Best Lawyers in California, United States for Litigation - Real Estate
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Vincent J. Bartolotta, Jr. is a founding partner of Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire. He specializes in plaintiffs' litigation with an emphasis in business disputes, condemnation, and major injury cases. A tenacious litigator, Bartolotta is recognized annually by Woodward/White as one of the Best Lawyers in America -- a recognition he's received every year since 1987. "There's really no secret about what I do," he says, "I really do care for my clients; each case gets a piece of my soul." Bartolot...
Ivo Keller is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Real Estate. Ivo, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ivo is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Steven A. Goldfarb, a former longtime co-chair of Hahn Loeser’s national Litigation Practice Area , is a skilled and highly acclaimed trial lawyer practicing in California and Ohio with experience representing companies and individuals across the country in diverse business litigation matters. In addition to leading the firm’s well-recognized Class Action and Title Insurance Industry Teams, Steve has significant experience in unfair competition/trade secrets, insurance coverage/ba...
Brian Fish focuses his practice on land use, public/private partnerships, public contracting, environmental and real estate matters. Mr. Fish assists public and private clients with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, coastal permitting, planning and zoning issues, Subdivision Map Act processing, Williamson Act issues, condominium conversions and prevailing wage analysis. He also negotiates and drafts all other manner of documentation required to acquire, develop, finance,...
Norman H. Levine is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Real Estate. Norman H., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Norman H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Thomas W. Casparian is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Real Estate. Thomas W., who practices law in Santa Monica, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael Berger is one of California’s preeminent appellate lawyers and is a partner in Manatt Real Estate and the appellate practice. One of the top land use and condemnation lawyers in the United States, his appellate cases have involved planning, zoning, eminent domain, various kinds of business litigation, landslides, contract, due process, equal protection, defective construction, nuisance, insurance and environmental law. Michael has argued four cases before the United States Supre...
Michael J. Gleason is an AV-rated trial and appellate lawyer with over 20 years of experience handling key areas of business litigation, including consumer class action defense, California’s Proposition 65, product liability, fraud, real estate, escrow, and title insurance. He serves as Partner-in-Charge of Hahn Loeser’s San Diego office, is founder of the firm’s Proposition 65 defense group, and a member of the San Diego Litigation Team, which is ranked among the Top Tier P...
Scott D. Bertzyk is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Real Estate and Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Scott D., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Betty Shumener is one of the three founding partners of Shumener, Odson & Oh LLP. Ms. Shumener represents some of the nation’s elite private equity firms, opportunity funds and financial institutions. As a commercial litigator, Ms. Shumener has protected billion of dollars of real estate and corporate assets for equity and debt investors dating back to the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980’s and evolving into the opportunity funds and investment banking firms. Ms. Shume...
Michael S. LeBoff brings more than 25 years of trial practice to Klein & Wilson, handling and winning high-stakes trials and arbitrations. Michael represents clients of all sizes in a wide variety of business cases, including shareholder, partnership and joint venture disputes, trade secret claims, fraud, breach of contract, business torts, real estate, attorney fee disputes and legal malpractice actions. Michael attended Loyola Law School on a full academic scholarship, graduating second...
Michael L Wachell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Real Estate. Michael L, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael L is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. White is a business trial lawyer specializing in complex business disputes. His clients include large corporations and institutions generating billions in revenue annually, multinational corporations, and entrepreneurs. Throughout his career, he has worked with and against the largest law firms in the world. He prides himself on delivering top results and creating value for his clients, both large and small. In addition to litigation matters, Mr. White provides outside general counsel ser...
Scott Alexander served as the managing partner of Murphy Austin from 2012 to 2024. Scott practices business and commercial litigation throughout all California state and federal courts, with a primary emphasis in construction and real estate litigation, public contracts and complex contract disputes. Scott routinely represents public entities, private owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and architects and engineers on a broad array of issues within the construction industry, includin...
George Soneff is a partner in the Los Angeles office. He has over 30 years' experience in complex litigation in state and federal courts, and administrative tribunals. He has an extensive background handling real property litigation, including real estate development and valuation, land use restrictions and governmental regulation of property rights, eminent domain/inverse condemnation, ownership disputes, construction-related claims, water rights, and insurance. His clients have included maj...
Robert J. Catalano is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Real Estate. Robert J., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.