Biography

Ms. O’Connor is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. She focuses on real estate financing, loan enforcement, acquisitions, development and leasing. She has particular expertise in designing and implementing large-scale systematized and scalable programs to deliver cost-effective legal services in real estate matters, frequently on a fixed fee basis. Most recently Ms. O’Connor has developed and implemented business processes to systematize the enforcement of commercial real estate loans. Before that, she created and implemented a large-scale acquisitions program for a multinational retailer that resulted in the successful acquisition of more than 150 sites totaling in value over $1.2 Billion over an 18 month period.

Ms. O’Connor has extensive experience in complex real estate financing transactions, workouts and foreclosures, dating back to the late 1980s. She has also handled many purchases and sales of environmentally contaminated properties. She has served as lead counsel for myriad senior and mezzanine loans, lease financings, securitized transactions, ground leases and equity investments for a wide variety of investors, banks, insurance companies and others.

Ms. O’Connor has also successfully led the acquisition, entitlement, and development of major industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, warehouse and distribution facilities. She has significant experience in handling foreign direct investment transactions by new entrants into the US and California markets. Her clients have included lenders, retailers, servicers, insurance companies, banks, manufacturers, pharmacies, grocery chains, borrowers, hotel chains, shopping center owners, pharmaceutical companies, medical office complexes and ports.

In civic life, Ms. O’Connor serves as the Chairman of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. She was recognized as one of the top 10 real estate lawyers in Southern California by Real Estate Southern California in 2005. Real Estate Southern California named her a “Woman of Influence” in 2006 and 2007. She has also been named one of the Distinguished Alumni of the University of Minnesota Law School. Ms. O’Connor is a prominent and frequent speaker to industry groups and author on real estate topics. Ms. O'Connor is the author of the law blog, Practical Counsel, which offers her insights and commentary on legal matters related to commercial real estate. Practical Counsel is a joint publishing initiative with GlobeSt.com.

Education

J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude (1988)

B.A., Carleton College (1981)

Admissions

• California

Courts

• United States Supreme Court