Biography

Deirdre M. Dawson is a special counsel based in the firm’s San Francisco office. Ms. Dawson’s practice focuses on all aspects of real estate transactions, including purchase and sale agreements, leasing, construction documentation, development agreements, real estate finance, land use and environmental law. Her representative clients include owners, tenants, retailers, contractors, architects, developers, managers and lenders in the office, industrial, shopping center, hospitality and recreational context.

Representative matters:

• Represented developers and owners in the ground up development and leasing of “big box,” grocery/drug store anchored and lifestyle shopping centers.
• Represented third-party managers in the redevelopment and expansion of indoor shopping centers throughout the U.S.
• Represented institutional owners in the leasing of office building projects.
• Represented national big-box retailer in the acquisition, development and leasing of its sites.
• Represented lender in the workout of a loan secured by several hotel properties.
• Represented biotech company in connection with the construction and architect agreements for the development of its campus.
• Represented the buyers in the acquisitions of hotel properties.
• Represented subsidiary of a transportation company in the financing of golf course projects throughout the U.S.
• Represented the sellers and buyers of office buildings.
• Represented architects and engineers in code compliance issues. 
• Represented buyers of operating businesses.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Ms. Dawson is a member of the California State Bar Association - Real Property and Business Law Sections; the American Bar Association - Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, Environmental Law, and Law Practice Management Sections; and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Ms. Dawson is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, University of Oregon School of Law. She is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit).

Publications & Presentations

• Author, “Counseling the Lender on Cross-Easement Agreements in Shopping Center and Golf Course Developments,” ALI-ABA, The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, March 1998, based on a 1997 presentation before the ABA Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section Annual Meeting.
• Speaker, ICSC Law Conference, “Negotiating Purchase and Sale Agreements from Letter of Intent to Closing,” October 1997.
• Speaker, ICSC Law Conference, “Anatomy of a Lease: Part II -Construction Provisions: Issues Latent and Patent,” October 1999.
• Speaker, CLE International, “Construction Issues in Retail Tenant Leases,” June 2000.
• Speaker, ICSC Law Conference, “Construction and Lease Commencement Issues,” October 2000.
• Speaker, Georgetown University Law Center, Third Annual Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute, March 2001.
• Speaker, ICSC Law Conference, “The Competing Objectives of Developer and Anchor Retailer in Reciprocal Easement Agreements: Finding the Balance,” October 2002.

Ms. Dawson regularly speaks as part of best practices seminars held by certain of her clients, with a focus on development-related issues.