Matthew Berrien

Partner
Real Estate, Commercial Transactions

Matt provides clients knowledgeable representation and practical advice in real estate and business matters. In practice for twenty-five years, Matt advises and represents companies and individuals in a wide array of real estate and business transactions. He represents sellers and purchasers in the acquisition and sale of commercial property, developers securing land use entitlements, lenders and borrowers structuring public and private financing transactions, and landlords and tenants negotiating office, industrial and retail leases. He also assists companies and individuals forming and operating business entities and joint ventures.

Matt’s experience includes the acquisition of vacant land, residential lots, retail centers, office and industrial buildings, agricultural property and former military base property. He negotiates office, industrial, retail, billboard and cell tower lease transactions within and outside California, representing individuals and companies, both public and private.  He represents developers and property owners negotiating contracts for the construction of horizontal and vertical improvements, including single-family homes, apartments, and mixed use residential and commercial buildings.  He also represents developers entering into public/private partnerships for the construction of school facilities, housing and infrastructure projects, and he represents land developers and homebuilders in connection with community facilities district formation, modification and bond sales.

He left private practice in 2007 to become the assistant general counsel of a land development and home building company in Northern California with mixed-use, in-fill, and large suburban residential development projects within the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento valley. As assistant general counsel, Matt was responsible for land use matters, purchase and sale transactions, construction contracting, financing transactions, and office, retail and residential leasing transactions. He returned to private practice in 2010 and counts his former employer among his current clients.

Matt is admitted to practice in California and Colorado. He is a member of the Real Property Law and Business Law sections of the State Bar of California, and has lectured at legal education seminars on office, industrial and retail leasing. He received his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.