Bruce Shepherd is a partner in the firm's Finance Department with broad experience in real estate development, construction, joint venture and finance transactions. Mr. Shepherd repeatedly has been selected in numerous publications and attorney rating services as a leading San Diego real estate lawyer, including in the annual lists prepared by Best Lawyers in America, the San Diego Daily Transcript, San Diego Magazine and Super Lawyers. In 2011, Mr. Shepherd was selected by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California’s top 20 real estate "dealmakers." Most recently, Mr. Shepherd was recognized in SD Metro Magazine as one of San Diego’s Best Attorneys in 2013.
Mr. Shepherd is active in a number of community organizations. He is a member of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Century Club (sponsor of San Diego’s annual PGA golf tournament). Mr. Shepherd also served for nearly 20 years on the board of Big Brothers & Big Sisters of San Diego, and he is a three-term publicly elected member of the school board for the Coronado School District (serving as President in 2001, 2002 and 2009 through 2012). He is a member of the American and California State Bar Associations.
Mr. Shepherd's experience includes the representation of developers, investors and lenders in connection with large, complex real estate projects. Mr. Shepherd's work has included the following:
- Representation of promoters and money partners in crafting collaborative joint venture arrangements for both real estate development and operating projects. For example, Mr. Shepherd's work includes representation of:
- JC Resorts in its acquisition of a majority interest in the four-star Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California. This transaction resulted in a thorough recapitalization of the project through forgiveness and extension of project debt, structured settlements with contractors, consummation of material new equity commitments, and restructuring of prior management arrangements.
- Senior Resource Group in the acquisition and financing of its portfolio of leading senior residential communities. These transactions have involved outright purchases, joint ventures, creative leasing relationships and structured management arrangements.
- Negotiation of complex ownership and financing structures for mixed-use and public-private projects, including the Hilton hotel on the bay in downtown San Diego, the City Creek redevelopment project in Salt Lake City (which opened in March 2012 and comprises of approximately 20 acres in the heart of the downtown), the development of Petco Park and related downtown ballpark redevelopment project on behalf of the San Diego Padres, the 700,000 square foot “Las Americas” shopping center project at the Tijuana/San Diego border, and the new stadium, retail and residential project currently being explored at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
- Representation of buyers and sellers of large commercial and office projects. Over the last decade, Mr. Shepherd has held lead lawyer roles in buy/sell transactions involving, in the aggregate, more than US$500 million of shopping center assets and over seven million square feet of class A office buildings in downtown Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Denver.