Perkins Coie Adds Partner J. David Larsen To Firm's Growing National Real Estate Workout Practice

LOS ANGELES (December 15, 2010) – Perkins Coie announced today that Partner J. David Larsen has joined the firm's growing national Real Estate Workout practice in their Los Angeles office. 

"I am very excited about joining Perkins Coie," Larsen noted. "It is an exceptional law firm and will provide a solid platform for expanding the CMBS special servicer practice."

"It is a testament to our growing strength as a national firm that David has chosen to join us," said Mark Birnbaum, chair of the firm's Real Estate Workout practice group. "We are committed to expanding our real estate capabilities to service our CMBS special servicer and lender clients and David will help us pursue that strategic goal. We are delighted to have him join the firm."

Larsen represents lenders and loan servicers in a wide variety of financing transactions, including mortgage loan originations, workouts, modifications, assumptions, restructures and sale-leaseback transactions, ranging in size from $5 million to $1 billion.  He has experience in structuring, negotiating and documenting acquisitions and dispositions of commercial office buildings, shopping centers and apartment buildings.  He has represented developers in multi-state military housing privatization projects, retailers and company clients in a large number of commercial leasing transactions, and court-appointed receivers in the management, marketing and disposition of distressed commercial properties.  Larsen has also assisted financial institutions and investor groups in the creation and development of financing structures and other techniques to facilitate the packaging, marketing and bulk disposition of large pools of problem assets.

The addition of Larsen reflects Perkins' continuing efforts to expand its national presence through strategic acquisitions and lateral hires. Since 2005 the firm has added over 200 lateral attorneys in a variety of practice groups.

Larsen joins a Real Estate group of nearly 50 attorneys that provides clients with comprehensive services encompassing the full range of commercial real estate and development issues. In addition to its representation of clients in restructurings and workouts, the team has experience in a wide variety of projects, including resort hotels, golf course and housing developments, mixed use projects, corporate campuses, retirement communities, industrial facilities and public/private developments. The group helps clients with all aspects of the financing, acquisition, development and disposition of major projects nationally and internationally and helps corporate clients with the lease and sublease of commercial space. Backed by the resources of more than 700 attorneys, the Real Estate group advises clients on the entire range of ancillary issues that arise in real estate transactions, including tax, environmental and bankruptcy matters.

The firm has been recognized for its accomplishments in the legal profession, its commitment to diversity and its excellent client service. In January, the firm was recognized by FORTUNE magazine for the eighth consecutive year as being one of the "100 Best Places to Work." In addition, the firm was recently named as one of the "2010 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms" by Yale Law Women. For the second consecutive year, the firm was named one of the "Best Law Firms for Women" by Working Mother magazine and national consulting firm Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, and the Firm also earned the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's top rating of 100 percent in the 2009 and 2010 Corporate Equality Index. In addition, the firm received the Corporate Partnership Award for Supporting People with Disabilities.