Morgan Miller Blair

Gil Berkeley's practice combines counseling privately-held companies on general business and real estate matters and serving as local real estate counsel for national and publicly-held companies.

Gil's practice includes general business counseling and a broad spectrum of real estate matters, including development, finance, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, and partnerships and joint ventures. Over the recent years, he has represented clients in matters involving the purchase and sale of real estate valued in excess of one billion dollars, in transactions ranging from raw land for residential and commercial development to improved industrial sites, shopping centers and office buildings, and sales and acquisitions ranging from title insurance and home building companies to professional football and baseball teams. 

Gil has handled the following matters for his clients:

• Represented privately-held developer in acquisition, lease-up and/or sale, project specific entity formation, and construction and takeout financing for more than ten retail centers and projects in Massachusetts, Connecticut and California.
  
• Represented master developer over 15-year period in development of Bay Area mixed use residential and office project including 2,000 housing units and over 700,000 square feet of office space.
  
• Represented major pension fund in the acquisition of a 700,000 square foot mixed use office and retail project in Los Angeles valued in excess of $200 million.
  
• Represented publicly-traded homebuilder in the acquisition of a privately-held homebuilder in transaction with debt and equity elements in excess of over $70 million.
  
• Represented purchaser in negotiation, documentation and closing of acquisition of National Football League franchise, football team and related stadium lease.
  

Gil rejoined Morgan Miller Blair in 2009 after serving as General Counsel to SPI Holdings, a privately held real estate investment and development company, for the past three years.  Prior to working for SPI, he was at Morgan Miller Blair as a principal from 1997 - 2006, and was Managing Shareholder from 2003 - 2005.  Gil was also previously a long-time partner at McCutchen Doyle, Brown & Enersen (now Bingham McCutchen), where he served on the firm's executive committee, as chair of its real estate group and as managing partner of its Walnut Creek office.  Prior to practicing with McCutchen, Gil was an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C.  Gil has been recognized as a Northern California "SuperLawyer" in the Law & Politics magazine surveys consecutively from 2004 - 2009.

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