Mr Keith Garner > Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s real estate, energy, land use and environmental group handles a wide range of real estate matters, regularly representing investors, developers, and property owners, including a number of large homebuilders and hospital systems. Hotels and self-storage facilities are other areas of expertise, as are the retail, commercial, and industrial spaces. The firm is also known for its financing and restructuring expertise and has seen a number of recent mandates relating to single and portfolio transactions and ground leases. The team has a particularly strong West Coast presence with heads Keith Garner based in San Francisco and Michael Leake in San Diego. Tim Reimers is a key contact in the firm’s Los Angeles office and heads the healthcare and public finance real estate groups where he has considerable experience handling acquisitions, project syndications, developments, and financings. The firm continues to grow its presence in New York, which houses experienced real estate transaction lawyers Eric Altman and Peter Koffler, the latter of which focuses on commercial real estate transactions including air rights transfers, multi-property transactions, and cannabis-related financings.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP‘s real estate, energy, land use and environmental department provides clients with advice on a wide spectrum of zoning and land use matters, including on subdivision, environmental reviews and the California Environmental Quality Act, community engagement matters, historic preservation and development agreements, wetlands, endangered species, zoning and water quality regulations, and real estate litigation. Keith Garner co-leads the group from the firm’s San Francisco office, while Michael Leake co-leads the department from the firm’s office in San Diego. With vast experience in land use planning, entitlement approvals, and land use litigation defense, Jeffrey Forrest ‘has proven invaluable in helping to navigate municipal permitting processes, and very challenging CEQA pathways’. In Los Angeles, Jack Rubens handles land use litigation and real estate transactions, while New York’s Jodi Stein frequently represents real estate developers in obtaining land use approvals, well-supported by associate Eva Schneider. In March 2023, Cleveland lawyer Andrew Bengston, Dallas attorneys Michelle Brown and Shane Trawick, and Columbus-based partner Ian Lange joined the team from Jones Day, while Alfred Fraijo and Kira Conlon departed the practice in May 2023. Rocky Delgadillo joined the team from DLA Piper LLP (US) in April 2024.