Lawyers See Signs of Thawing in Real Estate Market

Daily Journal (January 19, 2012) Ask developers about their outlook on the future of commercial real estate, and the answer is usually imbued with optimism. But for the first time in several years, that optimism has some hard evidence behind it, according to the latest semiannual report by UCLA Anderson Forecast and the real estate law firm of Allen Matkins. "When you look at San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where the market has been a leader, you're more likely to see ground-up development activity, which tends to be more legally intensive, because they are new projects," said John Tipton, a partner with Allen Matkins' real estate practice.