Practice Areas: Real Estate
58 Maiden Lane, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
T: (415) 788-6330
F: (415) 391-0555
E: rnicholas@hnattorneys.com
Robert C. Nicholas maintains a diverse real estate practice representing owners and developers in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, construction and management of all types of commercial real property, with an emphasis on hotels, office buildings, multi-family and mixed-use projects and shopping centers. A substantial part of his practice also involves the negotiation of third-party and “brand” hotel management agreements and hotel franchise agreements.
Mr. Nicholas recently represented Zarsion Holdings Group Co., Ltd., a developer from Beijing, China in forming a joint venture with Signature Development Group to complete the horizontal development of a 1.5 billion dollar urban infill project in Oakland, California, known as “Brooklyn Basin”. This engagement involved the assembly of a due diligence team to perform the legal due diligence on behalf of Zarsion and the negotiation of a joint venture agreement.
He also recently represented Fullwel Management Inc. and Faustus Capital LLC in forming a joint venture with a developer from China, Oceanwide Real Estate Group, to acquire a nearly fully entitled urban infill project known as “Fig Central” in downtown Los Angeles. This engagement involved the negotiation of joint venture documents, the negotiation of a purchase and sale agreement with the seller, the Moinian Group, the assembly of a due diligence team and the supervision of the due diligence.
A few of Mr. Nicholas’ other note worthy engagements include the representation of the seller of the landmark Renaissance Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu, the buyer of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Los Angeles and Rim Hotel Group in the disposition of the company’s portfolio of hotels.
Mr. Nicholas has considerable experience in negotiating, documenting, restructuring and enforcing commercial leases. He represents the owner of 71 Stevenson Place, a Class A office building in San Francisco in all of its leasing and related matters and, in that capacity, recently negotiated and drafted leases for over 250,000 square feet of office space.
He also acts as outside general counsel to FIT Investment Corporation with respect to all of its domestic real estate matters. In that role, he has handled numerous acquisitions and dispositions of hotels, office buildings and warehouse facilities located throughout the United States.
Mr. Nicholas regularly counsels a number of commercial brokerage firms on legal developments, was a guest lecturer in an advanced real estate transactions course at Stanford Law School, enjoys an “A/V” Martindale rating and is a member of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys, Asian Hotel Owners Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Real Property Section of the American Bar, California State Bar and San Francisco Bar Associations.