LOS ANGELES & ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.–LAWFUEL – Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, the national law and consulting firm, announced today that Masood Sohaili has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner. A corporate and finance lawyer who focuses on the real estate industry, Mr. Sohaili was previously a partner at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles.
Also joining Manatt, in its Orange County office, is project development and real estate finance lawyer, Lauren Spiegel. Ms. Spiegel was previously an associate in O’Melveny & Myers’ Orange County office.
Mr. Sohaili represents financiers and developers of large real estate, public infrastructure and other projects, developers, financiers and credit enhancers of tax driven multifamily/affordable housing projects, and equity fund managers focused on growth and distressed opportunities. Mr. Sohaili has served as counsel to issuers, underwriters, banks, and developers in connection with the issuance and sale of public securities and private placements. He has also advised public and private corporate clients in connection with strategic initiatives, including mergers, dispositions and acquisitions.
“Masood bridges the worlds of real estate and finance,” said Keith Allen-Niesen, Co-Chair of Manatt’s Real Estate & Land Use Practice Group. “He and Lauren bring us valuable connections and strong capabilities as we continue to build our finance and real estate resources on a national basis.”
“An important part of our strategic growth plan is to enhance key industry practices in core markets,” said William T. Quicksilver, Manatt’s Chief Executive and Managing Partner. “Attracting talented attorneys like Masood and Lauren is essential to this plan, building as it does on our recent combination with the real estate and litigation firm Steefel, Levitt & Weiss.”
Mr. Sohaili received his J.D. and M.A. in economics from the University of Southern California in 1982, where he graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the Southern California Law Review. He received his B.A. with highest honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1979.
“Manatt is a firm of exceptional quality, and it is accomplishing its objective of building first-tier practices in California, New York and Washington, D.C. focused on a specific group of industry sectors,” said Mr. Sohaili. “I’m excited about the opportunity to continue to build a national real estate and project finance practice, and to work with new colleagues, including a very strong group of corporate, finance and tax partners in New York with significant relationships and experience in the tax driven multifamily housing finance area.”
Ms. Spiegel represents developers and capital providers in a range of complex real estate transactions and regularly serves as credit enhancer’s counsel in connection with the issuance and sale of debt securities to finance multifamily housing projects.
Ms. Spiegel received her J.D., cum laude, from New York University in 2004, and her B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, provides legal and consulting services to a global client base from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; and Washington, D.C. Manatt includes Manatt Health Solutions, a healthcare policy and strategic business advisory group, and ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and implements strategies to expand client businesses and facilitate their effective competition in global markets. For more information, visit www.manatt.com, www.manatthealthsolutions.com, and www.manattjones.com.
