LOS ANGELES, CA-- May 1, 2006 -- Greenberg Traurig LLP continues to attract preeminent lawyers to its 100-attorney Los Angeles office, bringing in Eric Rowen, a well-known and highly respected real estate litigator, to serve as chair of the firm’s newly created Western Region Real Estate Litigation Practice. Rowen ran Jones Day’s West Coast Real Estate Litigation Practice from 1992 through 2000 and, after serving as president of ParkMedia LLC, an affiliate of Apollo Real Estate Advisors, L.P., from 2000 to 2003, he joined Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP, where he served as vice chair of its Real Estate Litigation Practice.
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“Real estate is one of the leading industry sectors in California, and having someone of Eric’s stature to head this new practice group is a real coup for us,” said Larry Hoffman, chairman of the board at Greenberg Traurig. “The depth and breadth of his practice, his knowledge of the real estate industry and its lending practices, as well as his leadership qualities and real-world business and management experience make him the ideal person to take the helm of this practice group and build it into a powerhouse.”
Jeff Scott, co-managing shareholder of the Los Angeles office, adds, “Eric’s practice and skill set are an exceptional fit for Greenberg Traurig, which has one of the largest, most sophisticated and diverse real estate, resort and real estate financing practices in the world as well as a deep litigation practice that handles sophisticated litigation matters for the firm’s corporate, real estate and entertainment clients.”
“It will be tremendous to work in a firm that has highly acclaimed business practice groups, especially with respect to real estate and real estate financing, coupled with a preeminent litigation practice,” noted Rowen. “I greatly look forward to maximizing these synergies for the benefit of our clients.”
Rowen has extensive expertise and experience litigating all manner of major real estate-related disputes, including matters involving securitized loan portfolios, bond financings, and construction and A&D loans, as well as more traditional real property issues such as title, ownership, entitlements, subsidence, infrastructure, excavation, easements, boundaries and contaminated property.
On the financing side, he has represented some of the world’s largest lenders and financiers, including Lehman Brothers, Louis Dreyfus, Woodbridge, Colony Capital, Citigroup, KeyBank, Mitsui Trust, Japan Leasing, Nippon Leasing, and National Bank of Canada. On the developer side, his clients have included many of the leading players such as Lennar Corporation, Porter Ranch Development Company, Baldwin Builders, Village Properties, Shimizu and the Koos Group. In addition, Rowen served as principal outside counsel to the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) for its complex inter-jurisdictional negotiations and related litigation, and he ran the City of Los Angeles’ successful defense of the infamous Hayward Manor bond litigation.
Rowen currently serves on the executive committee and board of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and acts as corporate counsel to both LAEDC and the Southern California Leadership Council. He also sits on the board of the UCLA Real Estate Finance and Investment Conference and on the executive committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Delegation to the State Bar Conference. He formerly served in numerous leadership positions with the Los Angeles County Bar Association, including as chair, Real Property Section, Real Property Litigation Subsection.
Rowen received his J.D. cum laude from Loyola Law School where he was a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society and served on the board of the International and Comparative Law Journal.