An adept and versatile lawyer, David is passionate about helping institutional owners, operators, and developers capitalize on opportunities. He continues to be the go-to lawyer for several of Southern California’s leading real estate companies due to his ability to solve problems, maximize negotiating leverage, build momentum, grow relationships, and timely close transactions.
David’s practice focuses on purchase and sale, debt and equity financing, development, construction, and leasing transactions. With experience that spans all asset classes and property types, he has successfully shepherded numerous major projects to completion with a total aggregate consideration of over $1 billion in development projects and over $5 billion in real property acquisition and disposition work. David has achieved great success for both landlords and tenants with the completion of lease transactions covering millions of square feet. He also advises his clients on day-to-day operational matters and property management issues.
After beginning his legal career as a tax associate at Deloitte, David joined the real estate department of Allen Matkins. He later became a partner at Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP and Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3) before co-founding Harvest. David gives seminars to real estate professionals and graduate students on a variety of legal issues and has lectured on real estate law topics at USC, UCLA, and Loyola Marymount University.
Notable Deals
- Represented a developer in the negotiation of a joint venture with a landowner/utility company to re-entitle a coastal utility infrastructure site for mixed-use purposes into multiple different planning areas.
- Assisted a money partner in a $60 million joint venture in connection with a multi-phase, mixed-use project.
- Advised a national homebuilder in a joint venture for the purpose of acquiring lots to develop and construct, in phases, 497 single family detached residential homes and related onsite improvements and to sell the homes to the general public.
- Represented an institutional equity partner in connection with a joint venture for an over 500,000-square-foot industrial complex in Menifee, California featuring three Class A buildings on 36 acres designed for logistics tenants. Assisted with all areas of real estate matters, including reviewing of design and construction contracts and negotiations of the purchase and sale agreement.
- Represented a well-known national REIT in the development and construction of a new 16-story office building over the Washington State Convention Center podium in Seattle, Washington.
- Represented a national homebuilder in connection with a $50 million acquisition, development, and construction loan for a multi-phase development.
- Counseled an institutional owner in connection with a $45 million office building refinance.
- Assisted a seller in connection with a $58 million disposition of a ground lease interest upon which a 10-story, 100,000-square-foot, first-class office building sits.
- Counseled a seller in a 12-property portfolio of industrial assets encompassing approximately a million square feet for roughly $170 million.
- Represented a seller in a multi-jurisdictional portfolio sale of regional malls valued at over $150 million.
- Counseled a buyer in the $99 million acquisition of the Mr. C Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
- Represented a large institutional investment manager in the negotiation of an option and development agreement and due diligence work for a mixed-use project consisting of nearly 800 residential units, approximately 1,500 square feet of commercial space, and a multi-acre, publicly accessible, privately owned open space.
- Counseled a REIT in the redevelopment of the Westside Pavilion Mall in West Los Angeles, California into a mixed-use retail and office project leased by Google.
- Assisted an institutional owner in the redevelopment of a studio/office project to include a new midrise office tower, a new production office building, a new five-story parking structure, and an overall remodel of the entire project.
- Represented a national retail tenant in a lease for a new, Class A corporate headquarters consisting of approximately 230,000 square feet to be delivered in multiple phases.
- Advised an institutional owner in an approximately 800,000-square-foot, build-to-suit lease for a distribution center.
- Represented a national retail tenant in the negotiation of a 750,000-square-foot, build-to-suit distribution center lease in Washington State.
- Assisted an institutional client in the negotiation of an approximately 400,000-square-foot industrial lease to a national tenant in Pennsylvania.
Accolades
- "2022 Commercial Real Estate Visionaries: Professional Service Advisors," L.A. Times B2B Publishing (2022)
- “Leaders in Law,” Firm Attorney Nominee, Los Angeles Business Journal (2019)
- "Rising Stars," Southern California Super Lawyers (2014-2016)
- “Tomorrow’s Leaders in Southern California,” Real Estate Forum (2015)
Education
- J.D., UCLA School of Law
- B.A., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, summa cum laude
Bar Admissions
- California