Piper Rudnick Tops Off Real Estate Practice

SAN FRANCISCO-Piper Rudnick has attracted attorney Stephen Cowan to lead its West Coast real estate practice. The national business law firm entered the San Francisco market in January by acquiring locally based Steinhart & Falconer and its 32 attorneys.

Cowan, a frequent lecturer and author in the field of real estate and bankruptcy matters, joins the firm from the local office of O’Melveny & Myers, where he was the partner in charge of the real estate department. His real estate practice covers a broad range of commercial real estate and finance matters, with particular emphasis on real estate finance, workouts, bankruptcies and real estate fund formations.

Some of Cowan’s larger transactions include: the sale of Embarcadero Center ($1.2 billion) in San Francisco; construction financing for a gaming casino in Macau ($140 million); the restructure of a mezzanine loan hotel portfolio ($350 million); the sale of Delta Towers, a $500-million office complex in Century City, CA, and; the financing of the Pebble Beach golf course ($250 million).