendment, alteration or repeal of the Cousins Articles; any merger, consolidation, reorganization or other business combination; any sale, lease, exchange, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of Cousins' assets; and any

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liquidation of Cousins. Holders of Cousins preferred stock vote on such matters together with holders of Cousins common stock as a single class. Holders of shares of Cousins preferred stock are not entitled to any dividends or distributions, including in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up. Cousins preferred stock is not convertible into or exchangeable for any other property or securities of Cousins.

Antitakeover Provisions in the Cousins Articles and Bylaws

        Certain provisions of the Cousins Articles and the Cousins Bylaws could make it less likely that Cousins' management would be changed or someone would acquire voting control of Cousins without the consent of its board of directors. These provisions could delay, deter or prevent tender offers or takeover attempts that Cousins stockholders might believe are in their best interests, including tender offers or takeover attempts that could allow Cousins stockholders to receive premiums over the market price of their common stock.

        For Cousins to maintain its qualification as a REIT, not more than 50% of its outstanding stock may be owned, actually or constructively, by five or fewer individuals during the last half of any taxable year. Furthermore, the stock must be held by a minimum of 100 persons for at least 335 days of a 12-month taxable year (or a proportionate part of a short tax year). In addition, if Cousins actually or constructively owns 10% or more of one of the customers of Cousins (or a customer of any partnership in which the company is a partner), then the rent received by Cousins (either directly or through any such partnership) from that customer will not be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests of the Code.

        To help Cousins maintain its qualification as a REIT, among other purposes, Cousins prohibits the ownership by any single person, of more than the ownership limit of 3.9% (by value) of the issued and outstanding shares of each of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock (unless such limitations are waived by the board of directors). The Cousins Articles provide that shares acquired or held in violation of this ownership limit will be transferred to a trust for the benefit of the prior owner of such transferred shares. The Cousins Articles further provide that any person who acquires shares in violation of the ownership limit will not be entitled to any dividends on the shares or entitled to vote the shares and such shares shall be deemed offered for sale to Cousins or its designee at the lesser of the price at which they were transferred in violation of the ownership limit or the market price on the date Cousins chooses to accept such offer. A transfer of shares in violation of the above limits may be void under certain circumstances. The ownership limit may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control and, therefore, could adversely affect the Cousins' stockholders' ability to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price for the shares of Cousins common stock in connection with such transaction.

        At any time, without stockholder approval, the Cousins board of directors may issue one or more new series of preferred stock. In some cases, the issuance of preferred stock could discourage or make more difficult attempts to take control of Cousins through a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. Preferred stock with special voting rights or other features issued to persons favoring Cousins' management could stop a takeover by preventing the person trying to take control of Cousins from acquiring enough voting shares to take control.

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        Although Cousins does not have a stockholders' rights plan as of the date of this filing, under Georgia law, the Cousins board of directors may adopt a rights plan without stockholder approval. If adopted, a rights plan could operate to cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire Cousins on terms not approved by the Cousins board of directors.

        Currently, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the then outstanding shares of Cousins common stock is required to approve certain extraordinary actions, including any merger or consolidation of Cousins, any sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of Cousins, the adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of Cousins, any reclassification of the securities of Cousins or any recapitalization or reorganization of Cousins.

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COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF COUSINS STOCKHOLDERS
AND TIER STOCKHOLDERS

        If the Merger is consummated, common stockholders of TIER will become common stockholders of Cousins. The rights of TIER stockholders are currently governed by the MGCL and the TIER Ninth Articles of Amendment and Restatement, as amended and supplemented (which we refer to as the "TIER Articles") and TIER Bylaws. Upon consummation of the Merger, the rights of legacy TIER common stockholders who receive shares of Cousins common stock will be governed by the GBCC and the Cousins Articles and Cousins Bylaws, rather than the MGCL and the TIER Articles and the TIER Bylaws.

        The following is a summary of the material differences between the rights of Cousins stockholders and TIER stockholders, but does not purport to be a complete description of those differences or a complete description of the terms of the Cousins common stock subject to issuance in connection with the Merger. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the relevant provisions of (i) the MGCL, (ii) the GBCC, (iii) the Cousins Articles (iv) the TIER Articles, (v) the Cousins Bylaws, (vi) the TIER Bylaws and (vii) the proposed amendments to the Cousins Articles as described in the sections titled "Cousins Proposal 2: The Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal" and "Cousins Proposal 3: The Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal."

        This section does not include a complete description of all differences between the rights of Cousins common stockholders and TIER common stockholders, nor does it include a complete description of the specific rights of such holders. Furthermore, the identification of some of the differences in the rights of such holders as material is not intended to indicate that other differences that may be equally important do not exist. You are urged to read carefully the relevant provisions of Maryland and Georgia law, as well as the governing corporate instruments of each of Cousins and TIER, copies of which are available, without charge, to any person, including any beneficial owner to whom this joint proxy statement/prospectus is delivered, by following the instructions listed under "Where You Can Find More Information."

 
  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Corporate Governance   Cousins is a Georgia corporation that has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The rights of Cousins stockholders are governed by the GBCC, the Cousins Articles and the Cousins Bylaws.
  TIER is a Maryland corporation that has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The rights of TIER stockholders are governed by the MGCL, the TIER Articles and the TIER Bylaws.

Authorized Capital Stock or Shares of Beneficial Interest

 

Cousins is authorized to issue an aggregate of 720,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (1) 700,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $1 per share and (2) 20 million shares of preferred stock, par value $1 per share.

 

TIER is authorized to issue an aggregate of 400,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (1) 382,499,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, (2) 1,000 shares of non-participating, non-voting, convertible stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and (3) 17,500,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
    As of the record date, there were issued and outstanding            shares of Cousins common stock and            shares of Cousins preferred stock.

Upon closing of the Merger, if the Cousins stockholders approve the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the number of shares of Cousins common stock issued and outstanding will be decreased by a ratio of one-for-four, with a corresponding reduction in the Cousins common stock authorized share count. If the Cousins stockholders approve the Cousins Authorized Share Count Proposal, the Cousins common stock authorized share count will be increased to 300 million shares of Cousins common stock, if the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal is adopted, or to 1.2 billion shares of Cousins common stock, if the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal is not adopted. If the Cousins stockholders approve only the Cousins Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Cousins common stock authorized share count will be 175 million shares of Cousins common stock.
  As of the record date, there were            shares of TIER common stock and no shares of TIER preferred stock issued and outstanding.

Subject to any preferential rights in favor of any class of preferred stock, the TIER Articles authorize the TIER board of directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire board of directors and without any action by TIER stockholders, to amend the TIER Articles to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of any class or series of TIER stock.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
    Preferred Stock.    The Cousins board of directors is authorized, without stockholder action, to issue preferred stock from time to time and to establish, amongst other things, the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional, conversion or other rights and qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof; the rates and times of payment of dividends, the price and the manner of redemption; the amount payable in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up or in the event of any merger or consolidation of or sale of assets; the rights (if any) to convert the preferred stock into, and/or to purchase, stock of any other class or series; the terms of any sinking fund or redemption or purchase account (if any) to be provided for shares of such class of preferred stock; restrictions on ownership and transfer to preserve tax benefits; and the voting powers (if any) of the holders of any class of preferred stock generally or with respect to any particular matter, which may be less than, equal to or greater than one vote per share.   Preferred Stock.    The TIER board of directors is authorized to cause TIER to issue preferred stock from time to time into one or more classes or series of equity stock.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders

Voting Rights

  Each holder of Cousins common stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters upon which stockholders are entitled to vote.

If a quorum exists, action on a matter is approved if the votes cast favoring the action exceed the votes cast opposing the action, except for votes pertaining to:

a merger or consolidation of Cousins with or into any other corporation;

any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of Cousins;

the adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of Cousins; or

any reclassification of securities of Cousins or recapitalization or reorganization of Cousins

which require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the then-outstanding shares of Cousins common stock.

Holders of Cousins preferred stock are entitled to one vote per share on the following matters: the election of directors; any proposed amendment of the Cousins Articles; any merger, consolidation or other similar business combination of Cousins with or into another corporation, trust or entity; any sale of all or substantially all of Cousins' assets; and any liquidation of Cousins. With respect to any matter on which Cousins preferred stock is entitled to vote, Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock shall vote together as a voting group, except if otherwise required by the GBCC.

 

Each holder of TIER common stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters upon which stockholders are entitled to vote.

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge, convert, consolidate, sell all or substantially all of its assets or engage in a statutory share exchange unless declared advisable by its board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation's charter. The TIER Articles provide for approval of any of these matters by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matters. Maryland law also permits a Maryland corporation to transfer all or substantially all of its assets without the approval of the stockholders of the corporation to an entity if all of the equity interests of the entity are owned, directly or indirectly, by the corporation. Because substantially all of TIER's assets are held by Tier OP or its subsidiaries, these subsidiaries may be able to merge or transfer all or substantially all of their assets without the approval of TIER stockholders.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Cumulative Voting   Holders of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock do not have the right to cumulate their votes with respect to the election of directors.   Holders of TIER common stock and preferred stock do not have the right to cumulate their votes with respect to the election of directors.

Size of the Board of Directors

 

The number of directors, which must be between three and 12, may be changed by the Cousins board of directors or stockholders. Currently, the Cousins board of directors consists of nine directors.

Upon closing of the Merger, the Cousins board of directors will be increased to 11 directors in accordance with the Merger Agreement.

 

The TIER Articles provide that the number of directors will be set only by the board of directors in accordance with the TIER Bylaws. The TIER Bylaws provide that a majority of the entire TIER board of directors may at any time increase or decrease the number of directors. However, the number of directors may never be less than the minimum number required by the MGCL, which is one.

Currently, the TIER board of directors consists of six directors.

Independent Directors

 

At least a majority of the Cousins board of directors must be independent directors.

 

At least a majority of the TIER board of directors must be independent directors.

Classified Board / Term of Directors

 

The Cousins board of directors is not classified. The directors of Cousins hold office for a term of one year and serve until their successors are elected and qualified.

 

The TIER board of directors is not classified. The directors of TIER hold office for a term of one year and serve until their successors are elected and qualified.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Removal of Directors   Under Section 14-2-808 of the GBCC, a director may be removed only at a meeting called for the purpose of removing him, and the meeting notice must state removal as a purpose. The entire board of directors or any individual director may be removed, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors.   The MGCL provides that stockholders may remove directors with or without cause unless the TIER Articles provide that directors may be removed only for cause. However, if a director is elected by a particular voting group, that director may only be removed by the requisite vote of that voting group.

The TIER Articles provide that, subject to the rights, if any, of holders of any class or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed only for cause, and then only by the affirmative vote of the shares entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. "Cause" is defined in the TIER Articles to mean conviction of a director of a felony or a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction holding that a director caused demonstrable, material harm to TIER through bad faith or active and deliberate dishonesty.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Election of Directors   The Cousins Bylaws provide that, in the case of a non-contested election, directors must receive a majority of votes cast for election at a meeting at which a quorum is present. For this purpose, a majority of the votes cast means that the number of shares voted "for" a director must exceed the number of shares voted "against" that director.

If a director fails to obtain a majority, he or she must tender his or her resignation to the Cousins board of directors. The Cousins board of directors will determine whether to accept the tendered resignation after considering the recommendation of the Compensation, Succession, Nominating and Governance Committee.
  Pursuant to the TIER Bylaws, directors are elected by a plurality of all of the votes cast in the election of directors.

Filling Vacancies of Directors

 

Any vacancies on the Cousins board of directors can be filled by the stockholders or by the Cousins board of directors, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum.

 

The TIER Articles and Bylaws provide that any and all vacancies on the TIER board of directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any individual elected to fill such vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which such vacancy occurred and until a successor is duly elected and qualifies.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Charter Amendments   Under Section 14-2-1003 of the GBCC, an amendment to the Cousins Articles generally requires a majority vote of the outstanding shares of each voting group entitled to vote to amend the Cousins Articles; however, the Cousins Articles require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of common stock to alter, amend or repeal Article Nine of the Cousins Articles (which article provides for a supermajority vote for certain extraordinary corporate actions).

The Cousins Articles grant the Cousins board of directors the authority to divide preferred stock into classes or series and to fix and determine the relative rights, preferences, qualifications, and limitations of shares of any class or series established pursuant to the articles of incorporation.
  The MGCL provides that the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all outstanding stock entitled to vote or of each class if more than one class is entitled to vote is required to amend a corporation's charter. However, the MGCL permits a corporation to reduce the voting requirement in its charter to allow for the approval of an amendment to the charter by no less than a majority of the shares outstanding and entitled to be cast.

Other than amendments to certain provisions of the TIER Articles described below and amendments permitted to be made without stockholder approval under Maryland law or by a specific provision in the TIER Articles, the TIER Articles may be amended only if such amendment is declared advisable by the TIER board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. The TIER board of directors, without stockholder approval, has the power under the TIER Articles to amend the TIER Articles from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that TIER is authorized to issue, to authorize TIER to issue authorized but unissued shares of TIER common stock or preferred stock and to classify and reclassify unissued shares of TIER common stock and preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Bylaw Amendments   Under Section 14-2-1020 of the GBCC, a corporation's stockholders may amend or repeal the corporation's bylaws or adopt new bylaws, even though the bylaws may also be amended or repealed by the board of directors, provided that unless the articles of incorporation provide otherwise, the stockholders may not amend (but may repeal) a bylaw adopted by the board of directors regarding cumulative or plurality voting regarding the election of directors.

The Cousins board of directors may alter, amend or repeal the Cousins Bylaws, or adopt new bylaws, but any bylaws so adopted may be altered, amended or repealed, and new bylaws adopted, by the vote of the holders of Cousins common stock, if the votes cast in favor of the action exceed the votes cast opposing the action. The holders of Cousins common stock may prescribe that any bylaw adopted by them shall not be altered, amended or repealed by the Cousins board of directors.
  The TIER board of directors may adopt, alter or repeal any provision of the TIER Bylaws and adopt new bylaws.

TIER stockholders may amend the TIER Bylaws by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of TIER common stock pursuant to a binding proposal properly submitted by any stockholder or group of up to 15 stockholders holding at least 3% of the outstanding shares of the common stock for at least one year. A stockholder proposal submitted may not, without the approval of the TIER board of directors, alter or repeal (1) Article XIII of the TIER Bylaws, which provides for indemnification of directors and officers, or (2) Article XIV of the TIER Bylaws, which addresses the amendment of the TIER Bylaws.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Vote on Merger, Consolidations or Sales of Substantially all Assets   Generally, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock is required to approve extraordinary actions, including a merger or similar business combination of Cousins with or into another corporation, trust or entity.

Holders of Cousins preferred stock are entitled to vote as a single class with Cousins common stock on mergers or other extraordinary corporate actions.
  The MGCL provides that a merger shall be approved by the stockholders of a corporation by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the merger. However, the MGCL permits a corporation in its charter to reduce the voting requirement to allow for the approval of a merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all of the corporation's assets by the affirmative vote of no less than a majority of the shares outstanding and entitled to be cast.

TIER generally may not merge with or into or consolidate with another company, sell all or substantially all of its assets or engage in a statutory share exchange or convert unless such transaction is declared advisable by the TIER board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Ownership Limitations   With certain exceptions, the actual, constructive or beneficial ownership by any person of more than 3.9% (in value) of the issued and outstanding shares of Cousins common stock and Cousins preferred stock is generally prohibited.

In the event of a purported transfer or other event that would, if effective, result in the ownership of shares in violation of the ownership limitation, that number of shares that would be owned by the transferee in excess of the ownership limitation will be deemed "excess shares." Excess shares are deemed to be held in trust by Cousins for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries named by the purported transferee to whom an interest in such excess shares may later be transferred, subject to certain conditions and exceptions. Excess shares do not have any voting rights and are not considered for the purpose of any stockholder vote or determining a quorum. No dividends or other distributions will be paid with respect to excess shares. Upon such transfer of an interest in the trust, the corresponding shares of excess stock in the trust will be automatically exchanged for an equal number of shares of equity stock of the same class as such stock had been prior to it becoming excess stock and will be transferred of record to the designated beneficiary.

The Cousins board of directors in its discretion may exempt a person from the ownership limit upon receipt of a ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel or other evidence satisfactory to the Cousins board of directors and upon such other conditions as the Cousins board of directors may direct.
  The TIER Articles contain restrictions on the ownership and transfer of TIER stock that are, among other things, intended to assist TIER in continuing to qualify as a REIT. The relevant sections of the TIER Articles provide that, subject to the exceptions described below, no person or entity may actually own or be deemed to own by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions, more than 9.8% (in value or in number, whichever is more restrictive) of TIER outstanding common stock, or 9.8% in value of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of all classes and series of TIER stock. A person or entity that would have acquired actual, beneficial or constructive ownership of TIER stock but for the application of the ownership limits or any of the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of TIER stock discussed below, and, if appropriate in the context, any person or entity that would have been the record owner of such shares, is referred to as a "prohibited owner."

The TIER Articles provide that the TIER board of directors may, prospectively or retroactively, waive the ownership limit with respect to a particular stockholder and establish or increase a different limit on ownership for such stockholder. As a condition to granting such waiver, the TIER board of directors may require, among other things, the stockholder receiving such waiver to make certain representations, warranties and covenants related to TIER's ability to qualify as a REIT. In addition, the TIER board of directors may require an opinion of counsel or IRS ruling, in either case

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
    The 3.9% ownership limitation applies to Cousins preferred stock as well as to Cousins common stock.   in form and substance satisfactory to the TIER board of directors, in its sole discretion, in order to determine or ensure TIER's status as a REIT. The TIER board of directors may impose such other conditions or restrictions as it deems appropriate in connection with such a waiver.

Redemption Rights

 

Shares of Cousins preferred stock are paired units (i.e., each share is paired with one partnership unit in Cousins LP). Cousins preferred stock may be redeemed by Cousins automatically in the event of certain transfers by a holder of Cousins preferred stock and/or the partnership unit to which it is paired.

 

None.

Other Limitations on Limited Voting Stock

 

Holders of Cousins preferred stock do not have any rights to (i) any dividends or other distributions, (ii) conversion into or exchange for any other property or securities or (iii) any distributions in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up.

 

Holders of TIER convertible stock do not have any rights to any dividends or other distributions.

Annual Meetings of the Stockholders

 

An annual meeting of Cousins stockholders is required to be held each year, at a time and place as designated by the Cousins board of directors.

 

An annual meeting of TIER stockholders shall be held at a time and place as fixed by the TIER board of directors.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders
Special Meetings of the Stockholders   A special meeting of Cousins stockholders may be called at any time by the Cousins board of directors, the chairman of the Cousins board of directors, the chief executive officer or upon written request of the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding shares of Cousins common stock.

Business transacted at the special meeting of stockholders will be limited to the purposes stated in the notice.
  The TIER Bylaws provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called by the TIER president or the TIER board of directors. Additionally, the TIER Bylaws provide that, subject to the satisfaction of certain procedural and informational requirements by the stockholders requesting the meeting, a special meeting of stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders shall be called by the secretary of the corporation upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at such meeting.

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  Rights of Cousins Stockholders   Rights of TIER Stockholders

Advance Notice Provisions for Stockholder Nominations and Stockholder Business Proposals

  The Cousins Bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders at the annual meeting may be made only:

pursuant to Cousins' notice of meeting;

by or at the direction of the Cousins board of directors; or

upon timely and proper notice by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice and entitled to vote at the meeting.

In general, notice of stockholder business for an annual meeting must be delivered not earlier than 120 days nor later than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting, unless the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days or delayed more than 30 days from the anniversary date, in which case notice must be delivered by the later of the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the meeting is first made or 90 days prior to the date of the annual meeting.

The Cousins Bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of persons for election to the Cousins board of directors may be made only:

by or at the direction of the Cousins board of directors; or

upon timely and proper notice by a stockholder who is stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice and entitled to vote at the meeting.

  The TIER Bylaws provide that:

with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of persons for election to the TIER board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders at the annual meeting may be made only:

pursuant to the notice of such meeting;

by or at the direction of the TIER board of directors; or

by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving the notice required by the TIER Bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures and provided the information and certifications required by the advance notice procedures set forth in the TIER Bylaws; and

In general, notice of stockholder nominations for an annual meeting must be delivered no less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year's annual meeting, unless the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days or delayed more than 30 days from such anniversary date, in which case notice must be delivered no earlier than 120 days prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting and no later than

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In general, notice of stockholder nominations for an annual meeting must be delivered not earlier than 120 days nor later than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting, unless the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days or delayed more than 30 days from the anniversary date, in which case notice must be delivered by the later of the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the meeting is first made or 90 days prior to the date of the annual meeting.

  90 days prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which disclosure of the date of mailing of the notice for such meeting is first made.

with respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in the notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting of stockholders, and nominations of individuals for election to the TIER board of directors may be made, provided that the meeting has been called for the purpose of electing directors, only:

pursuant to the notice of such meeting;

by or at the direction of the TIER board of directors; or

by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving the notice required by the TIER Bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures and provided the information and certifications required by the advance notice procedures set forth in the TIER Bylaws.


Notice of Stockholder Meetings

 

Not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days before each meeting of stockholders, a written notice shall be mailed to each stockholder entitled to vote at or to notice of such meeting at the address shown on the books of Cousins unless such stockholder waives notice before or after the meeting.

 

Not less than 10 days nor more than 90 days before each meeting of stockholders, a notice, either in writing or by electronic transmission, shall be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at or to notice of such meeting unless such stockholder waives notice before or after the meeting.

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State Anti-Takeover Statutes

  The GBCC contains a business combination statute that protects certain Georgia corporations from hostile takeovers, and from actions following the takeover, by prohibiting certain transactions once an acquirer has gained a significant holding in the corporation. Section 14-2-1132 of the GBCC prohibits "business combinations," including mergers; sales, leases, transfers or other dispositions of assets outside of the ordinary course; issuances or exchanges of securities; certain loans and other financial benefits; and similar transactions by a corporation or a subsidiary with a purchaser who acquires 10% or more of a corporation's outstanding voting stock (which we refer to as an "interested shareholder"), within five years after the person becomes an interested shareholder, unless:

prior to the time the person becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors of the target corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which will result in the person becoming an interested shareholder;

after the completion of the transaction in which the person becomes an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder holds at least 90% of the voting stock of the corporation, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding, those shares owned by (i) persons who are directors or officers or their affiliates or associates, (ii) subsidiaries of the corporation, and (iii) specific employee benefit plans; or

 

Business Combinations.    Under the MGCL, certain "business combinations" (which include a merger, consolidation, share exchange and certain transfers, issuances or reclassifications of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation's outstanding voting stock, or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who beneficially owned 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation's then outstanding stock at any time within the preceding two years, in each case referred to as an "interested stockholder," or an affiliate thereof, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any such business combination must be recommended by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (1) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation and (2) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder or its affiliates or associates. The super-majority vote requirements do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder or if the business combination satisfies certain minimum price, form of consideration and procedural requirements. To date, TIER has not opted out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL.

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after the shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the shareholder acquires additional shares such that the shareholder becomes the holder of at least 90% of the voting stock of the corporation, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding, those shares owned by (i) persons who are directors or officers, their affiliates or associates, (ii) subsidiaries of the corporation, and (iii) specific employee benefit plans, and the business combination was approved by the stockholders of the corporation by holders of a majority of the stock entitled to vote on the transaction (with the number of shares outstanding calculated as above and further excluding shares held by the interested shareholder).

The business combination requirements under the GBCC do not apply to a corporation unless the corporation's bylaws provide that such requirements are applicable. The Cousins Articles do not address business combinations.

  Control Share Acquisitions.    As permitted by the MGCL, the TIER Bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute all shares of TIER's capital stock.

MUTA.    Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act, and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of the following five provisions:

a classified board of directors;

a two-thirds stockholder vote requirement for removing a director;

a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors;

a requirement that a vacancy on the board of directors be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and

a requirement that requires the request of the holders of at least a majority of all votes entitled to be cast to call a special meeting of stockholders.

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        Through provisions in the TIER Articles and TIER Bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, TIER already (1) vests in the board of directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships, subject to limitations set forth in the TIER Articles and TIER Bylaws, (2) provides that vacancies on the TIER board of directors may be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred, and (3) requires, unless called by the TIER board of directors or TIER president, the request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast on a matter at such meeting to call a special meeting to consider and vote on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders. TIER has elected to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 requiring that any vacancy on the board of directors be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred, and until a successor is duly elected and qualifies. TIER has not elected to require a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director. Additionally, TIER has not elected to create a classified board of directors.

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Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

  Subsection (a) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may indemnify an individual made a party to a proceeding because he or she is or was a director against liability incurred in the proceeding if:

such individual conducted himself or herself in good faith; and

such individual reasonably believed:

in the case of conduct in his or her official capacity, that such conduct was in the best interests of the corporation;

in all other cases, that such conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and

in the case of any criminal proceeding, that the individual had no reasonable cause to believe such conduct was unlawful.

Subsection (d) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may not indemnify a director:

in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, except for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding if it is determined that the director has met the relevant standard of conduct; or

in connection with any proceeding with respect to conduct for which he or she was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by him or her, whether or not involving action in his or her official capacity.

  The MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty established as being material to the cause of action. The TIER Articles contain such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by the MGCL.

The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which TIER's Articles do not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:

the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or

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  Notwithstanding the foregoing, pursuant to Section 14-2-854 of the GBCC, a court shall order a corporation to indemnify or give an advance for expenses to a director if such court determines the director is entitled to indemnification under the indemnification provisions of the GBCC or if it determines that in view of all relevant circumstances, it is fair and reasonable, even if the director has not met the standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC, failed to comply with the expense advances provisions pursuant to Section 14-2-853 of the GBCC or was adjudged liable in a proceeding referred to in subsection (d) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC, but if the director was adjudged so liable, the indemnification shall be limited to reasonable expenses incurred by the director in connection with the proceeding.

Section 14-2-852 of the GBCC provides that a corporation shall indemnify a director who was wholly successful in the defense of any proceeding to which the director was a party because he or she was a director of the corporation against reasonable expenses incurred by the director in connection with the proceeding.

Subsection (a) of Section 14-2-857 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding because he or she is an officer of the corporation:

to the same extent as a director; and

 

in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.

However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.

In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation's receipt of a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and a written undertaking by the director or on the director's behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director did not meet the standard of conduct.

Pursuant to the TIER Articles and the TIER Bylaws, and to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, TIER indemnifies and pays or reimburses reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, to:

any present or former director or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or

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if he or she is not a director, to such further extent as may be provided by the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, a resolution of the board of directors, or contract except for liability arising out of conduct that constitutes:

appropriation, in violation of his or her duties, of any business opportunity of the corporation;

acts of omission which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law;

the types of liability set forth in Section 14-2-832 of the GBCC; or

receipt of an improper personal benefit.

Subsection (c) of Section 14-2-857 of the GBCC provides that an officer of the corporation who is not a director is entitled to mandatory indemnification under Section 14-2-852 of the GBCC and may apply to a court under Section 14-2-854 of the GBCC for indemnification or advances for expenses, in each case to the same extent to which a director may be entitled to indemnification or advances for expenses under those provisions.

 

any individual who, while a director or officer of TIER, and at the request of TIER, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, REIT, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.

The TIER Articles and TIER Bylaws also permit TIER to indemnify and advance expenses to (1) any person who served as a predecessor of TIER in any of the capacities described above and (2) any employee or agent of TIER or a predecessor of TIER.

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    The Cousins Bylaws require the indemnification by Cousins of its directors, except (a) for any appropriation, in violation of his or her duties, of any business opportunity of Cousins; (b) for acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (c) for the types of liability for unlawful distributions and dividends as set forth in Section 14-2-832 of the GBCC; or (d) for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit. The Cousins Bylaws require the indemnification by Cousins of its officers to the maximum extent permitted by the GBCC. Cousins directors are entitled to receive advancements for expenses incurred in defending any such action upon receipt of the written affirmation of such director's good faith belief that such director has met the standards of conduct in the Cousins Bylaws.

Cousins has purchased directors' and officers' liability insurance for the benefit of its directors and officers.

Cousins has entered into indemnification agreements with certain of its directors and each of its executive officers. The indemnification agreements require, among other matters, that Cousins indemnify its executive officers to the maximum extent permitted by law.
   

Stockholder Rights Plan

 

Neither Cousins nor TIER has a stockholder rights plan in effect.

 

 

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Dissenters' Rights

  Section 14-2-1302 of the GBCC provides that stockholders who comply with certain procedural requirements of the GBCC are entitled to dissent from and obtain payment of the fair value of their shares in the event of mergers, share exchanges, sales or exchanges of all or substantially all of the corporation's assets, amendments to the articles of incorporation that materially adversely affect certain rights in respect of a dissenter's shares and certain other actions taken pursuant to a stockholder vote to the extent provided for under the GBCC, the articles of incorporation, bylaws or a resolution of the board of directors. However, unless the corporation's articles of incorporation provide otherwise, appraisal rights are not available:

to holders of shares of any class of shares not entitled to vote on the transaction;

in a sale of all or substantially all of the property of the corporation pursuant to a court order;

in a sale of all or substantially all of the property of the corporation for cash, where all or substantially all of the net proceeds of such sale will be distributed to the stockholders within one year; or

 

The MGCL provides that a stockholder of a corporation is generally entitled to receive payment of the fair value of its stock if the stockholder dissents from transactions including a proposed merger, share exchange or a sale of substantially all of the assets of the corporation.

However, dissenters' rights generally are not available to holders of shares, such as shares of TIER common stock, that are registered on a national securities exchange or quoted on a national market security system.

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to holders of shares which at the record date were either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders, unless: (1) in the case of a plan of merger or share exchange, the holders of the shares of the class or series are required under the plan of merger or share exchange to accept for their shares anything except (A) shares of the surviving corporation or a publicly-held corporation which at the effective date of the merger or share exchange are either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders, except for scrip or cash payments in lieu of fractional shares or (B) shares of the surviving corporation a publicly-held corporation which at the effective date of the merger share exchange are either listed on a national securities exchange or held of record by more than 2,000 stockholders that are different, in type of exchange ratio per share, from the shares to be provided to any other holder of shares of the same class or series in exchange for such shares; or (2) the articles of incorporation or a resolution of the board of directors approving the transaction provides otherwise.

   

 

 

Neither the Cousins Articles nor the Cousins Bylaws provide for rights of appraisal or dissenters' rights.

 

 

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REIT Qualification   The Cousins Articles do not provide any express enabling language should Cousins choose to no longer qualify as a REIT.   The TIER Articles provide that the TIER board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate TIER's REIT election, without approval of the TIER stockholders, if the board of directors determines that it is no longer in TIER's best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.

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LEGAL MATTERS

        The validity of the shares of Cousins common stock offered by this joint proxy statement/prospectus will be passed on by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Certain U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the Merger will also be passed upon for Cousins by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and for TIER by Goodwin Procter LLP.


EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements, incorporated in this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference from Cousins' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and the effectiveness of Cousins' internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated by reference herein. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

        The consolidated financial statements, incorporated in this joint proxy statement/prospectus by reference from TIER's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and the effectiveness of TIER's internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated by reference herein. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.


FUTURE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

Cousins

        Cousins held its 2018 annual meeting of stockholders on April 24, 2018. The Cousins 2019 annual meeting of stockholders will be held on April 23, 2019. The deadline has passed for stockholders to present proposals or nominate directors at the Cousins 2019 annual meeting of stockholders. Cousins stockholders who wish to have proposals considered for inclusion in the Proxy Statement and form of proxy for the Cousins 2020 annual meeting of stockholders pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act must cause their proposals to be received in writing by Cousins' corporate secretary at Cousins Properties Incorporated, 3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, no later than November 14, 2019. Any proposal should be addressed to Cousins' corporate secretary and may be included in next year's proxy materials only if such proposal complies with the Cousins Bylaws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Nothing in this section will be deemed to require Cousins to include in its proxy statement or its proxy relating to any annual meeting any stockholder proposal that does not meet all of the requirements for inclusion established by the SEC.

        In addition, the Cousins Bylaws require that Cousins be given advance written notice of nominations for election to the Cousins board of directors and other matters that stockholders wish to present for action at an annual meeting of Cousins stockholders (other than matters included in Cousins' proxy materials in accordance with Rule 14a-8(e) under the Exchange Act). The Cousins corporate secretary must receive such notice at the address set forth above not later than January 23, 2020, and no earlier than December 23, 2019, for matters to be presented at the Cousins 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. However, in the event that the date of the 2020 annual meeting of Cousins stockholders is held before March 23, 2020, or after May 23, 2020, for notice by the stockholder to be timely it must be received by the later of (a) the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of such meeting was first made by Cousins and (b) ninety days prior to the date of the Cousins 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.

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TIER

        TIER will not hold an annual meeting of stockholders in 2019 if the Merger is completed because TIER will have been merged out of existence. However, if the Merger Agreement is terminated for any reason, TIER expects to hold an annual meeting of stockholders in 2019. A date has not been set for TIER's 2019 annual meeting. If the Merger is not completed, TIER stockholders who wish to have proposals considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and form of proxy for TIER's 2019 annual meeting of stockholders pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act must submit their proposals in writing to: Corporate Secretary, TIER REIT, Inc., 5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700, Dallas, Texas 75225, a reasonable time before TIER begins to print and send its proxy materials. Any proposal should be addressed to TIER's corporate secretary and may be included in TIER's proxy materials only if such proposal complies with the TIER Bylaws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Nothing in this section will be deemed to require TIER to include in its proxy statement or its proxy relating to any annual meeting any stockholder proposal that does not meet all of the requirements for inclusion established by the SEC.

        In addition, the TIER Bylaws require that TIER be given advance written notice of nominations for election to the TIER board of directors and other matters that stockholders wish to present for action at an annual meeting of TIER stockholders (other than matters included in TIER's proxy materials in accordance with Rule 14a-8(e) under the Exchange Act). TIER's corporate secretary must receive such notice at the address set forth above not earlier than the 120th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which disclosure of the date of mailing of the notice for such meeting is first made by TIER.


OTHER MATTERS

        As of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, neither the Cousins board of directors nor the TIER board of directors knows of any matters that will be presented for consideration at either the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting other than as described in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. In accordance with the Cousins Bylaws, the TIER Bylaws, Georgia law and Maryland law, business transacted at the Cousins special meeting and the TIER special meeting will be limited to those matters set forth in the respective accompanying notices of the special meetings. Nonetheless, if any other matter is properly presented at the Cousins special meeting or the TIER special meeting, or any adjournments or postponements of the special meetings, and are voted upon, including matters incident to the conduct of the meeting, the enclosed proxy card will confer discretionary authority on the individuals named therein as proxies to vote the shares represented thereby as to any such other matters. It is intended that the persons named in the enclosed proxy card and acting thereunder will vote in accordance with their discretion on any such matter.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        Cousins and TIER file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any of this information at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. The SEC also maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including Cousins and TIER, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is www.sec.gov.

        Investors may also consult the website of Cousins or TIER for more information concerning the Merger. The website of Cousins is www.cousins.com. The website of TIER is www.tierreit.com.

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Information included on these websites is not incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        Cousins has filed with the SEC a registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part. The registration statement registers the shares of Cousins common stock to be issued to TIER stockholders in connection with the Merger. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits and schedules, contains additional relevant information about Cousins common stock. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow Cousins and TIER to omit certain information included in the registration statement from this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        In addition, the SEC allows Cousins and TIER to disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. This information is considered to be a part of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, except for any information that is superseded by information included directly in this joint proxy statement/prospectus.

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below that Cousins has previously filed with the SEC (File No. 001-11312); provided, however, that we are not incorporating by reference, in each case, any documents, portions of documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules. The following documents may contain important information about Cousins, its financial condition or other matters:

        In addition, Cousins incorporates by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus any future filings it makes with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus and prior to the date of the Cousins special meeting. Such documents are considered to be a part of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, effective as of the date such documents are filed. In the event of conflicting information in these documents, the information in the latest filed document should be considered correct.

        You can obtain any of the documents listed above from the SEC, through the website of the SEC at the address described above or from Cousins by requesting them in writing or by telephone at the following address:

Cousins Properties Incorporated
3344 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
Attention: Investor Relations
Telephone: (404) 407-1000

        These documents are available from Cousins without charge, excluding any exhibits to them unless the exhibit is specifically listed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this joint proxy statement/prospectus forms a part.

        This joint proxy statement/prospectus also incorporates by reference the documents listed below that TIER has previously filed with the SEC (File No. 001-37512); provided, however, that we are not incorporating by reference, in each case, any documents, portion of documents or information deemed

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to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules. The following documents contain important information about TIER, its financial condition or other matters:

        In addition, TIER incorporates by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus any future filings it makes with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus and prior to the date of the TIER special meeting. Such documents are considered to be a part of this joint proxy statement/prospectus, effective as of the date such documents are filed. In the event of conflicting information in these documents, the information in the latest filed document should be considered correct.

        You can obtain any of these documents from the SEC, through the website of the SEC at the address described above, or TIER will provide you with copies of these documents, without charge, upon written or oral request to:

TIER REIT, Inc.
5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
(972) 483-2400
Attention: Investor Relations
Telephone: (407) 650-0593

        If you are a stockholder of Cousins or a stockholder of TIER and would like to request documents, please do so by                    , 2019 to receive them before the Cousins special meeting and the TIER special meeting. If you request any documents from Cousins or TIER, Cousins or TIER will mail them to you by first class mail, or by another equally prompt means, within one business day after Cousins or TIER receives your request.

        This document is a prospectus of Cousins and is a joint proxy statement of Cousins and TIER for the Cousins special meeting and the TIER special meeting. Neither Cousins nor TIER has authorized anyone to give any information or make any representation about the Merger or Cousins or TIER that is different from, or in addition to, that contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus or in any of the materials that Cousins or TIER has incorporated by reference into this joint proxy statement/prospectus. Therefore, if anyone does give you information of this sort, you should not rely on it. The information contained in this joint proxy statement/prospectus reads only as of the date of this joint proxy statement/prospectus unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies.

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ANNEX A: AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

by and among

COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED,

MURPHY SUBSIDIARY HOLDINGS CORPORATION

and

TIER REIT, INC.

Dated as of March 25, 2019


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
   
  Page

ARTICLE I MERGER

  A-1

Section 1.1

 

Merger

 
A-1

Section 1.2

 

Closing

  A-2

Section 1.3

 

Articles and Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation

  A-2

Section 1.4

 

Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation

  A-2

Section 1.5

 

Tax Consequences

  A-2


ARTICLE II TREATMENT OF SECURITIES


 

A-2

Section 2.1

 

Treatment of Securities

 
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Section 2.2

 

Exchange of Certificates

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Section 2.3

 

Further Assurances

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Section 2.4

 

Treatment of Company Equity Awards

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Section 2.5

 

Adjustments to Prevent Dilution

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Section 2.6

 

Lost Certificates

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ARTICLE III REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES


 

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Representations and Warranties of the Company

 
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Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub

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ARTICLE IV COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS


 

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Covenants of the Company

 
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Section 4.2

 

Covenants of Parent

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ARTICLE V ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS


 

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Section 5.1

 

Preparation of Joint Proxy Statement; Stockholders Meetings

 
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Section 5.2

 

Access to Information

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Section 5.3

 

Efforts; Notice of Certain Events

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Section 5.4

 

Non-Solicitation; Change in Recommendation

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Section 5.5

 

NYSE Listing

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Section 5.6

 

Employee Matters

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Section 5.7

 

Fees and Expenses

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Section 5.8

 

Governance

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Section 5.9

 

Indemnification and D&O Insurance

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Section 5.10

 

Dividends

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Section 5.11

 

Public Announcements

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Section 5.12

 

Tax Matters

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Section 5.13

 

Financing Cooperation

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Section 5.14

 

Transaction Litigation

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Section 5.15

 

Director Resignations

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Section 5.16

 

Delisting

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Section 5.17

 

Rule 16b-3 Matters

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Section 5.18

 

Treatment of Operating Partnership

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Section 5.19

 

Certain Loan Matters

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ARTICLE VI CONDITIONS PRECEDENT


 

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Conditions to Obligations of the Company

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Conditions to Obligations of Parent

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ARTICLE VII TERMINATION


 

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Termination

 
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Effect of Termination

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ARTICLE VIII GENERAL PROVISIONS


 

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Survival

 
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Section 8.2

 

Amendment; Waiver

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Section 8.3

 

Notices

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Section 8.4

 

Interpretation

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Section 8.5

 

Counterparts

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Section 8.6

 

Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries

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Section 8.7

 

Governing Law

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Section 8.8

 

Severability

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Section 8.9

 

Assignment

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Section 8.10

 

Submission to Jurisdiction

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Section 8.11

 

Enforcement

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Section 8.12

 

Obligation of Parent

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Section 8.13

 

WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL

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ARTICLE IX DEFINITIONS


 

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Certain Definitions

 
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Terms Defined Elsewhere

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AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

        This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of March 25, 2019 (this "Agreement"), is by and among Cousins Properties Incorporated, a Georgia corporation ("Parent"), Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation, a Maryland corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), and TIER REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the "Company"). Parent, Merger Sub and the Company are each sometimes referred to herein as a "Party" and collectively as the "Parties".

        WHEREAS, the Parties wish to effect a business combination through the merger of the Company with and into Merger Sub, with Merger Sub being the surviving corporation of the Merger, and in which each outstanding share of Company Common Stock, other than Excluded Shares, shall be converted into the right to receive a number of shares of Parent Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio (the "Merger Consideration"), as more fully described in this Agreement and on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement;

        WHEREAS, each of the respective boards of directors of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company has unanimously approved the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, and declared them to be advisable and in the best interests of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company, respectively, and their respective stockholders, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement;

        WHEREAS, Parent, in its capacity as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub, has taken all actions required for the execution of this Agreement by Merger Sub and to approve the consummation by Merger Sub of the Merger;

        WHEREAS, promptly following the Effective Time, Parent intends to cause the contribution, conveyance or transfer of the Company Operating Partnership (or its assets and liabilities) to the Parent Operating Partnership, in a form to be determined by Parent, in exchange for the issuance of additional interests in the Parent Operating Partnership, or such other similar transaction as determined by Parent;

        WHEREAS, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (a) it is intended that the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and (b) this Agreement is intended to be and hereby is adopted as a "plan of reorganization" within the meaning of Sections 354, 361 and 368 of the Code.

        NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound, the Parties hereby agree as follows:


ARTICLE I
MERGER

        Section 1.1    Merger.     

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        Section 1.2
    Closing.     The closing of the Merger (the "Closing") will take place at the offices of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019, at 8:30 a.m., New York time, on the second Business Day after the satisfaction or permitted waiver of the last of the conditions set forth in Article VI (other than the conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or permitted waiver of those conditions at the Closing), unless another date, time or place is agreed to in writing by the Parties (the date on which the Closing occurs, the "Closing Date").


        Section 1.3
    Articles and Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation.     The articles of incorporation of Merger Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the articles of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation. The bylaws of Merger Sub as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the bylaws of the Surviving Corporation.


        Section 1.4
    Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation.     From and after the Effective Time, the directors and officers of Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the directors and officers of the Surviving Corporation.


        Section 1.5
    Tax Consequences.     It is intended that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and that this Agreement is intended to be, and is hereby adopted as, a "plan of reorganization" for purposes of Sections 354, 361 and 368 of the Code.


ARTICLE II
TREATMENT OF SECURITIES

        Section 2.1    Treatment of Securities.     

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    Exchange of Certificates.     

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        Section 2.3
    Further Assurances.     If, at any time before or after the Effective Time, Parent or the Surviving Corporation shall consider or be advised that any deeds, bills of sale, assignments or assurances or any other acts or things are necessary, desirable or proper (a) to vest, perfect or confirm, of record or otherwise, in the Surviving Corporation its right, title or interest in, to or under any of the rights, privileges, powers, franchises, properties or assets of the Company, or (b) otherwise to carry out the purposes of this Agreement, each of Parent, the Surviving Corporation and its proper officers and directors or their designees shall be authorized to execute and deliver, in the name and on behalf of any Party, all such deeds, bills of sale, assignments and assurances and to do, in the name and on behalf of any such Person, all such other acts and things as may be necessary, desirable or proper to vest, perfect or confirm the Surviving Corporation's right, title or interest in, to or under any of the rights, privileges, powers, franchises, properties or assets of the Company and otherwise to carry out the purposes of this Agreement.


        Section 2.4
    Treatment of Company Equity Awards.     

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        Section 2.5
    Adjustments to Prevent Dilution.     If, at any time during the period between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, there is a change in the number of issued and outstanding shares of Company Common Stock or shares of Parent Common Stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into shares of Company Common Stock or shares of Parent Common Stock, in each case, as a result of a reclassification, stock split (including a reverse stock split), stock dividend or stock distribution, recapitalization, merger, subdivision or other similar transaction, the Exchange Ratio shall be equitably adjusted to provide the holders of Eligible Shares and Parent with the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to such event (provided that there shall not be more than one such adjustment for any single action, including if the Exchange Ratio has been adjusted pursuant to its definition).


        Section 2.6
    Lost Certificates.     If any Company Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the Person claiming such Company Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if requested by Parent, the posting by such Person of a bond, in such reasonable amount as Parent may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it with respect to such Company Certificate, the Exchange Agent (or, if subsequent to the termination of the Exchange Fund and subject to Section 2.2(f), the Surviving Corporation) shall deliver, in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Company Certificate, the shares of Parent Common Stock into which the shares of Company Common Stock represented by such Company Certificate were converted pursuant to Section 2.1(a), any cash in lieu of fractional shares and any dividends and distributions deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to this Agreement.


ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

        Section 3.1    Representations and Warranties of the Company.     Except (x) as set forth in the applicable section or subsection of the disclosure letter delivered to Parent by the Company immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the "Company Disclosure Letter") (it being understood that any matter disclosed pursuant to any section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Letter shall be deemed to be disclosed for all purposes of this Article III as long as the relevance of such disclosure to the other Sections or sub-Sections of this Article III is reasonably apparent on the face of such disclosure); provided, that (x) nothing in the Company Disclosure Letter is intended to broaden the scope of any representation or warranty of the Company made herein and (y) no reference to or disclosure of any item or other matter in the Company Disclosure Letter shall be construed as an admission or indication that (1) such item or other matter is material or constitutes a Company Material Adverse Effect, (2) such item or other matter is required to be referred to or disclosed in the Company Disclosure Letter or (3) any breach or violation of applicable Laws or any contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiaries of the Company is a party exists or has actually occurred, or (y) as disclosed in the Company SEC Documents filed with the SEC since December 31, 2017 and publicly available prior to the date hereof (other than disclosures in any "risk factors" or "forward looking statements" sections of such reports or any other disclosures in such reports to the extent they are non-specific, predictive, forward-looking or primarily cautionary in nature), the Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Sub as follows:

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        Section 3.2    Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub.     Except (x) as set forth in the applicable section or subsection of the disclosure letter delivered to the Company by Parent and Merger Sub immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the "Parent Disclosure Letter") (it being understood that any matter disclosed pursuant to any section or subsection of the Parent Disclosure Letter shall be deemed to be disclosed for all purposes of this Article III as long as the relevance of such disclosure to the other Sections or sub-Sections of this Article III is reasonably apparent on the face of such disclosure); provided, that (x) nothing in the Parent Disclosure Letter is intended to broaden the scope of any representation or warranty of Parent made herein and (y) no reference to or disclosure of any item or other matter in the Parent Disclosure Letter shall be construed as an admission or indication that (1) such item or other matter is material or constitutes a Parent Material Adverse Effect, (2) such item or other matter is required to be referred to or disclosed in the Parent Disclosure Letter or (3) any breach or violation of applicable Laws or any contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding to which Parent or any Subsidiaries of Parent is a party exists or has actually occurred, or (y) as disclosed in the Parent SEC Documents filed with the SEC since December 31, 2017 and publicly available prior to the date hereof (other than disclosures in any "risk factors" or "forward looking statements" sections of such reports or any other disclosures in such reports to the extent they are non-specific, predictive, forward-looking or primarily cautionary in nature), Parent and Merger Sub hereby represent and warrant to the Company as follows:

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ARTICLE IV
COVENANTS RELATING TO CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

        Section 4.1    Covenants of the Company.     

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        Section 4.2
    Covenants of Parent.     

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ARTICLE V
ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

        Section 5.1    Preparation of Joint Proxy Statement; Stockholders Meetings.     

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        Section 5.2
    Access to Information.     Upon reasonable notice, and at the reasonable request of Parent, the Company shall (and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to) afford to the Representatives of Parent, reasonable access, during normal business hours during the period prior to the Effective Time, to all the Company Properties (other than for purposes of invasive testing), books, contracts, records and the Company's Representatives; provided that all such access shall be coordinated through the Company or its Representatives in accordance with such procedures as they may reasonably establish. Upon reasonable notice, and at the reasonable request of the Company, Parent shall (and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to) afford to the Representatives of the Company, reasonable access, during normal business hours during the period prior to the Effective Time, to all Parent Properties (other than for purposes of invasive testing), books, contracts, records and Parent's Representatives; provided that all such access shall be coordinated through Parent or its Representatives in accordance with such procedures as they may reasonably establish. Neither the Company nor Parent, nor any of their respective Subsidiaries, shall be required to provide access to or to disclose information where such access or disclosure would violate or prejudice the rights of its customers, jeopardize the attorney-client privilege of the institution in possession or control of such information or contravene any Law or binding agreement entered into prior to the date of this Agreement. The Parties will make appropriate substitute disclosure arrangements under circumstances in which the restrictions of the preceding sentence apply. No such investigation by any Party shall affect the representations and warranties of any other Party. The terms of the Confidentiality Agreement shall apply to any information and access provided pursuant to this Section 5.2.


        Section 5.3
    Efforts; Notice of Certain Events.     

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        Section 5.4    Non-Solicitation; Change in Recommendation.     

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        Section 5.5
    NYSE Listing.     Parent shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger to be approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance.


        Section 5.6
    Employee Matters.     

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        Section 5.7
    Fees and Expenses.     Whether or not the Merger is consummated, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby shall be paid by the Party incurring such expense, except as otherwise provided in Section 7.2 and except that expenses incurred in connection with filing, printing and mailing the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the Form S-4 (other than legal fees) shall be shared equally by the Company and Parent.


        Section 5.8
    Governance.     Parent shall take such actions as are necessary to cause the Company Designees to become members of the Board of Directors of Parent immediately after the Effective Time.


        Section 5.9
    Indemnification and D&O Insurance.     

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        Section 5.10    Dividends.     


        Section 5.11
    Public Announcements.     Except (a) for communications consistent with the final form of joint press release announcing the Merger and the investor presentation given to investors on the date of announcement of the Merger, (b) as may be required by applicable Law or by obligations pursuant to any listing agreement with or rules of the NYSE or (c) pursuant to the Company's or Parent's rights pursuant to Section 5.4, the Company and Parent shall consult with each other, and provide meaningful opportunity for review and give due consideration to reasonable comment by the other Party, prior to issuing any press releases or other public communications with respect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

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        Section 5.12
    Tax Matters.     


        Section 5.13
    Financing Cooperation.     

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        Section 5.14
    Transaction Litigation.     The Company shall promptly notify Parent in writing of any litigation related to this Agreement, the Merger or the other transactions contemplated hereby that is brought or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing, against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, directors, officers or employees ("Company Transaction Litigation"), and shall give Parent the opportunity to participate in the defense or settlement of any Company Transaction Litigation. The Company shall not settle, agree to any undertakings or approve or otherwise agree to any waiver that may be sought in connection with such Company Transaction Litigation without the prior written consent of Parent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), subject to Section 5.14 of the Company Disclosure Letter.


        Section 5.15
    Director Resignations.     The Company shall cause to be delivered to Parent resignations executed by each director of the Company in office as of immediately prior to the Effective Time and effective upon the Effective Time.


        Section 5.16
    Delisting.     Each of the Parties agrees to cooperate with the other Party in taking, or causing to be taken, all actions necessary to delist the Company Common Stock from the NYSE and terminate its registration under the Exchange Act; provided that such delisting and termination shall not be effective until after the Effective Time.


        Section 5.17
    Rule 16b-3 Matters.     Prior to the Effective Time, the Parties shall, as applicable, take all such steps as may be reasonably necessary or advisable, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, to cause any dispositions of Company equity securities (including derivative securities) and acquisitions of Parent equity securities pursuant to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement by each individual who is a director or officer of the Company subject to the reporting requirements of

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Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to the Company to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.


        Section 5.18
    Treatment of Operating Partnership.     Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall, and shall cause the Company Subsidiaries to, cooperate with reasonable requests by Parent in connection with the contemplated post-closing transactions involving the Company Operating Partnership; provided, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, this shall not obligate the Company and Company Subsidiaries to enter into any contracts or obligations binding on them that would become effective prior to the Effective Time or to incur any out-of-pocket costs or expenses (unless such costs or expenses will be promptly reimbursed by Parent) in connection with its cooperation with Parent's requests.


        Section 5.19
    Certain Loan Matters.     The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause, on or prior to the Effective Time, either (i) the repayment and termination in full of the indebtedness listed on Section 5.19 of the Company Disclosure Letter (the "Applicable Loans") (and, to the extent that the borrower of any such Applicable Loan is not the Company or one of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, the repayment and termination will be funded on a pro rata basis by the Company or its applicable subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the other equity holders of the borrower, on the other) or (ii) so long as the property securing an Applicable Loan is not sold prior to the Effective Time, the amendment of such Applicable Loan to expressly permit the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby (or the obtaining of a consent or waiver with the same effect), which amendment, consent or waiver shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to each of Parent and the Company. In connection with the foregoing clause (i), the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to provide to Parent customary evidence of the effectiveness of such repayment and termination, and corresponding customary termination and release documents (including a customary payoff letter from the lenders and customary lien release documents). The Company shall keep Parent reasonably informed on the treatment of the Applicable Loans and shall provide Parent with such related information and documents as Parent shall reasonably request from time-to-time.


ARTICLE VI
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

        Section 6.1    Conditions to Each Party's Obligation.     The respective obligation of each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company to effect the Merger shall be subject to the satisfaction or waiver by Parent and the Company in writing, at or prior to the Closing, of the following conditions:


        (a)
    Stockholder Approvals.     The Company shall have obtained the Company Required Vote, and Parent shall have obtained the Parent Required Vote.


        (b)
    NYSE Listing.     The shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued in the Merger shall have been approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance.


        (c)
    Form S-4.     The Form S-4 shall have become effective under the Securities Act and shall not be the subject of any stop order or proceedings seeking a stop order.


        (d)
    No Injunctions or Restraints; Illegality.     No temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent injunction or other order issued by any court of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing the consummation of the Merger shall be in effect. There shall not be any action taken, or any statute, rule, regulation or order enacted, entered, enforced or deemed applicable to the Merger, by any Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction which makes the consummation of the Merger illegal.

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        Section 6.2
    Conditions to Obligations of the Company.     The obligation of the Company to effect the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company in writing, at or prior to the Closing, of the following additional conditions:


        (a)
    Parent Representations and Warranties.     (i) The representations and warranties of Parent set forth in the first two sentences of Section 3.2(b)(i) and in Section 3.2(b)(ii) shall be true and correct in all respects, except for any de minimis inaccuracies, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), (ii) the representations and warranties of Parent set forth in Section 3.2(l)(ii) shall be true and correct in all respects as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the representations and warranties of Parent set forth in Section 3.2(a)(i), Section 3.2(b) (other than the first two sentences of Section 3.2(b)(i) and Section 3.2(b)(ii)), Section 3.2(m), Section 3.2(n), Section 3.2(t), Section 3.2(v) and Section 3.2(w) shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), and (iv) the other representations and warranties of Parent set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), except, in the case of this clause (iv), where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct (without giving effect to any limitation as to materiality or Parent Material Adverse Effect) has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect.


        (b)
    Performance of Parent Obligations.     Parent shall have performed in all material respects the obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing.


        (c)
    Section 368 Opinion.     The Company shall have received the written opinion of its counsel, Goodwin Procter LLP (or another nationally recognized law firm reasonably satisfactory to the Company), dated as of the Closing Date and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that, on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions set forth or referred to in such opinion, the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, which opinion will be subject to customary exceptions, assumptions and qualifications (it being agreed and understood that any exceptions, assumptions and qualifications set forth in the draft opinion delivered to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on or prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to be customary for this purpose). In rendering such opinion, Goodwin Procter LLP (or, if applicable, another nationally recognized law firm reasonably satisfactory to the Company) may rely upon the Company Tax Representation Letter and the Parent Tax Representation Letter.


        (d)
    REIT Opinion.     The Company shall have received a tax opinion of Parent's REIT Counsel, dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to Parent, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that, at all times since its taxable year ended December 31, 2010 and through the Closing Date, Parent has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code and that its proposed method of organization and operation will enable Parent to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, which opinion will be subject to customary exceptions, assumptions and qualifications (it being agreed and understood that any exceptions, assumptions and qualifications set forth in the draft opinion delivered to Goodwin Procter LLP on or prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to be customary for this purpose). In rendering such opinion, Parent's REIT Counsel may rely upon customary representations contained in an officer's certificate executed by Parent and provided pursuant to Section 4.2(d).

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        (e)
    Closing Certificate.     The Company shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of Parent by the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer of Parent, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the conditions set forth in Section 6.2(a) and Section 6.2(b) have been satisfied.


        Section 6.3
    Conditions to Obligations of Parent.     The respective obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to effect the Merger are subject to the satisfaction or waiver by Parent in writing, at or prior to the Closing, of the following additional conditions:


        (a)
    Company Representations and Warranties.     (i) The representations and warranties of the Company set forth in the first two sentences of Section 3.1(b)(i) and in Section 3.1(b)(ii) and Section 3.1(b)(iii) shall be true and correct in all respects, except for any de minimis inaccuracies, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 3.1(l)(ii) shall be true and correct in all respects as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 3.1(a)(i) , 3.1(a)(ii), 3.1(a)(iii), Section 3.1(b) (other than the first two sentences of Section 3.1(b)(i), Section 3.1(b)(ii) and Section 3.1(b)(iii)), Section 3.1(m), Section 3.1(n), Section 3.1(t), Section 3.1(u) and Section 3.1(v) shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), and (iv) the other representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of an earlier date, in which case as of such date), except, in the case of this clause (iv), where the failure of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct (without giving effect to any limitation as to materiality or Company Material Adverse Effect) has not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.


        (b)
    Performance of Company Obligations.     The Company shall have performed in all material respects the obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing.


        (c)
    Section 368 Opinion.     Parent shall have received the written opinion of its special counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (or another nationally recognized law firm reasonably satisfactory to Parent), dated as of the Closing Date and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent, to the effect that, on the basis of facts, representations and assumptions set forth or referred to in such opinion, the Merger will qualify as a "reorganization" within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, which opinion will be subject to customary exceptions, assumptions and qualifications (it being agreed and understood that any exceptions, assumptions and qualifications set forth in the draft opinion delivered to Goodwin Procter LLP on or prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to be customary for this purpose). In rendering such opinion, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (or, if applicable, another nationally recognized law firm reasonably satisfactory to Parent) may rely upon the Parent Tax Representation Letter and the Company Tax Representation Letter.


        (d)
    REIT Opinion.     Parent shall have received a tax opinion of Company's REIT Counsel, dated as of the Closing Date and addressed to the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent, to the effect that, at all times since its taxable year ended December 31, 2010 and through the taxable year that ends with the Effective Time, the Company has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, which opinion will be subject to customary exceptions, assumptions and qualifications (it being agreed and understood that any exceptions, assumptions and qualifications set forth in the draft opinion delivered to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on or prior to the date hereof shall be deemed to be customary for this purpose). In rendering such opinion, Company's REIT Counsel may rely upon customary representations contained in an officer's certificate executed by the Company and provided pursuant to Section 4.1(d).

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ARTICLE VII
TERMINATION

        Section 7.1    Termination.     This Agreement may be terminated, and the Merger may be abandoned, at any time before the Effective Time by action of Parent or the Company (as applicable) only as follows:

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        Section 7.2
    Effect of Termination.     

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ARTICLE VIII
GENERAL PROVISIONS

        Section 8.1    Survival.     None of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement or in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement, including any rights arising out of any breach of such representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements, shall survive the Effective Time, except for those covenants and agreements contained herein that by their terms apply or are to be performed in whole or in part after the Effective Time.


        Section 8.2
    Amendment; Waiver.     Subject to the provisions of applicable Laws, at any time prior to the Effective Time, this Agreement may be amended, modified or waived if, and only if, such amendment, modification or waiver is in writing and signed, in the case of an amendment or modification, by the Parties, or in the case of a waiver, by the Party against whom the waiver is to be effective. The conditions to each of the respective Parties' obligations to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement are for the sole benefit of such Party and may be waived by such Party in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Law. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.


        Section 8.3
    Notices.     All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given if delivered personally (notice deemed given upon receipt), transmitted by facsimile (notice deemed given upon confirmation of receipt), sent by electronic mail (notice deemed given upon confirmation of receipt) or sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, such as

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Federal Express (notice deemed given upon receipt of proof of delivery), to the Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified by like notice).

(a)   if to the Company, to:

 

 

TIER REIT, Inc.
5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225
    Attention:   Chief Legal Officer
    Fax No.:   (214) 365-7112
    Email:   tschelin@tierreit.com

(b)

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

 

Goodwin Procter LLP
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
    Attention:   John T. Haggerty
Blake Liggio
    Fax No.:   (617) 649-1411
    Email:   jhaggerty@goodwinlaw.com
bliggio@goodwinlaw.com

(c)

 

if to Parent or Merger Sub, to:

 

 

Cousins Properties Incorporated
3344 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
    Attention:   General Counsel
    Fax No.:   (404) 407-1641
    Email:   PRoper@cousins.com

 

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

 

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, New York 10019
    Attention:   David E. Shapiro
Jenna E. Levine
    Fax No.:   (212) 403-2000
    Email:   DEShapiro@wlrk.com
JELevine@wlrk.com


        Section 8.4
    Interpretation.     When a reference is made in this Agreement to Sections, Exhibits or Schedules, such reference shall be to a Section of or Exhibit or Schedule to this Agreement unless otherwise indicated. The table of contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Whenever the words "include," "includes" or "including" are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words "without limitation." The words "made available" in this Agreement shall mean that the item referred to has been provided to the receiving Party prior to the date of this Agreement by being posted in the electronic data room established by the disclosing Party. The words "herein," "hereof," "hereunder" and words of similar import shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement as a whole, including the Exhibits and Schedules hereto, and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. Any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. In the event that an ambiguity or a question of intent or interpretation arises, this

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Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. The word "extent" and the phrase "to the extent" when used in this Agreement shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such word or phrase shall not merely mean "if." References to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company or Parent shall include the Company Operating Partnership or Parent Operating Partnership and any wholly owned subsidiary of the Company Operating Partnership or Parent Operating Partnership, as applicable.


        Section 8.5
    Counterparts.     This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each of the Parties and delivered to each other Party (including by means of electronic delivery), it being understood that the Parties need not sign the same counterpart. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in "portable document format" (".pdf") form, or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing the original signature.


        Section 8.6
    Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries.     This Agreement, together with the Company Disclosure Letter, the Parent Disclosure Letter and the Confidentiality Agreement, (a) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and (b) except as provided in Section 5.9(e) is not intended to confer upon any Person other than the Parties any rights or remedies hereunder.


        Section 8.7
    Governing Law.     Except to the extent the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby may be required to be governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, this Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland (without giving effect to choice of law principles thereof).


        Section 8.8
    Severability.     Any term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability and, unless the effect of such invalidity or unenforceability would prevent the Parties from realizing the major portion of the economic benefits of the Merger that they currently anticipate obtaining therefrom, shall not render invalid or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or affect the validity or enforceability of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. If any provision of this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only so broad as is enforceable.


        Section 8.9
    Assignment.     Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations of the Parties hereunder shall be assigned by any of the Parties (whether by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other Party, and any attempt to make any such assignment without such consent shall be null and void. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.


        Section 8.10
    Submission to Jurisdiction.     Each of the Parties agrees that it shall bring any action or proceeding in respect of any claim arising under or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement exclusively in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City (Maryland), Business and Technology Case Management Program (or if such court declines to accept jurisdiction over a particular matter, any state or Federal court located within the State of Maryland) (the "Chosen Courts") and, solely in connection with such claims, (a) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Chosen Courts, (b) waives any objection to the laying of venue in any such action or proceeding in the Chosen Courts, (c) waives any objection that the Chosen Courts are an inconvenient forum or do not have jurisdiction over any Party and (d) agrees that mailing of process or other papers in

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connection with any such action or proceeding in the manner provided in Section 8.3 or in such other manner as may be permitted by Law shall be valid and sufficient service thereof. The consent to jurisdiction set forth in this Section 8.10 shall not constitute a general consent to service of process in the State of Maryland and shall have no effect for any purpose except as provided in this Section 8.10. The Parties agree that a final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law.


        Section 8.11
    Enforcement.     The Parties agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms on a timely basis or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the Parties shall be entitled to an injunction or other equitable relief to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement in any court identified in the Section above, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity. Each of the Parties agrees that it will not oppose the granting of an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that any other Party has an adequate remedy at law or that any award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or in equity. The Parties further agree that no Party to this Agreement shall be required to obtain, secure, furnish or post any bond, security or similar instrument in connection with or as a condition to obtaining any remedy referred to in this Section 8.11 and each Party waives any objection to the imposition of such relief or any right it may have to require the obtaining, securing, furnishing or posting of any such bond, security or similar instrument.


        Section 8.12
    Obligation of Parent.     Parent shall cause Merger Sub to comply with each of the covenants, obligations, agreements and undertakings required to be performed by Merger Sub in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.


        Section 8.13
    WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL.     EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION OR COUNTERCLAIM (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.


ARTICLE IX
DEFINITIONS

        Section 9.1    Certain Definitions.     For purposes of this Agreement, the term:

        "Acquisition Proposal" means (a) any proposal, offer, inquiry or indication of interest relating to a merger, joint venture, partnership, consolidation, dissolution, liquidation, tender offer, recapitalization, reorganization, spin-off, share exchange, business combination or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (b) any transaction or acquisition by any Person or group resulting in, or any proposal, offer, inquiry or indication of interest that, in the case of (a) or (b), if consummated would result in, any Person (or the stockholders or other equity interest holders of such Person) or "group" (as defined pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) becoming the beneficial owner of, directly or indirectly, in one or a series of related transactions, 15% or more of the total voting power of any class of equity securities of the Company (or of the surviving parent entity in such transaction), as applicable, or 15% or more of the consolidated net revenues, net income or total assets (it being understood that assets include equity securities of Subsidiaries) of the Company, in each case other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

        "Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such first Person.

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        "Benefit Plan" means, with respect to any entity, any compensation or employee benefit plan, program, policy, agreement or other arrangement, including any "employee benefit plans" (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA, whether or not subject to ERISA), including any bonus, cash- or equity-based incentive, deferred compensation, stock purchase, health, medical, dental, disability, accident, life insurance, or vacation, paid time off, perquisite, fringe benefit, severance, change of control, retention, employment, separation, retirement, pension, profit-sharing, consulting, change in control, Tax gross-up, or savings, plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement.

        "Business Day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which the banks in New York, New York are authorized by law or executive order to be closed.

        "Company Credit Facility" means that Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of January 18, 2018, among the Company, the Company Operating Partnership, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and the other parties thereto.

        "Company Debt Agreements" means (a) the Company Credit Facility, (b) the Company Nueces Loan, (c) any mortgage, construction loan or other debt for borrowed money entered into by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (d) letters of credit and reimbursement obligations in respect thereof and (e) any obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any interest rate cap, swap, collar or similar transaction, any currency hedging transactions or any other hedging derivative transaction of any kind.

        "Company Designees" means Scott W. Fordham and one individual who is serving as an independent director on the Board of Directors of the Company as of the date of this Agreement and is mutually selected by the Company and Parent.

        "Company Equity Awards" means the Company Restricted Stock Awards and the Company RSU Awards, taken together.

        "Company Equity Plan" means the Company 2015 Equity Incentive Plan.

        "Company Material Adverse Effect" means any Effect that is materially adverse to the assets, properties, liabilities, financial condition, business or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; provided, however, that a Company Material Adverse Effect shall not include any Effect arising out of or resulting from: (a) any changes in general United States or global economic conditions; (b) changes generally affecting the industry or industries in which the Company operates; (c) any change in Law or the interpretation thereof or in GAAP or the interpretation thereof; (d) acts of war, armed hostility or terrorism or any worsening thereof; (e) earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados or other natural disasters or calamities; (f) any Effect to the extent attributable to the announcement of this Agreement (provided that this clause (f) shall not apply to any representation or warranty to the extent the purpose of such representation or warranty is to address the consequences resulting from this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby); (g) any failure by the Company to meet any internal or published projections (whether published by the Company or any analysts) or forecasts or estimates of revenues or earnings or results of operations for any period (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to any such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Company Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect); (h) any change in the price or trading volume of shares of Company Common Stock or any other publicly traded securities of the Company (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to such change that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Company Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect); (i) any reduction in the credit rating of the Company or its Subsidiaries (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to such reduction that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Company Material Adverse Effect

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may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect); and (j) any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of any tenant under any Company Lease or the commencement of any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization proceeding with respect to any tenant under any Company Lease; and provided, further, that if any Effect described in any of clauses (a), (b), (d) or (e) has had a disproportionate adverse impact on the Company relative to other companies operating in the industry in which the Company operates, then the incremental impact of such event shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred.

        "Company Material Contract" means any Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or their respective properties or assets may be bound, as of the date of this Agreement, that:

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        "Company Nueces Loan" means the Construction Loan Agreement, dated as of October 27, 2017, by and between 208 Nueces Street, LLC, U.S. Bank National Association, as administrative agent and the other parties thereto.

        "Confidentiality Agreement" means the Confidentiality Agreement, dated as of January 26, 2018, between Parent and the Company, as it may be amended.

        "Contract" means any written or oral contract, agreement, lease, license, note, loan, bond, mortgage, indenture, commitment, arrangement, understanding or other instrument or obligation, in each case that is legally binding.

        "Controlled Group Liability" means any and all liabilities (a) under Title IV of ERISA, (b) under Section 302 of ERISA, (c) under Sections 412 and 4971 of the Code, or (d) as a result of a failure to comply with the continuation coverage requirements of Section 601 et seq. of ERISA and Section 4980B of the Code.

        "Dividend Shares" has the meaning set forth in the publicly-filed form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the Company Equity Plan.

        "Effect" means any change, effect, development, circumstance, condition, state of facts, event or occurrence.

        "Environmental Laws" means any applicable Law relating to pollution or protection of the environment, including Laws relating to (a) releases, discharges, emissions or disposals to air, water, land or groundwater of Hazardous Materials; (b) the use, handling or disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos or urea formaldehyde or any other Hazardous Material; (c) the treatment, storage, disposal or management of Hazardous Materials; (d) the exposure to Hazardous Materials; or (e) the transportation, release or any other use of Hazardous Materials, including the applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. 9601, et seq., the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 6901, et seq. ("RCRA"), the Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2601, et seq. ("TSCA"), those portions of the Occupational, Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 651, et seq. relating to Hazardous Materials exposure and compliance, the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq., the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq., the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300f, et seq., the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. 1802 et seq. ("HMTA") and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, 42 U.S.C. 11001, et seq. ("EPCRA"), and other comparable state and local laws and all rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto or published thereunder.

        "ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

        "ERISA Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, trade or business which, together with such Person, is a member of a controlled group of corporations or a group of trades or businesses under common control within the meaning of § 414 of the Code or § 4001(a)(14) of ERISA.

        "Exchange Ratio" means 2.98 newly issued shares of Parent Common Stock (or, if the Parent Reverse Stock Split has been completed prior to the Effective Time, a number of newly issued shares

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of Parent Common Stock equal to 2.98 divided by the ratio applicable to the Parent Reverse Stock Split, rounded to the nearest hundredth)

        "GAAP" means United States generally accepted accounting principles.

        "Hazardous Materials" means each and every element, compound, chemical mixture, contaminant, pollutant, material, waste or other substance which is defined, determined or identified as hazardous, reactive, corrosive, ignitable, flammable or toxic under applicable Environmental Laws or the release, handling or disposal of which is regulated, or for which liability or standards of care are imposed, under Environmental Laws. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, "Hazardous Materials" include "hazardous substances" as defined in RCRA, "extremely hazardous substances" as defined in EPCRA, "hazardous waste" as defined in RCRA, "hazardous materials" as defined in HMTA, a "chemical substance or mixture" as defined in TSCA, crude oil, petroleum products or any fraction thereof, polychlorinated biphenyls, radioactive materials, including source, byproduct or special nuclear materials, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, chlorinated fluorocarbons and radon in indoor air at concentrations above U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action levels.

        "Indebtedness" means with respect to any Person, (a) all indebtedness, notes payable, accrued interest payable or other obligations for borrowed money, whether secured or unsecured, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations under conditional sale or other title retention agreements, or incurred as financing, in either case with respect to property acquired by such Person, (d) all obligations issued, undertaken or assumed as the deferred purchase price for any property or assets (including any potential earnout obligations, purchase price adjustment, release of "holdback" or similar payment), (e) all obligations under capital leases, (f) all obligations in respect of bankers acceptances, letters of credit, or similar instruments, (g) all obligations under any interest rate cap, swap, collar or similar transaction, any currency hedging transactions or any other hedging derivative transaction of any kind, (h) any guarantee of such Person of any Indebtedness of any other Person and any keepwell or similar arrangement of such Person in respect of any other Person and (i) any Indebtedness of any other Person secured by a Lien on the property or assets of such Person

        "IRS" means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or any successor agency.

        "Law" means any federal, state, local or foreign law (including common law), statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, judgment, order, injunction, decree or agency requirement of any Governmental Entity.

        "Lien" means any lien, pledge, hypothecation, mortgage, deed of trust, security interest, encumbrance, covenant, condition, easement, right of way, claim, infringement, interference, option, right of first refusal or first offer, preemptive or other third party right, community property interest or defect of title or restriction of any nature (including any restriction on the voting of any security, any restriction on the transfer of any security or other asset, or any restriction on the possession, exercise or transfer of any other attribute of ownership of any asset).

        "Parent Authorized Capital Amendment" means the approval and adoption of articles of amendment to Parent's restated and amended articles of incorporation providing for the increase in the number of shares of Parent Common Stock authorized for issuance by the Company. If approval of the Parent Reverse Stock Split is obtained, the amendment related thereto may be included in the same articles of amendment as the Parent Authorized Capital Amendment.

        "Parent Common Stock" means common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of Parent.

        "Parent Credit Facilities" means that Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of January 3, 2018, among Parent, the Parent Operating Partnership, Bank of America, N.A. and the other parties thereto and that Term Loan Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2016, as amended on

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January 22, 2018, among Parent, the Parent Operating Partnership, Bank of America, N.A. and the other parties thereto. "Parent Equity Plans" means the Parent 2009 Incentive Stock Plan and the Parent 2005 Restricted Stock Unit Plan.

        "Parent Master Note Purchase Agreement" means that Master Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 19, 2017, among Parent, the Parent Operating Partnership, and the other parties thereto.

        "Parent Material Adverse Effect" means any Effect that is materially adverse to the assets, properties, liabilities, financial condition, business or results of operations of Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; provided, however, that a Parent Material Adverse Effect shall not include any Effect arising out of or resulting from: (a) any changes in general United States or global economic conditions; (b) changes generally affecting the industry or industries in which Parent operates; (c) any change in Law or the interpretation thereof or GAAP or the interpretation thereof; (d) acts of war, armed hostility or terrorism or any worsening thereof; (e) earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados or other natural disasters or calamities; (f) any Effect to the extent attributable to the negotiation or announcement of this Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby (provided that this clause (f) shall not apply to any representation or warranty to the extent the purpose of such representation or warranty is to address the consequences resulting from this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby); (g) any failure by Parent to meet any internal or published projections (whether published by Parent or any analysts) or forecasts or estimates of revenues or earnings or results of operations for any period (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to any such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Parent Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Parent Material Adverse Effect); (h) any change in the price or trading volume of shares of Parent Common Stock or any other publicly traded securities of Parent (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to such change that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Parent Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Parent Material Adverse Effect); (i) any reduction in the credit rating of Parent or its Subsidiaries (it being understood and agreed that the facts and circumstances giving rise to such reduction that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Parent Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Parent Material Adverse Effect); and (j) any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of any tenant under any Parent Lease or the commencement of any bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization proceeding with respect to any tenant under any Parent Lease; and provided, further, that if any Effect described in any of clauses (a), (b), (d) or (e) has had a disproportionate adverse impact on Parent relative to other companies operating in the industry in which Parent operates, then the incremental impact of such event shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining whether a Parent Material Adverse Effect has occurred.

        "Parent Material Contract" means any Contract to which Parent or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or their respective properties or assets may be bound that is required to be filed as an exhibit to the Parent SEC Documents pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC.

        "Parent Preferred Stock" means the limited voting preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share, of Parent.

        "Parent Reverse Stock Split" means the adoption of articles of amendment to Parent's restated and amended articles of incorporation providing for a reverse stock split of the Parent Common Stock prior to the Effective Time, at a ratio to be determined by Parent. If approval of the Parent Authorized Capital Amendment is obtained, such amendment may be included in the same articles of amendment as the Parent Reverse Stock Split.

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        "Parent RSU Award" means an award of restricted stock units corresponding to shares of Parent Common Stock granted under the Company 2005 Restricted Stock Unit Plan or otherwise that vests based on either continued service requirements or the achievement of performance targets.

        "Permitted Lien" means any (a) Liens relating to the Indebtedness set forth on Section 9.1(a) of the Parent Disclosure Letter or Section 9.1(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, as applicable, (b) Liens that result from any statutory or other Liens for Taxes or assessments that are not yet subject to penalty or the validity of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which there are adequate reserves (to the extent such reserves are required pursuant to GAAP), (c) air rights affecting any Parent Property or Company Property, as applicable, (d) zoning regulations, permits and licenses, (e) Liens that are disclosed on the existing Parent Title Insurance Policies or Company Title Insurance Policies as in existence on the date hereof, as applicable, and, with respect to leasehold interests, Liens on the underlying fee or leasehold interest of the applicable ground lessor, lessor or sublessor, (f) any cashiers', landlords', workers', mechanics', carriers', workmen's, repairmen's and materialmen's Liens and other similar Liens imposed by Law and incurred in the ordinary course of business that are not yet subject to penalty or the validity of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (g) with respect to real property, non-monetary Liens or other minor imperfections of title, which may include (i) easements whether or not shown by the public records, overlaps, encroachments and any matters not of record which would be disclosed by an accurate survey or a personal inspection of the property, (ii) any supplemental Taxes or assessments not shown by the public records and (iii) title to any portion of the premises lying within the right of way or boundary of any public road or private road, in all cases to the extent such non-monetary Liens or minor imperfections of title do not materially impair the value of the applicable Parent Property or Company Property, as applicable, or the continued use and operation of the applicable Parent Property or Company Property, as applicable, in each case, as currently used and operated, (h) rights of parties in possession, and (i) ordinary course, non-exclusive licenses of intellectual property rights.

        "Person" means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a trust, a REIT, or any other entity, group (as such term is used in Section 13 of the Exchange Act) or organization, including a Governmental Entity, and any permitted successors and assigns of such Person.

        "REIT" means a real estate investment trust within the meaning of Sections 856 through 860 of the Code.

        "Representatives" means, with respect to any Person, such Person's directors, officers, employees, trustees, agents, or representatives (including investment bankers, financial or other advisors or consultants, auditors, accountants, attorneys, brokers, finders or other agents).

        "SEC" means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

        "Significant Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary of Parent or the Company, as the case may be, that would constitute a Significant Subsidiary of such Party within the meaning of Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the SEC.

        "Subsidiary" means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, real estate investment trust, or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, or other legal entity of which (i) such Person directly or indirectly owns or controls at least a majority of the capital stock or other equity interests having by their terms ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions; (ii) such Person is a general partner, manager or managing member; or (iii) such Person holds a majority of the equity economic interest.

        "Superior Proposal" means a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal that the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith, after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal

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counsel, taking into account all legal, financial, timing, regulatory and other aspects of the proposal and the Person making the proposal (including any termination fees, expense reimbursement provisions and conditions to consummation), if consummated, would result in a transaction that is more favorable to the stockholders of the Company than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided that, for purposes of this definition of "Superior Proposal," the term Acquisition Proposal shall have the meaning assigned to such term in this Section 9.1, except that the references to "15% or more" in the definition of "Acquisition Proposal" shall be deemed to be references to "more than 50%".

        "Tax" or "Taxes" means all federal, state, local, foreign and other taxes, levies, fees, imposts, assessments, impositions or other similar government charges, including income, estimated income, business, occupation, franchise, real property, payroll, personal property, sales, transfer, stamp, use, employment, commercial rent or withholding (including dividend withholding and withholding required pursuant to Section 1445 and Section 1446 of the Code), occupancy, premium, gross receipts, profits, windfall profits, deemed profits, license, lease, severance, capital, production, corporation, ad valorem, excise, duty or other taxes, including interest, penalties and additions (to the extent applicable) thereto, whether disputed or not.

        "Tax Protection Agreement" means any agreement pursuant to which (i) any liability to direct or indirect holders of units in a partnership that is a Subsidiary of the Company or Parent (a "Relevant Partnership") or any interests in any Subsidiary of any Relevant Partnership (any such units or interests, "Relevant Partnership Units") relating to Taxes may arise, whether or not as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and/or (ii) in connection with the deferral of income Taxes of a direct or indirect holder of Relevant Partnership Units, a party to such agreement has agreed to (a) maintain a minimum level of debt or continue a particular debt, (b) retain or not dispose of assets for a period of time that has not since expired, (c) make or refrain from making Tax elections, (d) operate (or refrain from operating) in a particular manner, (e) use (or refrain from using) a specified method of taking into account book-tax disparities under Section 704(c) of the Code with respect to one or more assets of such party or any of its Subsidiaries, (f) use (or refrain from using) a particular method for allocating one or more liabilities of such party or any of its Subsidiaries under Section 752 of the Code and/or (g) only dispose of assets in a particular manner; and/or (iii) any persons, whether or not partners in any Relevant Partnership, have been or are required to be given the opportunity to guarantee or assume debt of such Relevant Partnership or any Subsidiary of such Relevant Partnership or are so guarantying or have so assumed such debt.

        "Tax Return" shall mean any report, return, document, declaration or other information or filing supplied or required to be supplied to any taxing authority or jurisdiction (foreign or domestic) with respect to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto and any amendment thereof, any information returns, any documents with respect to or accompanying payments of estimated Taxes, or with respect to or accompanying requests for the extension of time in which to file any such report, return, document, declaration or other information.

        "to the Company's knowledge" or "to the knowledge of the Company" means the actual knowledge of any of the persons listed in Section 9.1(b)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter.

        "to Parent's knowledge" or "to the knowledge of Parent" means the actual knowledge of any of the persons listed in Section 9.1(b) of the Parent Disclosure Letter.

        "Willful Breach" means an intentional and willful material breach, or an intentional and willful material failure to perform, in each case that is the consequence of an act or omission by a party with the actual knowledge that the taking of such act or failure to take such act would or would reasonably be likely to cause a breach of this Agreement.

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        Section 9.2
    Terms Defined Elsewhere.     The following terms are defined elsewhere in this Agreement, as indicated below:

Defined Terms
  Page

Acquisition Agreement

  60

Acquisitions

  47

Agreement

  1

Articles of Merger

  2

Bankruptcy and Equitable Exceptions

  12

Base Amount

  66

Blue Sky Laws

  12

Change in Recommendation

  62

Chosen Courts

  82

Closing

  2

Closing Date

  2

Code

  1

Company

  1

Company Base Amount

  79

Company Benefit Plans

  19

Company Book-Entry Shares

  3

Company Capitalization Date

  10

Company Certificates

  3

Company Common Stock

  3

Company Convertible Stock

  10

Company Disclosure Letter

  9

Company Employees

  21

Company Insurance Policies

  27

Company Intellectual Property

  26

Company Joint Venture

  10

Company Joint Venture Properties

  25

Company Leases

  23

Company Operating Partnership

  9

Company Preferred Stock

  10

Company Properties

  22

Company Property

  22

Company Qualified DC Plan

  64

Company Required Vote

  22

Company Restricted Stock Award

  7

Company RSU Award

  8

Company SEC Documents

  13

Company Stockholders Meeting

  57

Company Tax Representation Letter

  52

Company Termination Fee

  79

Company Third Party

  24

Company Title Insurance Policy

  24

Company Transaction Litigation

  71

Continuation Period

  63

Continuing Employees

  63

Converted Entity

  69

Debt Transaction

  70

Debt Transaction Documents

  70

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Defined Terms
  Page

Disregarded Entity

  69

Effective Time

  2

Eligible Shares

  3

EPCRA

  87

Exchange Act

  12

Exchange Agent

  4

Exchange Fund

  4

Excluded Shares

  3

Form S-4

  56

Governmental Entity

  12

HMTA

  87

Indemnified Parties

  65

Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus

  56

Letter of Transmittal

  4

Material Company Leases

  24

Material Parent Leases

  41

Merger

  2

Merger Consideration

  1

Merger Sub

  1

MGCL

  2

New Plans

  64

Notice of Recommendation Change

  62

NYSE

  6

Organizational Documents

  9

Outside Date

  76

Parent

  1

Parent Benefit Plans

  37

Parent Capitalization Date

  29

Parent Disclosure Letter

  28

Parent Employees

  39

Parent Intellectual Property

  44

Parent Joint Venture Properties

  43

Parent Joint Ventures

  43

Parent Leases

  41

Parent Operating Partnership

  29

Parent Properties

  40

Parent Property

  40

Parent Required Vote

  40

Parent SEC Documents

  31

Parent Stock Issuance

  39

Parent Stock Option

  29

Parent Stockholders Meeting

  57

Parent Tax Representation Letter

  55

Parent Third Party

  42

Parent Title Insurance Policy

  42

Parties

  1

Party

  1

Payoff Letters

  71

Permits

  27

Qualifying Income

  79

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Defined Terms
  Page

RCRA

  87

REIT Requirements

  79

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

  13

SDAT

  2

Special Company Distribution

  46

Special Parent Distribution

  53

Subsidiary REIT

  69

Surviving Corporation

  2

Tax Guidance

  79

TSCA

  87

Voting Debt

  11

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        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, all as of the date first set forth above.

 
   
   
   
    COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED

 

 

By:

 

/s/ M. COLIN CONNOLLY

        Name:   M. Colin Connolly
        Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

MURPHY SUBSIDIARY HOLDINGS CORPORATION

 

 

By:

 

/s/ M. COLIN CONNOLLY

        Name:   M. Colin Connolly
        Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

TIER REIT, INC.

 

 

By:

 

/s/ SCOTT W. FORDHAM

        Name:   Scott W. Fordham
        Title:   Chief Executive Officer

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ANNEX B: OPINION OF MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC

LOGO


March 24, 2019

Board of Directors
Cousins Properties Incorporated
3344 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1800
Atlanta, GA 30326

Members of the Board:

        We understand that TIER REIT, Inc. (the "Company"), Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Buyer") and Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Buyer ("Merger Sub"), propose to enter into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, substantially in the form of the draft dated March 24, 2019 (the "Merger Agreement"), which provides, among other things, for the merger of the Company with and into Merger Sub, with Merger Sub being the surviving entity in such merger (the "Merger"). Pursuant to the Merger, each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the "Company Common Stock"), other than shares of Company Common Stock owned directly by the Company, the Buyer or Merger Sub, will be converted into the right to receive 2.98 shares (the "Exchange Ratio") of common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the Buyer (the "Buyer Common Stock"), or cash in lieu of fractional shares, if any, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances (the "Consideration"). The terms and conditions of the Merger are more fully set forth in the Merger Agreement.

        You have asked for our opinion as to whether the Exchange Ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement is fair from a financial point of view to the Buyer.

        For purposes of the opinion set forth herein, we have:

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        We have assumed and relied upon, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of the information that was publicly available or supplied or otherwise made available to us by the Company and the Buyer, and formed a substantial basis for this opinion. With respect to the financial projections, including information relating to certain strategic, financial and operational benefits anticipated from the Merger, we have assumed, with your consent, that they have been reasonably prepared on bases reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of the respective managements of the Company and the Buyer of the future financial performance of the Company and the Buyer. We have assumed, with the Buyer's consent, that the projections prepared by the management of the Buyer are a reasonable basis upon which to evaluate the business and financial prospects of the Buyer and the Company. We express no view as to such projections or the assumptions on which they were based. We have relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment by the managements of the Company and the Buyer of: (i) the strategic, financial and other benefits expected to result from the Merger; (ii) the timing and risks associated with the integration of the Company and the Buyer; (iii) their ability to retain key employees of the Company and the Buyer, respectively and (iv) the validity of, and risks associated with, the Company and the Buyer's existing and future technologies, intellectual property, products, services and business models. We have assumed with your consent that the Company has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") for U.S. federal income tax purposes since its formation as a REIT and we have assumed that the Merger will not adversely affect the status or operations of the Buyer. In addition, we have assumed, with your consent, that the Merger will be consummated in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with the terms set forth in the Merger Agreement without any waiver, amendment or delay of any terms or conditions, including, among other things, that the Merger will be treated as a tax-free reorganization, pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and that the definitive Merger Agreement will not differ in any material respect from the draft thereof furnished to us. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC ("Morgan Stanley") has assumed, with your consent, that in connection with the receipt of all the necessary governmental, regulatory or other approvals, consents or agreements required in connection with the proposed Merger, no delays, limitations, conditions or restrictions will be imposed that would have a material adverse effect on the contemplated benefits expected to be derived in the proposed Merger. We do not express any view on, and this opinion does not address, any other term or aspect of the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby or any term or aspect of any other agreement or instrument contemplated by the Merger Agreement or entered into or amended in connection therewith. We are not legal, tax, or regulatory advisors. We are financial advisors only and have relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment of the Buyer and the Company and their legal, tax, and regulatory advisors with respect to legal, tax and regulatory matters. We express no opinion with respect to the fairness of the amount or nature of the compensation to any of the Company's officers, directors or employees, or any class of such persons, relative to the Consideration

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to be received by the holders of shares of the Company Common Stock in the transaction. We have not been requested to make, and have not made, any independent valuation or appraisal of the assets or liabilities (contingent or otherwise) of the Company or the Buyer, nor have we been furnished with any such valuations or appraisals. Our opinion is necessarily based on financial, economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to us as of, the date hereof. Events occurring after the date hereof may affect this opinion and the assumptions used in preparing it, and we do not assume any obligation to update, revise or reaffirm this opinion.

        Our opinion is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view to the Buyer, of the Exchange Ratio. We have not been requested to opine as to, and our opinion does not in any manner address, the Buyer's underlying business decision to proceed with or effect the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, or the likelihood that the Merger is consummated. Our opinion does not address the relative merits of the Merger as compared to any other alternative business transaction, or other alternatives, or whether or not such alternatives could be achieved or are available.

        We have acted as financial advisor to the Board of Directors of the Buyer in connection with this transaction and will receive a fee for our services, which is entirely contingent upon the closing of the Merger. In addition, the Buyer has agreed to reimburse certain of our expenses and indemnify us and certain related parties for certain liabilities and other items arising out of or related to our engagement. In the two years prior to the date hereof, we and our affiliates have provided financial advisory and financing services for the Buyer and have received fees in connection with such services. As of the date hereof, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley is a lender to the Buyer under the Buyer's credit facility. Morgan Stanley may also seek to provide financial advisory and financing services to the Buyer and its affiliates in the future and would expect to receive fees for the rendering of these services.

        Please note that Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm engaged in the securities, investment management and individual wealth management businesses. Our securities business is engaged in securities underwriting, trading and brokerage activities, foreign exchange, commodities and derivatives trading, prime brokerage, as well as providing investment banking, financing and financial advisory services. Morgan Stanley, its affiliates, directors and officers may at any time invest on a principal basis or manage funds that invest, hold long or short positions, finance positions, and may trade or otherwise structure and effect transactions, for their own account or the accounts of its customers, in debt or equity securities or loans of the Buyer, the Company, or any other company, or any currency or commodity, that may be involved in this transaction, or any related derivative instrument.

        This opinion has been approved by a committee of Morgan Stanley investment banking and other professionals in accordance with our customary practice. This opinion is for the information of the Board of Directors of the Buyer in connection with its consideration of the Merger and may not be used for any other purpose or disclosed without our prior written consent, except that a copy of this opinion may be included in its entirety in any filing the Buyer is required to make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with this transaction if such inclusion is required by applicable law or regulation. In addition, this opinion does not in any manner address the prices at which the Buyer Common Stock will trade following consummation of the Merger or at any time and Morgan Stanley expresses no opinion or recommendation as to how the shareholders of the Buyer and the Company should vote at the shareholders' meetings to be held in connection with the Merger.

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        Based on and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion on the date hereof that the Exchange Ratio pursuant to the Merger Agreement is fair from a financial point of view to the Buyer.

  Very truly yours,

 

MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC

 

By:

 

/s/ Russ Lindberg


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ANNEX C: OPINION OF J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

GRAPHIC

March 24, 2019

The Board of Directors
TIER REIT, Inc.
5950 Sherry Lane, Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75225

Members of the Board of Directors:

        You have requested our opinion as to the fairness, from a financial point of view, to the holders of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Company Common Stock"), of TIER REIT, Inc. (the "Company") of the Exchange Ratio (as defined below) in the proposed merger (the "Transaction") of the Company with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Acquiror"). Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Agreement"), among the Company, the Acquiror and its subsidiary, Merger Sub, the Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Acquiror, and each outstanding share of Company Common Stock, other than shares of Company Common Stock held in treasury or owned by the Acquiror or Merger Sub, will be converted into the right to receive 2.9800 shares (the "Exchange Ratio") of the Acquiror's common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Acquiror Common Stock").

        In connection with preparing our opinion, we have (i) reviewed a draft dated March 24, 2019 of the Agreement; (ii) reviewed certain publicly available business and financial information concerning the Company and the Acquiror and the industries in which they operate; (iii) compared the financial and operating performance of the Company and the Acquiror with publicly available information concerning certain other companies we deemed relevant and reviewed the current and historical market prices of the Company Common Stock and the Acquiror Common Stock and certain publicly traded securities of such other companies; (iv) reviewed certain internal financial analyses and forecasts prepared by the managements of the Company and the Acquiror relating to their respective businesses, as well as the estimated amount and timing of the cost savings and related expenses and synergies expected to result from the Transaction (the "Synergies"); and (v) performed such other financial studies and analyses and considered such other information as we deemed appropriate for the purposes of this opinion.

        In addition, we have held discussions with certain members of the management of the Company and the Acquiror with respect to certain aspects of the Transaction, and the past and current business operations of the Company and the Acquiror, the financial condition and future prospects and operations of the Company and the Acquiror, the effects of the Transaction on the financial condition and future prospects of the Company and the Acquiror, and certain other matters we believed necessary or appropriate to our inquiry.

        In giving our opinion, we have relied upon and assumed the accuracy and completeness of all information that was publicly available or was furnished to or discussed with us by the Company and the Acquiror or otherwise reviewed by or for us. We have not independently verified any such information or its accuracy or completeness and, pursuant to our engagement letter with the Company, we did not assume any obligation to undertake any such independent verification. We have not conducted or been provided with any valuation or appraisal of any assets or liabilities, nor have we evaluated the solvency of the Company or the Acquiror under any state or federal laws relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or similar matters. In relying on financial analyses and forecasts provided to us or derived therefrom, including the Synergies, we have assumed that they have been reasonably

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prepared based on assumptions reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments by management as to the expected future results of operations and financial condition of the Company and the Acquiror to which such analyses or forecasts relate. We express no view as to such analyses or forecasts (including the Synergies) or the assumptions on which they were based. We have also assumed that the Transaction and the other transactions contemplated by the Agreement will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes and will be consummated as described in the Agreement, and that the definitive Agreement will not differ in any material respects from the draft thereof furnished to us. We have also assumed that the representations and warranties made by the Company and the Acquiror in the Agreement and the related agreements are and will be true and correct in all respects material to our analysis. We are not legal, regulatory or tax experts and have relied on the assessments made by advisors to the Company with respect to such issues. We have further assumed that all material governmental, regulatory or other consents and approvals necessary for the consummation of the Transaction will be obtained without any adverse effect on the Company or the Acquiror or on the contemplated benefits of the Transaction.

        Our opinion is necessarily based on economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to us as of, the date hereof. It should be understood that subsequent developments may affect this opinion and that we do not have any obligation to update, revise, or reaffirm this opinion. Our opinion is limited to the fairness, from a financial point of view, to the holders of the Company Common Stock of the Exchange Ratio in the proposed Transaction and we express no opinion as to the fairness of any consideration to be paid in connection with the Transaction to the holders of any other class of securities, creditors or other constituencies of the Company or as to the underlying decision by the Company to engage in the Transaction. Furthermore, we express no opinion with respect to the amount or nature of any compensation to any officers, directors, or employees of any party to the Transaction, or any class of such persons relative to the Exchange Ratio applicable to the holders of the Company Common Stock in the Transaction or with respect to the fairness of any such compensation. We are expressing no opinion herein as to the price at which the Company Common Stock or the Acquiror Common Stock will trade at any future time.

        We note that we were not authorized to and did not solicit any expressions of interest from any other parties with respect to the sale of all or any part of the Company or any other alternative transaction.

        We have acted as financial advisor to the Company with respect to the proposed Transaction and will receive a fee from the Company for our services, a substantial portion of which will become payable only if the proposed Transaction is consummated. In addition, the Company has agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities arising out of our engagement. During the two years preceding the date of this letter, we and our affiliates have had commercial or investment banking relationships with the Company and the Acquiror, for which we and such affiliates have received customary compensation. Such services during such period for the Company have included acting as joint lead arranger and joint lead bookrunner on each of the Company's revolving credit facility, term loan A and term loan B in March 2017, and as sales agent on the Company's at-the-market offering of equity securities. Such services during such period for the Acquiror have included acting as joint lead arranger and joint lead bookrunner on each of the Acquiror's revolving credit facility and term loan in January 2018. In addition, we and our affiliates hold, on a proprietary basis, less than 1% of the outstanding common stock of each of the Company and the Acquiror. In the ordinary course of our businesses, we and our affiliates may actively trade the debt and equity securities or financial instruments (including derivatives, bank loans or other obligations) of the Company or the Acquiror for our own account or for the accounts of customers and, accordingly, we may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities or other financial instruments.

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        On the basis of and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion as of the date hereof that the Exchange Ratio in the proposed Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of the Company Common Stock.

        The issuance of this opinion has been approved by a fairness opinion committee of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. This letter is provided to the Board of Directors of the Company (in its capacity as such) in connection with and for the purposes of its evaluation of the Transaction. This opinion does not constitute a recommendation to any shareholder of the Company as to how such shareholder should vote with respect to the Transaction or any other matter. This opinion may not be disclosed, referred to, or communicated (in whole or in part) to any third party for any purpose whatsoever except with our prior written approval. This opinion may be reproduced in full in any proxy or information statement mailed to shareholders of the Company but may not otherwise be disclosed publicly in any manner without our prior written approval.

Very truly yours,

/s/ J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC

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ANNEX D: COUSINS REVERSE STOCK SPLIT ARTICLES AMENDMENTS

        ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

TO

RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

OF

COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED

1.

        The name of the corporation is Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Corporation").

2.

        Pursuant to Section 14-2-1003 of the Georgia Business Corporation Code, these Articles of Amendment (this "Amendment") amend the Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended (the "Articles of Incorporation"). This Amendment was duly adopted by the shareholders of the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 14-2-1003 of the Georgia Business Code on                    , 2019.

3.

        In connection with the Corporation's reclassification of its common stock, par value $1.00 per share ("Common Stock"), pursuant to which (1) each four shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock will be combined into one share of Common Stock and (2) any fractional share resulting therefrom shall be entitled to receive a cash payment equal to the product of: (x) the closing sales price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on the date immediately prior to the effective time of such reclassification (as adjusted to give effect to the reclassification); and (y) the amount of the fractional share, paragraph A. to Article 4 of the Articles of Incorporation shall hereafter read in its entirety as follows:

        "A. The Corporation shall have the authority to issue 175 million shares of Common Stock, $1 par value per share. Each share of Common Stock shall have one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the shareholders of the Corporation. The holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, in proportion to the number of shares of Common Stock held, the net assets of the Corporation upon dissolution after any preferential amounts required to be paid or distributed to holders of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, if any, are so paid or distributed."

4.

        This Amendment shall become effective as of                    on                    .

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        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED has caused these Articles of Amendment to be executed by its authorized officer on                    , 2019.

  COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED

 

By:

 

 


      Name:    

      Title:    

 

Attest:

   

By:

 

 


 

 

  Name:        

  Title:        

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ANNEX E: COUSINS AUTHORIZED SHARE COUNT ARTICLES AMENDMENTS

        ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

TO

RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

OF

COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED

1.

        The name of the corporation is Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Corporation").

2.

        Pursuant to Section 14-2-1003 of the Georgia Business Corporation Code, these Articles of Amendment (this "Amendment") amend the Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended (the "Articles of Incorporation"). This Amendment was duly adopted by the shareholders of the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 14-2-1003 of the Georgia Business Code on                    .

3.

        The Articles of Incorporation are hereby further amended by amending paragraph A. to Article 4, to increase the number of shares of Common Stock, $1 par value per share, authorized for issuance to 300 million shares. Paragraph A. to Article 4 shall hereafter read in its entirety as follows:

        "A. The Corporation shall have the authority to issue 300 million shares of Common Stock, $1 par value per share. Each share of Common Stock shall have one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the shareholders of the Corporation. The holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, in proportion to the number of shares of Common Stock held, the net assets of the Corporation upon dissolution after any preferential amounts required to be paid or distributed to holders of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, if any, are so paid or distributed."

4.

        This Amendment shall become effective as of                    on                    .

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        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED has caused these Articles of Amendment to be executed by its authorized officer on                    .

  COUSINS PROPERTIES INCORPORATED

 

By:

 

 


      Name:    

      Title:    

 

Attest:    

By:

 

  


 

 
    Name:        
    Title:        

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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 20.    Indemnification of Directors and Officers

        Subsection (a) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may indemnify an individual made party to a proceeding because he or she is or was a director against liability incurred in the proceeding if: (a) such individual conducted himself or herself in good faith; and (b) such individual reasonably believed: (i) in the case of conduct in his or her official capacity, that such conduct was in the best interests of the corporation; (ii) in all other cases, that such conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and (iii) in the case of any criminal proceeding, that the individual had no reasonable cause to believe such conduct was unlawful. Subsection (d) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may not indemnify a director: (1) in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, except for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding if it is determined that the director has met the relevant standard of conduct; or (2) in connection with any proceeding with respect to conduct for which he or she was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by him or her, whether or not involving action in his or her official capacity. Subsection (a) of Section 14-2-853 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may, before final disposition of a proceeding, advance funds to pay for or reimburse reasonable expenses incurred by a director who is a party to the proceeding because he or she is a director if he or she delivers to the corporation: (1) a written affirmation of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the relevant standard of conduct described in Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC or that the proceeding involves conduct for which liability has been eliminated as part of the corporation's articles of incorporation; and (2) his or her written undertaking to repay any funds advanced if it is ultimately determined that the director is not entitled to indemnification under the GBCC. Notwithstanding the foregoing, pursuant to Section 14-2-854 of the GBCC, a court shall order a corporation to indemnify or give an advance for expenses to a director if such court determines the director is entitled to indemnification under the indemnification provisions of the GBCC or if it determines that in view of all relevant circumstances, it is fair and reasonable, even if the director has not met the standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC, failed to comply with Section 14-2-853 of the GBCC regarding the advancement of expenses or was adjudged liable in a proceeding referred to in subsection (d) of Section 14-2-851 of the GBCC, but if the director was adjudged so liable, the indemnification shall be limited to reasonable expenses incurred by the director in connection with the proceeding.

        Section 14-2-852 of the GBCC provides that a corporation shall indemnify a director who was wholly successful in the defense of any proceeding to which the director was a party because he or she was a director of the corporation against reasonable expenses incurred by the director in connection with the proceeding. Subsection (a) of Section 14-2-857 of the GBCC provides that a corporation may indemnify and advance expenses to an officer of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding because he or she is an officer of the corporation: (1) to the same extent as a director; and (2) if he or she is not a director, to such further extent as may be provided by the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, a resolution of the board of directors, or contract except for liability arising out of conduct that constitutes (a) appropriation, in violation of his or her duties, of any business opportunity of the corporation; (b) acts of omission which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law; (c) the types of liability set forth in Section 14-2-832 of the GBCC, or (d) receipt of an improper personal benefit. Subsection (c) of Section 14-2-857 of the GBCC provides that an officer of the corporation who is not a director is entitled to mandatory indemnification under Section 14-2-852 of the GBCC and may apply to a court under Section 14-2-854 of the GBCC for indemnification or advances for expenses, in each case to the same extent to which a director may be entitled to indemnification or advances for expenses under those provisions.

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        Cousins Properties Incorporated's amended and restated bylaws require the indemnification by the company of its directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Cousins Properties Incorporated has purchased directors' and officers' liability insurance for the benefit of its directors and officers.

        Cousins Properties Incorporated has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its executive officers. The indemnification agreements require, among other matters, that Cousins Properties Incorporated indemnify its executive officers and certain directors to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Item 21.    Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

        The exhibits listed below in the "Exhibit Index" are part of this registration statement and are numbered in accordance with Item 6.01 of Regulation S-K.

Item 22.    Undertakings

        The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number
  Description
  2.1   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 25, 2019, by and among Cousins Properties Incorporation, Murphy Subsidiary Holdings Corporation and TIER REIT, Inc. (included as Annex A to the joint proxy statement/prospectus forming a part of this registration statement and incorporated herein by reference)

 

3.1

 

Restated and Amended Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated, as amended August 9, 1999, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Cousins' Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and incorporated herein by reference

 

3.1.1

 

Articles of Amendment to Restated and Amended Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated, as amended July 22, 2003, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Cousins' Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 23, 2003, and incorporated herein by reference

 

3.1.2

 

Articles of Amendment to Restated and Amended Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated, as amended December 15, 2004, filed as Exhibit 3(a)(i) to the Cousins' Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference

 

3.1.3

 

Articles of Amendment to Restated and Amended Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated, dated May 4, 2010, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Cousins' Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 10, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference

 

3.1.4

 

Articles of Amendment to Restated and Amended Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated, as amended May 9, 2014, filed as Exhibit 3.1.4 to the Cousins' Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, and incorporated herein by reference

 

3.1.5

 

Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Cousins, as amended October 6, 2016, filed as Exhibit 3.1 and 3.1.1 to the Cousins' Current Form on Form 8-K filed on October 7, 2016, and incorporated by reference herein

 

3.1.6

 

Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated (included as Annex D to the joint proxy statement/prospectus forming a part of this registration statement and incorporated herein by reference)

 

3.1.7

 

Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Cousins Properties Incorporated (included as Annex E to the joint proxy statement/prospectus forming a part of this registration statement and incorporated herein by reference)

 

3.2

 

Bylaws of Cousins Properties Incorporated, as amended and restated December 4, 2012, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Cousins' Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 7, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference

 

5.1

 

Opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as to the validity of the shares of Cousins common stock to be issued in the Merger+

 

8.1

 

Tax opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz+

 

8.2

 

Tax opinion of Goodwin Procter LLP+

 

23.1

 

Consent of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for legality opinion (included in Exhibit 5.1)+

 

23.2

 

Consent of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz for tax opinion (included in Exhibit 8.1)+

 

23.3

 

Consent of Goodwin Procter LLP for tax opinion (included in Exhibit 8.2)+

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Exhibit
Number
  Description
  23.4   Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of Cousins, Deloitte & Touche LLP

 

23.5

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of TIER, Deloitte & Touche LLP

 

24.1

 

Power of Attorney (included in signature page)

 

99.1

 

Consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

 

99.2

 

Consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

 

99.3

 

Consent of Scott W. Fordham

 

99.4

 

Form of Proxy Card of Cousins+

 

99.5

 

Form of Proxy Card of TIER+

+
To be filed by amendment

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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Atlanta, State of Georgia, on April 19, 2019.

    Cousins Properties Incorporated

 

 

By:

 

/s/ M. COLIN CONNOLLY

        Name:   M. Colin Connolly
        Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer


POWER OF ATTORNEY

        We, the undersigned officers and directors of Cousins Properties Incorporated hereby severally constitute and appoint Gregg D. Adzema and Pamela F. Roper, or any of them, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below the registration statement on Form S-4 filed herewith and any and all pre-effective and post-effective amendments to said registration statement and generally to do all such things in our name and behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Cousins Properties Incorporated to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature
 
Title
 
Date

 

 

 

 

 
/s/ M. COLIN CONNOLLY

M. Colin Connolly
  President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)   April 19, 2019

/s/ GREGG D. ADZEMA

Gregg D. Adzema

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ JOHN D. HARRIS, JR.

John D. Harris, Jr.

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ LAWRENCE L. GELLERSTEDT III

Lawrence L. Gellerstedt III

 

Executive Chair, Director

 

April 19, 2019

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Signature
 
Title
 
Date

 

 

 

 

 
/s/ S. TAYLOR GLOVER

S. Taylor Glover
  Lead Director   April 19, 2019

/s/ CHARLES T. CANNADA

Charles T. Cannada

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ EDWARD M. CASAL

Edward M. Casal

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ ROBERT M. CHAPMAN

Robert M. Chapman

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ LILLIAN C. GIORNELLI

Lillian C. Giornelli

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ DONNA W. HYLAND

Donna W. Hyland

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

/s/ R. DARY STONE

R. Dary Stone

 

Director

 

April 19, 2019

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