Professional Experience

Jake has worked in a large national law firm, in the boutique law firm practice that he founded and managed, and in his current solo practice.  His clients have included multinational corporations, regional, national and international banks and a host of small and mid-market corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts, families and individuals in real estate, brokerage, mortgage banking, corporate finance, securities, broadcasting, lending, ranching, environmental and other types of businesses.

His corporate, limited liability company, real estate, tax, and management experience have prepared him well to meet the business and real estate needs of the small to mid-sized enterprises that are his market.

Expand the section below to learn more about representative transactions that demonstrate Jake’s professional experience.

    • For 15 years he has represented a private equity firm in the purchase, restoration and sale of more than 15 large working ranches in the Western United States. Work includes environmental, title and other due diligence, restoration projects, drafting and negotiating conservation easements and working with land trusts and conservation entities

    • Structured, negotiated, formed and documented corporate, limited and general partnership, and limited liability company businesses and transactions in real estate, general business and tax-oriented transactions for many clients

    • General counsel to real estate investment firm for more than 15 years. In that role, he has been responsible for entity formation and management, risk management, compliance, contracting, human resources, and all legal aspects of firm management

    • General counsel to a profit/non-profit think tank and operational organization engaged in a variety of environmental, real estate, climate related, advisory and consulting activities in the Western United States

    • Has worked closely with The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund and a number of land trusts in a variety of real estate acquisition and conservation transactions.

    • Structured a revolving conservation loan fund to bridge acquisition by land trusts of environmentally sensitive land on the California Coast. To date the fund has been used to help acquire and preserve four large environmentally sensitive properties along the Central Coast of California

    • Prepared private placement memoranda for more than 20 securities offerings for small and medium sized businesses, while acting as outside counsel for an organization of financial advisors

    • Represented Northern California company for 15 years in raising capital for the purchase, exchange, operation and sale of San Francisco office buildings and a variety of other commercial properties in the San Francisco Bay area

    • Represented a hi-tech manufacturing firm in its ongoing commercial operations

    • Represented a shopping center developer and operator for over ten years in the development, purchases and sales of more than five regional and local shopping centers, including land use, construction matters, leasing, and documentation of purchase and sale

    • Represented the buyers in the purchase of a large real estate and mortgage banking company headquartered in San Francisco; acted as general counsel for five years and negotiated the merger with a real estate holding company

    • Among many other real estate secured loan transactions, structured and documented $100mm real estate secured loan for Bank of America as the agent and a syndicate of other banks for the construction of a large retirement complex including a skilled nursing facility in Southern California. First loan by any bank to a retirement center, requiring the taking of security interests in presold units and licensing with the State of California

    • Negotiated work-outs and restructuring of real estate secured transactions for banks during economic downturns

    • Represented a ranching limited partnership in a contentious negotiation and arbitration to decide the economic and management rights of the spouse of a deceased partner, resulting in a negotiated buy-out; converted limited partnership into a limited liability company for continued operations

    • Negotiated and documented $40mm warehouse development as “synthetic lease” for freight forwarding client at JFK airport

    • On behalf of contesting owners, negotiated the division of large operating limited liability company, successfully separating its businesses, and arranging for continued operation

    • General counsel to a broadcast company for over five years. Structured, negotiated and documented the operations, financing and purchase or sale of five significant television and radio stations. Coordinated satisfaction of necessary Federal Communications Commission requirements

    • Merged a large limited liability company into a newly formed Delaware public benefit corporation in an Internal Revenue Code Section 351 merger

    • Formed, permitted and/or managed and advised three separate limited liability companies and one public benefit corporation that have formed, obtained state and United States Army Corps of Engineers permits for, purchased and or operated four wetland mitigation banks owning, preserving and restoring more than 24,000 acres of wetlands in Alaska, Washington State and Florida