Since the inception of our firm, we have evolved with the changing real estate market throughout Southern California. In the last decade, we have helped clients respond to market forces and assisted clients in taking advantage of alternative financing sources, dealing with overbuilt markets and complying with a complex body of local, state and national environmental laws.
Real Estate Litigation
Our firm provides a full range of real estate litigation services to commercial and individual clients. We represent developers, owners, property managers, tenants, financial institutions and investors in all types of disputes, including those arising from:
- Acquisitions
- Brokerage commissions
- Construction contracts
- Mechanic's Liens
- Foreclosures
- Landlord-tenant
- Leases
- Property management
- Adverse possession
- Boundaries
- Easements
- Rights of way
Homeowners' Associations
Our homeowners' association practice provides Southern California homeowners' associations and cooperatives with comprehensive legal counsel on a wide array of issues. We are often called on to provide counsel on issues such as drafting documents for condominium communities, directing annual meetings and officer elections and formulating rules and policies.
Our homeowners' association practice includes:
- Annual meetings
- Assessment collections
- Compliance issues related to financial-reporting requirements
- Contract matters, including preparation and negotiation
- Dispute resolution
- Document drafts and amendments
- Foreclosures
- Rules and regulations enforcement
Commercial Real Estate
We work with developers, owners, property managers, tenants, financial institutions and investors in all types of transactions from routine purchase agreements to complicated development plans. Among our clients are international corporations, local buyers and sellers of real property, landlords and tenants, and investment and property-management companies. Facilities range from Class A office buildings and convention centers to planned communities.
Our real estate practice includes:
- Acquisitions
- Brokerage commission disputes
- Clean-up reimbursements
- Construction-contract issues and litigation
- Contract negotiations
- Debt restructurings
- Environmental remediation
- Foreclosures
- Landlord-tenant disputes
- Lease negotiations and contracts
- Loan workouts
- Project finance, including mortgages, sale-leasebacks, like-kind exchange and non-traditional financing sources
- Property-management issues
- REIT formations and related issues
- Title-insurance matters
- Zoning issues
Commercial real estate matters often call for knowledge and expertise in specialized and related areas of law. As a multi-disciplinary firm, we have the professional staff and resources to address a broad scope of questions. Our real estate attorneys often work with members of the firm's corporate, banking and litigation practices to provide our clients with a full range of legal services.
Products Liability
We have substantial experience in defending various business and commercial product defect claims brought against a variety of different manufacturers and other corporations that sell products. We are especially skilled at developing factual and legal defenses for complex scientific and technical issues, including mold in housing and other structures. We focus on early strategic thinking with the goal of obtaining the best business result for the client. We are often asked to suggest methods of risk management to minimize the impact of an anticipated problem. We pride ourselves on developing a partnership with corporate counsel.
Mortgages
Real Estate Buyers
A mortgage is a lien on your property, placed by a bank or financial institution, for money that you borrowed from the financial institution in order to pay for the property. When a mortgage has been signed and approved, you will have the obligation to pay back the loan for the property, plus interest, and the financial institution will have the right to foreclose your property if you do not repay the mortgage. We represent individuals and businesses in the structuring of commercial and residential real estate loan transactions.
Mortgage Holders
We provide a range of services for mortgage holders, including:
- Collecting delinquent mortgage payments
- Conducting foreclosure sales
- Bidding at foreclosure sales
- Obtaining certificates of title.
Mortgage Foreclosure
We handle loan foreclosures for both residential and commercial properties. Our clients include private investors, public banks, and private financial institutions.
Premises Liability
Premises Liability cases arise from injuries occurring in residential and commercial buildings, shopping centers and parking facilities, hotels and casinos, amusement parks, airports, healthcare facilities, nightclubs and bars, as well as universities and public schools. The general rule of law is that the owner or operator of the premises has a duty to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition or at least warn customers of a dangerous condition of which the owner or operator caused, knows about, or should know about. We have substantial experience in defending various businesses and individuals in premises liability claims.
Eminent Domain
The right of eminent domain is the right of the state, through its regular organization, to reassert, either temporarily or permanently, its dominion over any portion of the soil of the state on account of public exigency and for the public good. Our firm represents clients in all aspects of an eminent domain proceeding.
Zoning and Planning
Zoning is the division of a city by legislative regulation into districts and the prescription and application in each district of regulations having to do with structural and architectural designs of buildings and of regulations prescribing use to which buildings within designated districts may be put. Our firm assists clients interact with governmental entities in issues of zoning, control of real estate development and use, environmental impact studies and land use planning laws which are implemented by local zoning and land use laws and ordinances.
