Three Harvest LLP attorneys were recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers®. Partner Fernando Landa and Partner & General Counsel Jamie Altman Buggy were listed in Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – Real Estate in San Diego. Associate Lee Kaplan was listed for the first time in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Real Estate Law in Los Angeles.
Over the last 40 years, Best Lawyers® has become one of the country's most respected and reliable source for legal referrals. Its rigorous methodology, which involves an exhaustive peer-review survey process, has earned it a reputation as the industry’s guide to legal excellence. This year marks its 31st edition and recognizes 79,116 attorneys in 204 metro areas across the country. The 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America – which highlights the brightest rising legal talent who are in their fifth though tenth years of practice – honors 26,916 attorneys across 198 metro areas.
A founding partner of Harvest, Fernando represents public real estate investment trusts, private equity funds, institutional investors and entrepreneurial developers in a variety of commercial real estate transactions. He has broad expertise working on large deals across the country and spanning the asset spectrum, including office, industrial, life science, hospitality, retail and mixed-use assets. In addition, Fernando possesses a unique expertise in distressed real estate workouts and the sale of commercial real estate assets through the judicial process. Fernando has served the community for years, including on the boards of the San Diego chapter of NAIOP, the California Receivers Forum, the Building Industry Association of San Diego Political Action Committee, and the BuildSD Political Action Committee.
Jamie, who joined Harvest's San Diego office at the firm's launch in 2022, has broad experience in all types of real estate disputes, including breach of contract, fraud, insurance coverage, partnership disputes, and breach of fiduciary duty. Her experience also includes serving both creditors and debtors in bankruptcy matters, guiding them through the complicated process to a favorable outcome. She specializes in commercial landlord-tenant disputes and oversees a high volume of landlord-tenant litigation. She thrives when the situation at hand lacks precedent and requires creativity and an entrepreneurial attitude and is known for managing her litigation matters cost effectively but with exceptional results. Outside of the law, Jamie serves her community through charitable work including past tenures on the board of Home Start, which aims to strengthen families and prevent child abuse, and as Vice President of the Veterans Research Alliance, which raises money to fund innovative medical research for veteran.
Lee is a talented and conscientious attorney who uses his keen ability to simplify complex legal topics to help clients understand their options, make informed decisions, and achieve optimal results. He advises clients – including public entities, private landowners, and brokers – with respect to leases and purchase and sale agreements, as well as complex covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), easements, licenses, loan documents, settlements and other agreements pertaining to real property. In addition to his transactional experience, Lee has broad expertise in land use and environmental law, and he has helped guide development projects of all sizes through complex entitlement processes throughout Southern California. Lee's writing on land use and real estate-related topics has appeared in publications including the California Real Property Journal, Multi-Housing News, the Daily Journal, and the Environmental Law Reporter.