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Orange County

T(949) 851-5468

Email William R. Ahern
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William R. Ahern LinkedIn

Education

  • LL.M., Taxation; Tax Scholar, New York University School of Law

  • J.D., Valedictorian, University of Toledo College of Law

  • B.A., The Ohio State University

Bar Admissions

  • California

  • New York

  • Ohio

Services

  • Real Estate Joint Ventures & Equity Investments

  • Commercial Real Estate Transactions

  • Tax

Industries

  • Real Estate

  • Residential & Multifamily

  • Hospitality & Leisure

  • Industrial & Logistics

  • Office

  • Entertainment & Media

Memberships

  • Urban Land Institute, Orange County/Inland Empire, Capital Markets Local Product Council

  • Ohio State Alumni Club of Southern California (1998-present)

  • Urban Land Institute-Orange County District Council: Executive Committee Member (2006-2009), Membership Committee, Co-Chair (2006 to 2009)

William R. Ahern

Partner

Bill is a partner in the Orange County office with over 25 years of experience advising clients on a wide range of tax, joint venture, real estate, and corporate matters, including forming partnerships for the acquisition, sale, and development of commercial real estate, fund formation, 1031 like-kind exchanges, tenancy-in-common arrangements, Proposition 13 planning, Opportunity Zone investments, business entity restructuring and corporate succession planning. Bill represents a diverse group of sophisticated real estate sponsors, owners, developers, and capital providers. He works on projects covering most segments of the real estate industry, including multifamily, office, life science, industrial, hotel, entertainment, retail, mixed-use, and master planned developments.

Clients value Bill’s ability to efficiently structure real estate and corporate transactions to minimize tax and liability exposure, while also providing strategic counsel on other operational and legal matters. For many of his clients, he acts as the primary point of contact to assist and guide them through the life cycle of their respective commercial real estate investments, from the signing of the purchase agreement to the eventual disposition of the same. Since Bill represents both sponsors and capital providers, he has developed a unique understanding of the various conflicts of interests involved in any transaction, and has become adept at finding solutions to remove such impediments.

While much of Bill’s experience relates to general real estate matters, he has developed a special emphasis in counseling early stage real estate companies in connection with the creation of their initial operating companies, the formation of funds (both co-invest funds and funds created for direct investment), and the granting of participation interests to key employees/team members, along with collaborating with other practice groups at Allen Matkins to help with broader corporate securities, employment, litigation, and day-to-day business needs.

Widely respected for his industry and legal experience, Bill is frequently sought after as an author and speaker for regional and national conferences.

Clients value Bill’s ability to efficiently structure real estate and corporate transactions to minimize tax and liability exposure, while also providing strategic counsel on other operational and legal matters. For many of his clients, he acts as the primary point of contact to assist and guide them through the life cycle of their respective commercial real estate investments, from the signing of the purchase agreement to the eventual disposition of the same. Since Bill represents both sponsors and capital providers, he has developed a unique understanding of the various conflicts of interests involved in any transaction, and has become adept at finding solutions to remove such impediments.

While much of Bill’s experience relates to general real estate matters, he has developed a special emphasis in counseling early stage real estate companies in connection with the creation of their initial operating companies, the formation of funds (both co-invest funds and funds created for direct investment), and the granting of participation interests to key employees/team members, along with collaborating with other practice groups at Allen Matkins to help with broader corporate securities, employment, litigation, and day-to-day business needs.

Widely respected for his industry and legal experience, Bill is frequently sought after as an author and speaker for regional and national conferences.

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  • Allen Matkins’ William Ahern Sees Slowdown in CRE Lending, Trades

    William R. Ahern in Connect CRE

    Press Mention

    9.11.23

  • California Voters Narrowly Reject Split-Roll Initiative, but Approve Changes to Property Tax Exemptions; San Francisco Voters Approve Higher Taxes on Businesses

    11.13.20

  • San Francisco Proposes Doubling Transfer Tax for Certain Real Estate Transactions

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  • Joint Venture and Partner Capital Obligations in the Time of COVID-19

    5.11.20

  • California Office of Tax Appeals Upholds Taxpayer Friendly "Drop and Swap" Case

    2.11.20

  • Capital Markets Roundtable: Where Investors Say the Market Is Headed

    William R. Ahern in Urban Land

    Press Mention

    11.18.19

  • Why It's A Good Time To Be A Multifamily Seller In The OC

    William R. Ahern in Real Estate Bisnow Orange County

    Press Mention

    4.10.17

  • The OC is Looking Good for Multifamily

    William R. Ahern in Real Estate Bisnow Orange County

    Press Mention

    12.20.16

  • Optimism Abounds for the OC

    William R. Ahern in Real Estate Bisnow Orange County

    Press Mention

    11.14.16

  • What's Driving Multifamily In Orange County

    William R. Ahern in Real Estate Bisnow Orange County

    Press Mention

    4.25.16

  • Recent Changes to the Tax Matters Partner Designation May Prove Costly to the Unwary

    2.02.16

  • 4 Things To Watch For If California’s Prop 13 Gets Amended

    William R. Ahern in Law360

    Press Mention

    7.15.14

  • OC Industrial: All Revved Up, No Place to Build

    William R. Ahern in Bisnow Orange County

    Press Mention

    3.31.14

  • The Art of the Buy-Sell Agreement in Joint Ventures - William Ahern

    9.19.11

  • Taxpayers Now Face Penalties for Failure to Notify BOE of Transfers in Entities That Own California Real Property

    5.26.10

  • Repeal of the Estate Tax - What You Need to Know for 2010

    You may need to amend your estate planning documents.

    4.22.10

  • The Art of the Buy-Sell

    By William R. Ahern in Western Real Estate Business Journal

    Article

    11.02.09

  • Seller May Face Tax and Credit Troubles In a Short Sale

    William R. Ahern in the Los Angeles Times

    Press Mention

    6.15.08

  • Congressman Takes Notes of Carried Interest's Impact on Real Estate Industry

    8.23.07

  • Proposed Tax Changes Would Impact Real Estate Partnerships

    William R. Ahern in the Debt and Equity Journal

    Press Mention

    8.13.07

  • Auerbach v. Assessment Appeals Board No. 1.

    William R. Ahern in Real Property Reporter

    Press Mention

    9.01.06

  • Commentary Regarding Auerbach v. Assessment Appeals Board No. 1

    By William R. Ahern in the Real Property Reporter

    Article

    9.01.06

  • Tax Reassessments of Transferred Property

    By William R. Ahern in Los Angeles Lawyer

    Article

    2.01.06

  • Choice Of Entity For California Real Estate Developers and Investors

    By William R. Ahern in Real Estate Finance

    Article

    7.01.04

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