Farella real estate and land use lawyers provide comprehensive coverage for real estate owners, investors, developers, landlords, and tenants who require attentive, high value representation in transactions and land use matters throughout California and beyond. We offer clients a sophisticated full-service legal practice and the competitive advantage gained from the firm’s longstanding presence in Northern California, including the Napa Valley. Our clients benefit directly from our first-hand knowledge of the players, deals, and political landscape affecting today’s real estate markets.
Clients
For a range of savvy real estate clients, we are engaged to handle myriad legal matters that can range from deal structuring to entitling, purchasing, building, leasing, and disposition. Because we understand the importance of active listening and know how to achieve our clients’ commercial goals—whether they are looking to grow a local platform, expedite entitlements and manage exactions, or expand or reduce a property portfolio—we effectively deliver desired outcomes.
We staff nimble teams—led by one or more Farella partners who remain actively engaged in every facet of a matter. We become valued members of our clients’ deal teams, work hard to understand each client’s business, and in many cases, develop ongoing trusted advisor relationships, working beyond immediate deal issues to address corporate, finance, tax, environmental, regulatory, insurance, construction, and litigation.
Land Use and Zoning
Both local and national real estate developers depend on our extensive understanding of the political nuances affecting the land use and entitlement landscape in Northern California, with a particular focus on San Francisco and the Wine Country. Our team is adept at solving zoning issues that are critical to client success. We frequently work closely with city councils, boards of supervisors, and planning commissions, interacting with decision makers and departmental staff to streamline processes in pursuing client objectives.
To maximize our clients’ opportunities, our specialized knowledge in evolving land use regulations and valuable industry contacts to move matters forward with greater efficiency.
Scope and Depth
We offer exceptional experience and know-how in addressing deal specific needs, such as architectural and construction agreements and Historic and New Markets Tax Credits.
Also, to accommodate smaller, privately-held family businesses, our transactional, estate planning, and business succession planning teams are deeply involved in the real estate practice. When disputes arise, our litigation teams appear in courtrooms throughout the region and across the U.S. to protect and defend our clients’ interests.
Professional Involvement
Our industry commitment goes beyond solving legal puzzles for our clients. We are active in major trade groups, including the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), CREW San Francisco, and Lambda Alpha International (LAI). Our wine industry focus is augmented by our involvement in the California Association of Winegrape Growers, the Napa County Farm Bureau, and the International Wine Lawyers Association.
Noting our decades-long presence in Napa Valley and our St. Helena office serving the needs of our wine industry clients, the widely-read legal news source Law360 recognized our firm as a “California Powerhouse” in 2018. Our lawyers also regularly appear in national and California-based rankings from U.S. News - Best Lawyers, the Daily Journal, and The Legal 500 United States.
