An Insider's Perspective on Real Estate Law: Finance and Commercial Transactions - Apr. 12, 2011

Dear RELS members:

As the semester approaches its end, the RELS cordially invites you to attend a special keynote speaker event: "An Insider's Perspective on Real Estate Law: Finance and Commercial Transactions" on April 12, 2011 from 12-1pm in Bannan Hall 241.

Our keynote speakers, Mr. John W. Easterbrook and Ms. Terri Molinaro, work at the Silicon Valley Law Group's Real Estate and Land Use Group. Terri Molinaro will speak about her extensive experiences in real estate purchase and sale transactions and leasing, while John Easterbrook (a Santa Clara Law alumnus) will focus on financing issues, foreclosure issues and insolvency situations.

For those of you interested in real estate finance law and real estate commercial transactions, this will be a wonderful opportunity to network with two highly respected real estate law attorneys with vast financial and business experience in the real estate industry. We look forward to seeing you there!"

Best,

RELS Board

Commercial Real Estate Leasing: A Course Preview and Trends in Real Estate Leasing - March 17, 2011

Dear RELS members:

We welcome you to join us on March 17, 2011 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm in Bannan 241 to hear our guest speaker Prof. Michael Althouse. His presentation will be entitled "Commercial Real Estate Leasing: A Course Preview and Trends in Real Estate Leasing."

Professor Althouse specializes in real estate leasing and will speak to us about his experiences in the field, the Commercial Real Estate Leasing course he teaches, and the evolving trends in the real estate leasing market. For those who are interested in the corporate transactional aspect of real estate law, this will be a great opportunity!

For more information, please feel free to read Prof. Althouse's biography or reach any of our helpful board members.

Thank you and Happy President's Day Weekend!

Best,

RELS Board

Where Did Santana Row Come From? - Feb. 10, 2011

On Thursday, February 10, Professor Dorothy Glancy will present "Where Did Santana Row Come From?” We encourage you join us for this special Speaker Event in which Santa Clara Law's own brilliant Professor Glancy will share with us her knowledge and experiences surrounding the Santana Row PUD and its predecessors.

She will discuss the planning and design of a successful PUD. This will be a great opportunity to learn about a real estate development project very near and dear to us - the Santana Row PUD that has become a benchmark for all PUDs!

The talk will be held in Bannan 331 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

RELS Board

DIY Real Estate: Hanging Out Your Own Shingle and Investment 101 - Feb. 3, 2011

On Thursday, February 3, Professor Cynthia Mertens and her special guest speaker, Mr. Marc Eisenhart, will present "DIY Real Estate: Hanging Out Your Own Shingle and Investment 101." We welcome you to join us in learning how you may hang your own real estate law shingle and begin investing in real estate properties. Less theoretical, more practical.

We hope to provide you with the opportunity to gain new perspectives on your personal real estate career. There is no right way to do "it," but you can find out how to get there sooner!  And the Real Estate Law Society is here to help guide you.

The event will be held from 12:00 pm until 1:00 pm in Bannan 241. We hope to see you there!

RELS Board

Classroom Speaker Event - Mr. Peter N. Brewer

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Bannan Hall 241, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Dear valued RELS members:

We began the year striving to deliver as many meaningful real estate law opportunities as possible. As a continuing effort to achieve our goals, we welcome you to join us on November 10, 2010 from 12:00-1:00 PM in Bannan Hall 241 to hear our keynote speaker, Mr. Peter N. Brewer.

Mr. Brewer has been a lawyer for over 25 years, and is also licensed by the California Department of Real Estate as a broker. For five years he was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of one of the nation's biggest real estate lenders, giving him unique experience and expertise in real estate, business and lending matters, both large and small. More recently he worked in the real estate and litigation division of Liccardo, Rossi, Sturges & McNeil, a 22-lawyer firm in San Jose.

Since starting his own office in Palo Alto in 1995, he and his firm continue to serve the legal needs of real estate and mortgage brokers, agents, brokerages, title companies, developers, investors, other real estate professionals, and their clients. He and his firm also represent clients in debt collection, breach of contract matters, and other litigation and transactional work.

In addition to the Juris Doctor degree awarded to him by Santa Clara University School of Law in 1979, Mr. Brewer holds a Bachelor's degree from California State University in San Jose in metallurgy and machine tool technology.

Mr. Brewer frequently sits as a Judge Pro Tempore on the Santa Clara County Superior Court, and is a member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association's Fee Arbitration Committee. He currently serves as the Chair of the Real Property Committee section of the SCCBA as well.

For more information about our guest speaker, please visit http://www.brewerfirm.com/attorney-peter-brewer.html/.

Thank you for your continued interest in the RELS. We look forward to seeing you. In the meantime, please stay posted for updates and don’t forget to visit our blog.

Best,

RELS Board

Classroom Speaker Event - Mr. Brad O’Brien

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Bannan Hall 241, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

By invitation from Professor Cynthia Mertens and Professor Althouse who teach Real Estate Development, RELS members were able to experience the life of real estate law practice beyond school walls. Mr. Brad O’Brien, a partner at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati specializing in real estate and environmental law, delivered a wonderful interactive Q&A lecture session on the practical underpinnings of his real estate law and life experience.

About Mr. Brad O’Brien:

Brad O'Brien plays a leadership role in the real estate and environmental practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Brad's practice focuses on real estate transactions, representing developers, lenders, and corporate users of commercial and industrial facilities. His areas of particular expertise include real estate finance, joint venture development, ground lease practice, facility acquisition and disposition, and complex leasing transactions. Brad assists the firm's corporate clients in acquiring, developing, and financing projects to satisfy large facilities requirements, including corporate campus development. Brad has experience in such varied transactions as the sale of a major ski resort, the development of hotel/casino, riverboat, dockside gaming operations in several states, the sale of a major theme park, and the purchase of large coastal land holdings for open space protection.

In addition to his client work, Brad also has been responsible for the business and legal aspects of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's facilities requirements, including site selection, deal structure, and negotiation of leases for more than 20 office facilities.

Brad has practiced in Silicon Valley since 1976, joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1981. He regularly teaches courses in commercial leasing and recent developments in real estate practice for the California Continuing Education of the Bar. He also is active in community affairs, providing pro bono representation to a variety of community organizations, including Peninsula Open Space Trust, Eastside College Preparatory School, and Ronald McDonald House.

Please click here to view his profile.

Keynote Speaker Event - Mr. Garth Pickett

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Bannan Hall 238, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM


In alliance with the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, the RELS board welcomes members to attend a special speaker event. Mr. Garth Pickett, Department Chair of Hopkins & Carley Real Estate Department, will be presenting on “How to Live a Balanced Life within the Demands of Law.”

About Mr. Garth E. Pickett:

Mr. Pickett holds memberships in the State Bar real estate section, the construction law and commercial lease subsections, the American Bar Association, and the ABA Forum of the Construction Industry and the real estate and tax sections. Mr. Pickett has lectured for the California Continuing Education of the Bar and has been a speaker at various seminars on real estate and construction subjects. He leads many training programs for commercial real estate brokers. He participates on the executive board for the Pacific Skyline Council Boy Scouts of America and was a founder of PilotLegis, an RPG E&O insurance company and continues to serve on its board of directors. Previously, he served on the board of directors for California Security Bank and held membership in the National Construction Industry Dispute and Resolution
Task Force.

Mr. Pickett holds a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford University Law School, where he sat on the board of the Stanford Law Review. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, magna cum laude, from Brigham Young University. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1972. Prior to joining Hopkins & Carley, Mr. Pickett was an associate with Los Angeles-based law firm Overton, Lyman & Prince.


Click here to learn more about the speaker.