Farella Adds Real Estate Heavyweights Louis Haas and Robert Nicholas
Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel has added Louis N. Haas and Robert C. Nicholas as Special Counsel. Haas and Nicholas join Farella after spending the past 47 years together as colleagues at Haas & Najarian LLP, which recently closed its doors.
“Lou and Rob have been staples in the legal community for decades, and we have crossed paths with them repeatedly over the years. We’ve always appreciated their diligence and exceptional legal prowess,” said Brent Saldaña, Farella partner and chair of its Real Estate Group. “We are excited to welcome these two accomplished lawyers to Farella.”
“For our long-time clients, Farella offers a larger platform with services and expertise that extend well beyond our boutique practice offerings,” said Haas. “Farella is a firm we have long admired, and its team is first rate. Rob and I are confident that our clients will be well served.”
Managing partner of Haas & Najarian for 52 years, Haas has tried and supervised government contract disputes in virtually every forum in the country, including contract appeals boards, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He provides business advice to clients across a wide range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, mining, technology, and an array of service businesses. Haas also advises numerous nonprofit entities and has served on several nonprofit boards.
Haas is a graduate of Stanford Law School (J.D., 1966) and the University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1963). He is a member of the Association of General Contractors Legal Advisory Committee and often writes and lectures on construction and government contracts matters.
With more than four decades of experience, Nicholas has a diverse real estate practice representing owners and developers in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, construction, and management of all types of commercial properties. He has developed particular expertise in the hospitality industry, where he negotiates third-party and “brand” hotel management and hotel franchise agreements. He also has considerable experience in negotiating, documenting, restructuring, and enforcing commercial leases.
Among Nicholas’ noteworthy engagements are representing the Chinese developer in the formation of a joint venture to complete Oakland’s $1.5 billion “Brooklyn Basin” urban infill project, representing the seller of the landmark Renaissance Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu, the buyer of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles, and the Rim Hotel Group in the disposition of the company’s portfolio of hotels. Nicholas is a graduate of Pepperdine Law (J.D., 1977) and the University of California, Davis (B.A., 1974).
About Farella
Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business and real estate transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry.
Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433 / [email protected]