Jesse Sharf is a partner in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is Co-Chair of the firm's Real Estate Department, and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. His real estate practice experience includes extensive representation of all types of investors, lenders and developers. On the lender side, Jesse represents mezzanine lenders, construction lenders, CMBS lenders, and portfolio lenders in workouts, whole loan sales, syndications and participations, foreclosures and other enforcement actions, construction lending, mezzanine lending, CMBS lending and structured finance lending transactions.
In addition, Jesse represents real estate funds, developers and institutional and non-institutional investors in all areas of real estate, including: workouts; acquisition of distressed loans and other assets; construction, permanent, securitized, mezzanine and participating financing; representations of home builders and other developers; environmental aspects of real estate transactions; loan restructuring, workouts and enforcement; all aspects of commercial development; acquisition and sale of vacant land, office buildings, apartment buildings, build to rent/single family rental portfolios, industrial and logistics properties, studios, life science and data centers, hotels, shopping centers, and other commercial and residential properties; acquisition, sale and financing of loan portfolios; forming and representing limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships and joint ventures; sale-leaseback transactions; representation of REIT's; commercial leasing; ground leasing and ground leasehold financing; and contractor, architect, broker and management agreements.
Currently, and for over a decade, Jesse has been recognized as a leading real estate lawyer by:
- Chambers USA as a “Star Individual” and a top tier real estate lawyer in California and nationally
- The Best Lawyers in America® as a Los Angeles real estate lawyer of the year 2023 and 2024
- Lawdragon's 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers in 2024
- Legal 500, where he is ranked one of the top 10 leading real estate lawyers in the United States
- Super Lawyers
- Who’s Who Legal listing for Real Estate Law 2022, 2023 and 2024
- Daily Journal’s Top Real Estate Lawyers, 2013
- Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Angelenos to Know in Real Estate Law"
Highlights of Jesse’s experience include:
- Rockpoint in the acquisition of an interest in Margaritaville Enterprises.
- Rockpoint in the acquisition of interests in Starrett City.
- Woodridge Capital in the acquisition, financing and re-development of Century Plaza, a $2.5 billion mixed use development.
- Fortress in a co-venture with JBG Smith Properties for the acquisition of 6 office/mixed use properties in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
- Sixth Street Partners in a co-venture with 60 Guilders for the acquisition of 33-00 Northern Boulevard, an office/mixed use property in Queens.
- Kildare Partners in the $900 million acquisition, joint venture and financing of a portfolio of shopping centers in Puerto Rico.
- Rockpoint in a $1 billion single family rental and build-to-rent series joint venture with ResiBuilt Homes.
- Hudson Pacific Properties in its joint venture with Blackstone to recapitalize a $1.65 billion studio and office portfolio.
- Access Industries and Harridge Ventures in the acquisition and financing of Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Additional relevant information about Jesse includes:
- Jesse received his law degree from the New York University School of Law in 1986, where he was Editor of the New York University Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and international relations, with a minor in economics, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982.
- Jesse lives in Santa Monica with his wife, Stacy, where they are occasionally visited by their three sons, their three daughters in law, and their incredibly cute and brilliant grandson, Micah, and where Stacy has apparently prevailed over and Jesse in their ongoing battle over whether to get a dog (hint: they don’t have one).
- He is a member of the Real Estate and Construction Division, and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
- Jesse is former chair of (and still very active in) the Los Angeles chapter of AIPAC’s real estate division.
- He is on the Board of Trustees of NYU Law School.
- Jesse is on the Advisory Board for the Jewish Theological Seminary.
- He is a chair of the real estate division of Make a Wish.
- Jesse is on Cedars Sinai’s Board of Governors.
- He is a frequent lecturer on real estate, joint venture and real estate finance.
Capabilities
- Real Estate
- Business Restructuring and Reorganization
- Financial Institutions
- Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
Credentials
Education:
- New York University - 1986 Juris Doctor
- University of Pennsylvania - 1982 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar