United States
Casey Sobhani
SocioHead of Leasing, United States
Co-Location Head, Los Angeles Real Estate Practice
Co-Location Head, Los Angeles Real Estate Practice
About
Casey Sobhani focuses on real estate transactions, and is the head of the firm's leasing practice in the United States. Casey also serves as a co-location head of the firm's real estate group in Los Angeles. With his expertise in commercial leases, Casey is directly responsible for managing and handling the legal work for millions of square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space across the nation.
In this capacity, he is a trusted advisor to some of the biggest institutional real estate owners and managers in the world and is frequently asked to host seminars for these clients on issues relating to commercial leasing. Casey is also a regular author and speaker for fellow attorneys on the most effective ways to manage lease transactions, including minimizing costs for clients, streamlining negotiations and protecting clients from traps that could result in litigation.
In addition to his commercial leasing practice, Casey represents buyers and sellers of commercial real estate in high-profile and complex transactions. He has also served as valued counsel for many Fortune 500 companies and for lenders and borrowers in multimillion- and billion-dollar financings. Casey's know-how also extends to many other areas of real estate, including CC&Rs, construction contracts and easement agreements. Casey has mentored dozens of law school students through various mentoring and summer associate programs. He is also lead Pro Bono coordinator for the Los Angeles offices and a member of the North America Pro Bono Committee. In 2022, Casey was admitted as a fellow to the prestigious, by-invitation-only American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Areas of FocusBienes inmuebles
Bar admissionsCalifornia
EXPERIENCE
Casey has managed the legal work for:
- More than five million square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space in the Los Angeles, Orange County and Oakland areas
- More than two million square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space in the Atlanta area
- More than one and a half million square feet of commercial industrial space in the Chicago area
- More than one and a half million square feet of commercial office, industrial and retail space in the Minneapolis area
- More than one million square feet of commercial office and retail space in the Denver area
- More than one million square feet of commercial office and industrial space in South Florida More than one million square feet of commercial office, industrial, and retail space in the San Francisco Bay area
- More than one million square feet of commercial industrial space in the Salt Lake City area
- More than 750,000 square feet of commercial industrial space in the Nashville area
- More than 600,000 square feet of commercial office and industrial space in the Dallas area
- More than 550,000 square feet of commercial office space in the Charlotte area
- More than 400,000 square feet of commercial industrial space in the Phoenix
- More than 350,000 square feet of commercial office and retail space in the Tysons Corner area of Virginia
- More than 350,000 square feet of commercial office space in the Boston area
- More than 340,000 square feet of commercial industrial space in the Baltimore area
- More than 300,000 square feet of commercial office and industrial space in the Seattle area
- More than 200,000 square feet of commercial industrial space in the Milwaukee area
He has represented:
- Major national retail tenants and shopping center owners on leasing matters, including drafting and negotiating leases and related documentation, analyzing COVID-19 related legal and equitable doctrines, and evaluating market standards for lease workouts and store re-openings. This includes oversight and organization of teams dedicated to such leasing portfolios to maximize efficiency and value.
- Represented real estate investor and Treasure Island owner in the US$825 million acquisition of MGM Resort's Circus Circus hotel and casino property located on the Las Vegas Strip
- The seller in the sale of the LA Mart in downtown Los Angeles
- The buyer in the sale of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California
- GECC as lender in more than US$1 billion worth of financings
- PG&E as borrower in more than US$1 billion worth of financings
- Kendall Jackson Wine Estates in more than US$100 million worth of financings
Education
- J.D., Cornell University
Note Editor, Cornell International Law Journal
cum laude - B.A., Pennsylvania State University
Graduated with Distinction
Awards
- Real Estate Attorney of the Year – Los Angeles Business Journal (2021)
- Southern California Super Lawyers – Rising Stars (2006-2014)
Pro Bono
- Make-A-Wish Foundation
- The Paralysis Project of America
- The Help Group
- The Goodie Two Shoes Foundation
Bylines
Casey is a frequent author and commentator in such legal publications as The Daily Journal, The Recorder and Bisnow.
- "How to Protect Landlord Interests In Office Lease Transfers That Do Not Require Landlord Consent," Bisnow, June 15, 2017
- "This One Online Service is Transforming the Way We Sign Leases," Bisnow, May 2, 2017
- "5 Ways to Keep Legal Costs Down for Landlords in Office Leasing," Bisnow, October 26, 2016
Seminars
- Speaker, CLE presentation entitled ‘Modern Real Estate Transactions’, hosted by the American Law Institute, February 2024
- Speaker, EADB Training for East African Public Sector Lawyers, Nairobi, Kenya, August 2023
- Panelist, webinar entitled "Real Estate in the Metaverse," hosted by the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, June 2023
- Speaker, BioMed Realty, CLE program entitled "Managing Tenant Distress (Without Giving Away the Farm)," June 2023
- Speaker, "Unlocking New Revenue at the Intersection of Digital Media and Property Rights," hosted by BOMA National Advisory Counsel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2023
- Speaker on digital rights in real estate, Leasing Committee of American College of Real Estate Lawyers, May 2023
- Speaker, Cornell Law School, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, and Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, for program entitled 'Template of a Real Estate Transaction', February 2023
- Speaker, Apple Inc., program entitled 'Real Property Rights and the Metaverse', February 2023
- Speaker, "Could Buildings be Worth More for Their Digital Media Rights Than Rental Income?," hosted by Jones Lang LaSalle, Minneapolis, MN, November 2022
- Speaker, "The Office Leasing Market", hosted by the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), Chicago, IL, October 2022
- Panelist, webinar entitled "Digital + Physical, What the Metaverse Means for Real Estate", hosted by Colliers, August 2022
- Speaker, EADB Training for East African Public Sector Lawyers, Nairobi, Kenya, August 2022
- Presenter and host of leasing workshop for CBRE Investment Management, entitled ‘Anatomy of an Office Lease’, Dallas, TX, July 2022
- Guest lecturer, CBRE Investment Management, presentation entitled "Green Leasing," May 2022
- Panelist, "Young Men’s Leadership Conference," hosted by Los Angeles Unified School District, April 2022
- Presenter and host of CLE presentation to CBRE Investment Management and DLA Piper, entitled 'Industrial Leasing Workshop', March 2022
- Moderator/Host, virtual panel entitled 'Heads of Asset Management', featuring insights of heads of asset management from CBRE Investment Management, LaSalle Investment Management, MetroNational and American Realty Advisors, December 2021.
- Guest lecturer, CBRE Investment Management, presentation entitled "Into the Breach: A Landlord's Guide to Navigating Tenant Bankruptcies," September 2021
- Speaker, EADB Training for East African Public Sector Lawyers, August 2021
- Speaker and author, leasing workshop entitled "Anatomy of a Lease," LaSalle Investment Management national asset management and analyst virtual meeting, July 2021
- Speaker and author, leasing workshop entitled "Anatomy of a Lease," CBRE Investment Management national asset management conference, Los Angeles, CA, July 2021
- Guest lecturer, United Kingdom Corporate Occupier Group, DLA Piper, June 2021
- Guest lecturer, Latin American Global Group, DLA Piper, May 2021
- Presenter, Apple Inc., CLE program entitled "Impact of COVID-19 on Commercial Leases: Past, Present and Future," April 2021
- Presenter, WeWork, CLE program entitled "Post-COVID Leasing," April 2021
- Panelist, "Young Men's Leadership Conference," hosted by Los Angeles Unified School District, February 2021
- Panelist, LeasePilot webinar entitled "Building a Resilient Legal Operation for a Post-COVID World," February 2021
- Guest lecturer, LaSalle Investment Management, January 2021
- Guest lecturer, Franchise Group, DLA Piper, October 2020
- Guest lecturer, University of Southern California, course entitled "Introduction to the Asset Management of Real Estate," October 2020
- Presenter, "ProLawCLE: Rent Relief and Related Issues for Commercial Leases in a COVID-19 World," Webinar, October 2020
- Guest lecturer, Consumer Goods, Food and Retail Group, DLA Piper, October 2020
- Presenter, "Rent Relief and Related Issues for Commercial Leases in a COVID-19 World," Webinar, September 2020
- Co-moderator of panel, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, September 2020
- Guest lecturer, Disney, August 2020
- Presenter, "Rent Deferral Agreements for Defaulted Commercial Leases: Pre-Negotiation, Risk of Insolvency, Landlord Due Diligence," Webinar, August 2020 Host of an encore presentation, including live Q&A, October 2020
- Speaker, EADB Training for East African Public Sector Lawyers, August 2020
- Guest lecturer, PIMCO, August 2020
- Guest lecturer, Rising Realty, July 2020
- Guest lecturer, Colony Capital, July 2020
- Speaker and moderator, "SB 939: Analysis and Q&A with California Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg," June 2020
- Guest lecturer, Lionstone Investments national asset management team meeting, June 2020
- Guest lecturer, CBRE Investment Management national asset management team meeting, May 2020
- Presenter, "US Commercial Real Estate and the Impact of COVID-19," Webinar, DLA Piper, March 2020
- Co-Host, live panel entitled 'Corporate Occupiers', DLA Piper Global Real Estate Summit, London, England, November 2019
- Speaker, EADB Training for East African Public Sector Lawyers, Nairobi, Kenya, August 2019
Media Mentions
- Quoted, “The American mall: A survival guide”, The Real Deal, October 9, 2020
- Quoted, "Exclusive: Brainium Studios leases more than 22,500 square feet in Pearl District," Portland Business Journal, September 17, 2020
- Quoted, "Rent relief for retailers is expiring. Now what?," The Real Deal, August 27, 2020
Memberships And Affiliations
- Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
- State Bar of California (Real Property Law Section)
- Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP)
My latest insights
Connect
Phone
+1 310 500 3521
(Work, Los Angeles)
