Daily Journal Recognizes Manatt Partner Justin Thompson Among Top California Real Estate Attorneys

August 15, 2012 - Manatt's Justin Thompson, a partner in the firm's Real Estate & Land Use Practice, has been recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the top 30 real estate attorneys in California. The paper published its list of lawyers on August 15, 2012.

The Daily Journal's annual "Top 30 Real Estate Attorneys" list features California lawyers who are making a mark on the industry through creativity, persistence and hard work. The list was compiled through research done by the paper's editors, and honorees were selected based on the value and intricacy of transactional work, as well as innovative ways they have kept projects afloat in a battered economy.

In its profile of Thompson,  the Daily Journal featured his work for Sony Astani, a prominent Beverly Hills developer. Astani had spent years securing government approvals to build a $300 million, 700-unit low-rise steel and glass apartment building on a long-vacant three-acre lot in downtown Los Angeles.  In June, Thompson helped Astani sell the lot for $63 million, a sum that Astani described as one of the most expensive land deals ever in the area.

Thompson said that the deal was complicated "by virtue of where it is and what was being done to the property." He said he had to navigate through disputes over the existing parking lots and wrangle over the project's entitlements.

"This sale was the culmination of years and years of [Astani's] efforts to successfully manage the property," said Thompson. "It was nice to be part of the final chapter."