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Brett J. Cohen, a Partner in Glaser Weil’s Real Estate Department, develops creative solutions to difficult financing issues. Whether he’s working on behalf of lenders, borrowers, developers, joint venture partners or corporations, Mr. Cohen provides the critical expertise needed to ensure completion of what can often be a complex and challenging financing process.
Sophisticated loan transactions are his specialty, including real property secured loans, asset-based financing and loan workouts. In addition, he handles general real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing of real property, urban in-fill, and single family residential developments. His clients have included residential and commercial property owners, developers and lenders throughout Southern California, as well as Las Vegas developers and casino and hotel owners.
Mr. Cohen served on the Meritas Board of Directors and currently serves on the Meritas U.S. Leadership Committee, a global alliance of independent law firms. He continues to serve as Glaser Weil’s primary contact with this organization, which assists companies looking for top-tier legal service around the globe.
Mr. Cohen is active in the local community, providing pro bono lead counsel and support to the Saint John's Health Center Foundation and the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center for charitable gifts of real property. Mr. Cohen serves on the boards of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Youth Foundation and the Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, as well as on the UCLA School of Law Facilities Committee. He provides mentorship through the UCLA Ziman Real Estate Law Program, volunteers for the Westside Food Bank, serves on multiple Westside school boards, was a commissioner for YMCA youth basketball and a coach in Little League and youth league basketball. Additionally, he is involved in the Cornell and UCLA Alumni Associations, the Citizens' Oversight Committee for the Beverly Hills Unified School District, and is a supporter of the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association.
He received his bachelor’s degrees in industrial and labor relations and economics from Cornell University and law degree and a master’s in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been selected for inclusion on the Southern California Super Lawyers list for more than 10 consecutive years and also in the Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel edition. He was recognized in the 2012 Top Rated Lawyers Guide to Corporate Real Estate Law by Corporate Counsel and The American Lawyer. Martindale-Hubbell has recognized him with an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating.
Mr. Cohen loves spending time with his wife, Kelly, his two college-aged sons and the family’s English Springer Spaniel, Scooby-Doo. He is also a sports enthusiast.
Representing a national title insurance company in connection with sophisticated foreclosure issues (potentially “chilling” of bids) in which multiple properties secured by multiple deeds of trust were foreclosed simultaneously.
Representing a prominent local bank in connection to a $42 million loan secured by a regional shopping center in Valencia, Calif. and a $20.7 million construction loan in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Representing a prominent high-tech investment fund, as borrower, in connection to an acquisition and construction loan for its new state-of-the-art Beverly Hills headquarters.
Representing a real estate fund in connection to a $76 million construction loan for a new major regional mixed use mall in Central California.
Represented a major Las Vegas casino and hotel owner in connection to the financing for the construction and development of CityCenter, one of the largest mixed use of developments in the United States.
Represented a major Las Vegas casino and hotel owner in connection to the sale of a casino/hotel on the Las Vegas strip.
Represented the owner of a portfolio of West Los Angeles apartment buildings in connection to the refinancing of the portfolio.
Represented a developer on the development of a condominium, single family home and retail development in South Central Los Angeles involving the simultaneous acquisition of 24 properties, senior acquisition and construction financing, mezzanine financing, and multiple joint venture agreements with the City of Los Angeles.
Represented the buyer of commercial property in Brentwood, Calif. and the concurrent assumption of construction financing and collapse of multiple limited liability companies into a tenancy in common.
Represented limited partners and tenants at the regional produce market facility in downtown Los Angeles in connection to the refinance and organizational restructure of the market.
Represented an East Coast bank in the workout of a multi-million dollar, multi-state loan, involving 11 different hotel properties, including advising the client on complex "one form of action," deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and title issues.
Represented a borrower in the financing of the construction of a regional hospital and adjacent medical office building in Westlake Village.
Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, Pro Bono Lead Counsel and Support
John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center, Pro Bono Lead Counsel and Support
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, Board Member
Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, Board Member
UCLA School of Law Facilities Committee
UCLA Ziman Real Estate Law, Mentor
Westside Food Bank, Volunteer
City of Hope Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council
Cornell Alumni Association
UCLA Alumni Association
Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the Beverly Hills Unified School District
Motion Picture & Television Fund Professional Advisory Network
Meritas US Leadership Committee
Glaser Weil Lawyer Brett Cohen Elected to Meritas Board of Directors, April 23, 2015
Glaser Weil Client Cinedigm Acquires GVE For $51.5 Million, October 23, 2013
Southern California Super Lawyers, multiple years
Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel
Recognized by Corporate Counsel and The American Lawyer in "2012 Top Rated Lawyers Guide to Corporate Real Estate Law"
Recognized by Beverly Hills Courier as a “Top Lawyer,” October 14, 2010
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rated
"Avoiding Juries: A Transactional Lawyer Lesson,” Daily Journal, Brett Cohen and Michael Cypers, March 2, 2017