Overview

For over thirty years, Paul has represented major developers, owners, and operators of master-planned communities, country clubs, hotels, resorts, senior housing projects, retail projects, and office properties.

What sets Paul apart from most other lawyers is his business-oriented approach and understanding of both the short and long term goals of his clients. His primary focus is to maximize a client's flexibility and return while minimizing its risk. Paul uses this approach to develop long term relationships with his clients that don’t end when the deal closes.

Paul has been a pioneer in the area of mixed-use and adaptive re-use development and has worked with developers on the entitlement and structure of a number of major projects in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and the Bay Area, including the rehabilitation and repositioning of several historic buildings. Paul has developed creative approaches to address the unique challenges created by these types of projects.

Over the years, Paul has worked with the owners and developers of dozens of equity and non-equity country clubs throughout California. This includes structuring membership programs, registration of membership securities, transferring clubs to the members, and positioning non-equity clubs for sale. In addition, Paul has extensive experience in assisting country clubs with on-going operational and management issues including member disciplinary actions, negotiation of golf tournament agreements, employee issues, and the like.

During his career, Paul has worked on dozens of hotel acquisition and disposition transactions and has become a recognized expert in structuring such transactions and in addressing the unique issues that arise in connection therewith. These include liquor license issues, WARN Act compliance, employee and labor issues, special tax considerations, and management transitions.

Experience

  • Represented a large privately-held real estate company in connection with the sale of numerous office and retail properties in Southern California.

  • Represented a country club in connection with the establishment of new club amenities and related membership program.

  • Represented a country club developer in connection with a major restructuring of the club's membership program.

  • Represented a country club owner in connection with the sale of a private, non-equity club in Northern California.

  • Represented the developer of an adaptive reuse project in downtown Los Angeles that transformed an empty office building into a mixed-use project.

  • Represented the developer of an adaptive reuse project in Koreatown that transformed an empty office building into a mixed-use project.

  • Represented a country club developer in connection with the early transfer of the club to the members and the sale of the remaining membership interests to the club.

  • Represented a hotel REIT in connection with the purchase of numerous hotel properties in Southern and Northern California.

  • Represented a hotel REIT in connection with the purchase of a large hotel in San Francisco.

  • Represented a hotel REIT in connection with the subdivision and sale of an underutilized portion of an existing hotel site for condominium development.

Insights

News

Publications

Awards & Affiliations

Honors & Recognitions

Southern California Super Lawyers, 2012-2018

Southern California Rising Stars, 2005-2006

Professional Affiliations

Urban Land Institute (ULI)

Southern California Building Industry Association

Since 2003, Paul has been an instructor for the Real Estate Development Process course that is offered by the ULI Real Estate School in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Bar & Court Admissions

  • State Bar of California

Education

J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 1990

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987, high honors

Jump to Page

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.