Seyfarth Shaw Expands Real Estate Practice in Los Angeles

Contacts:
Kevin Livingston, National Director of Public Relations
(312) 460-6681 / (212) 218-5272, klivingston@seyfarth.com

Ivette Delgado, Senior Public Relations Associate
(212) 218-5273, idelgado@seyfarth.com

LOS ANGELES (May 3, 2011) —Seyfarth Shaw LLP is pleased to announce that Steven Fein has joined the firm as a partner in its Downtown Los Angeles office. Fein specializes in commercial real estate lending and in representing funds and advisors to real estate funds on equity investments in real estate. He joins Seyfarth Shaw from DLA Piper.

Fein has extensive experience in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions, including the formation of joint ventures and their equity investments, lending arrangements, acquisitions, and dispositions as well as workouts and restructurings. He represents institutional investors, pension funds, commercial banks and private investors, both U.S. and foreign-based. He has represented clients in mezzanine, permanent and bridge loan transactions, construction financings and preferred equity investments.

“The real estate market has turned the corner from the depths of the recession and banks, funds, and other investors are completing major transactions,” Fein said. “Seyfarth Shaw has an excellent reputation for its real estate finance work in California as well as nationally and is well-positioned to capture a lot of this new activity. I look forward to joining my colleagues in Los Angeles, as well as across the country.” 

“As transactional activity starts returning to pre-recession levels, this is the perfect time to add a real estate professional of Steven Fein’s caliber,” said Paul P. Mattingly, chair of Seyfarth Shaw’s Real Estate department. “We are seeing a significant uptick in sales, investments, lending and development deals, not to mention the remaining opportunities in distressed assets. Steven bolsters our real estate practice and creates an experienced and deep roster for institutional clients doing business in California as well as nationally.”

Fein is the second significant real estate partner to join Seyfarth in California this year. The firm added Thomas Masenga as a partner in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office in January.
 
“Steven Fein has a reputation as a highly respected, client-focused partner. His professional profile, personality and presence will make him a wonderful addition to our California team and help us grow it further,” said Kenwood C. Youmans, managing partner of the Los Angeles office.

Seyfarth’s 90-lawyer Real Estate department balances legal counseling with an understanding of how a client’s business works and how their real estate assets and investments fit with their business objectives. The group specializes in retail, pension funds, office/industrial leasing, development/construction, and structured real estate finance. The team works with lenders, investors, developers, owners and users of real estate across all industries, including pension funds, investment advisors and government entities.

Seyfarth Shaw established a California presence in 1973 with two partners from its Chicago office and now has approximately 200 lawyers in the state with expertise in business transactions, intellectual property, commercial litigation, employee benefits, international and employment law.

Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys located in 10 offices throughout the United States, including: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., as well as internationally in London. Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate, and real estate. The firm’s practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country’s business and social fabric. Clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state and local governmental and educational entities. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com. 

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