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2029 Century Park
East, Suite 900
Los Angeles, California 90067
Telephone (310) 286-1260
Facsimile (310)
286-2351 |
Real Estate Practice Group
Our real estate group specializes in the representation of owners,
users, investors, syndicators, brokers and secured lenders in connection
with their real estate assets and their real estate finance activities.
Our real estate practice encompasses both transactional and litigation
matters, and each representation is tailored to the needs of the
specific client so that we are better able to advance that client's
interests. While aggressively representing our clients' interests, our
attorneys focus on being "deal makers" using a common sense practical
approach to solving problems. As such, our attorneys are frequently able
to assist our clients in evaluating and creatively dealing with the
needs of other parties, a strategy which reduces the tensions often
associated with protracted negotiations.
Secured Lending. We provide representation to lenders,
underwriters, developers, and owners in connection with their real
estate financing activities. Our expertise has allowed us to structure
and implement nearly every financing mechanism currently being applied
in financing real estate. That expertise extends beyond traditional real
estate assets and includes the financing of real estate possessing
special attributes like affordable housing projects that benefit from
the low income housing tax credit, hotels that benefit from (and |
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are sometimes burdened by) hotel
management agreements, co-generation facilities that benefit from energy
supply contracts, and gasoline stations and other businesses that rely
upon both real estate and franchise rights. In addition to advice and
documentation on loan originations and workouts, we regularly represent
borrowers and secured parties in the judicial and non-judicial
enforcement of their rights.
Sales, Acquisitions and Exchanges. We represent our clients in
connection with the purchase, sale and exchange of real estate. In each
case our representation is tailored to the goals of individual clients
so that, in addition to addressing general real estate concerns, the
special, and often different concerns of investors, users, syndicators
and operators are thoroughly addressed.
Leasing and Operations.
Lawyers of
the firm provide representation to both owners and tenants in connection
with leasing activities and the operation of their projects and
premises. For clients attempting to lease large projects or to assemble
multiple business sites, that representation begins with the structuring
of a leasing or site acquisition plan, which is designed to provide the
client the ability to effectively negotiate and manage the complexities
that can result from the need to negotiate with various parties having
different needs. For clients whose needs relate to a single site, our
representation is based upon the business goals of the client, and our
services are customized to help the client reach those goals.
Development. We have assisted clients in the development of
apartment, housing, office, industrial, retail and multi-use projects.
We provide legal counsel and negotiation and documentation assistance in
all aspects of development, including CC&Rs, construction, construction
contracting and mechanics' liens, project finance, and brokerage. Our
practical, common sense approach to solving legal and business problems
greatly simplifies the development process.
Syndication and Capital Formation. Our real estate and corporate
securities lawyers frequently work together to assist our developer,
owner and syndicator clients with their equity capital formation needs.
We routinely form the entities that hold real estate and related assets,
negotiate and structure the offering of investment interests in those
entities, and prepare the formation and offering documents required to
effect both public offerings and private placements of those interests.
While historically the limited partnership was the entity of choice for
the real estate industry, our clients are increasingly calling upon our
lawyers to use limited liability companies in their transactions due to
the flexibility offered by that form of organization. As a result, our
lawyers have become experts in using limited liability companies in real
estate transactions.
Environmental Practice. Our lawyers have developed substantial
expertise in the environmental issues frequently associated with real
estate transactions and real estate disputes. Unlike many firms, our
attorneys have substantial expertise in the environmental regulatory
area. We have spearheaded numerous site assessment and remediation
projects, commencing with the receipt of an agency directive through
site closure. Our relationships with agency personnel and environmental
consultants have proved invaluable in coordinating our clients'
assessment and remediation activities. Although not the principal focus
of our environmental practice, when other means of resolving
environmental disputes do not adequately protect the client's interests,
our litigation group and our real estate group work together to
represent the client's interests in various types of adversarial
proceedings, including proceedings before the Environmental Protection
Agency and other environmental agencies.
Organizational. In working with our clients' real estate needs,
we are often called upon to organize and structure the ownership,
control, and financial interests in the entities that hold the real
estate and related assets. Those entities include trusts, limited and
general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations and limited liability
companies. In each case, the type of entity and the ownership and
control structure are tailored to the business, tax and limited
liability needs of the client. In the course of structuring those
relationships, we are often called upon to negotiate and prepare
employment and management agreements between the entities we form and
the other principals to the transaction.
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