About the Authors of the Fourth Edition
RANDALL I. BARKAN, coauthor of chapter 2, is the President of Real-dispute Consulting & Expert Witness Services in Pacific Grove. Mr. Barkan received his A.B. from Harvard and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He has had an extensive career as a business and real estate litigator, as an executive and corporate counsel in the commercial real estate industry (Coldwell Banker Commercial Group, Marcus & Millichap, and TRI Commercial Real Estate Services), and as an expert witness. He is a licensed California real estate broker and was the designated broker for over 250 sales agents in nine California offices. Mr. Barkan is a former Vice-Chair and Executive Committee member of the State Bar Real Property Law Section, and has been a panelist at numerous State Bar, CEB, and ABA programs on real estate, corporate counsel, and litigation issues.
JEFFREY H. BELOTE, coauthor of chapter 2, is a partner of Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP, San Francisco, where he is the Co-Chair of the Real Estate and Construction Litigation Practice Group. He received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mr. Belote prosecutes and defends actions in commercial and real estate litigation and has successfully litigated, settled, and when necessary arbitrated and tried multiparty and complex litigation cases. Mr. Belote lectured for several years in Real Estate Law and Real Estate Concepts in the Masters Program at Golden Gate University, and guest lectured in banking law in the Masters Program. Mr. Belote has been a speaker for CEB, the National Business Institute, and California Land Title Association. He is coauthor of Advanced Real Estate Law in California (1991), Easement and Boundary Disputes in California (1992), and Keys to Success in a Real Estate Transaction in California (1993). He was an editorial contributor for James Publishing in 1999 for its book entitled California Causes of Action.
PETER BRIAN BOTHEL, coauthor of chapter 15, practices with the firm of Cassidy, Shimko, Dawson & Kawakami, San Francisco. His practice emphasizes real property acquisitions and financing, commercial leasing, and other real estate transactions. He was previously a partner in his own firm, where his practice emphasized real estate transactions and litigation, including title, title insurance coverage and escrow, foreclosures, easements, and real estate broker litigation. Mr. Bothel received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 1977 and his B.A. from Wheaton College in 1974.
TIMOTHY N. BROWN, author of chapter 5 and coauthor of chapter 4, retired from the San Francisco office of Reed Smith LLP. Mr. Brown practiced in the areas of real estate and environmental law, including the development of office and industrial properties and related land use entitlement matters; the acquisition and disposition of major real estate projects; lease transactions involving a wide variety of office, industrial, and retail properties; real estate finance matters representing lenders, borrowers, and institutional equity investors; and hazardous materials issues in connection with property sales, acquisitions, loans, and leases. Mr. Brown is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), for which he has chaired the Land Use Committee and the Urban Land Institute. Before his retirement he was active in the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law (RPPTL) Section of the American Bar Association, for which he chaired two committees. He is a frequent speaker at programs sponsored by ACREL, the RPPTL Section, and CEB. He received his A.B. from Harvard College in 1964 and his LL.B from Harvard Law School in 1967.
GORDON K. ENG, coauthor of chapters 4 and 8, is a solo practitioner in Torrance, and has over 30 years of experience in real estate acquisition, financing, and development. Mr. Eng is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) and a member of the Financial Institutions Committee of the Business Law Section of the CLA. Mr. Eng received his J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1982 and his B.A. from Queens College in 1979.
SHERRY L. GEYER, coauthor of chapter 4, is a Vice President at First Republic Bank. She was formerly counsel at Reed Smith LLP in San Francisco, where her practice focused on real estate and real estate finance. She represented clients in real estate acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, public and private development, and financing transactions. Ms. Geyer received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1988 and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1971.
THEANI C. LOUSKOS, author of chapter 1, is a principal with the firm of Bartko, Zankel, Tarrant & Miller, San Francisco. She specializes in commercial real estate transactions, including the purchase and sale, financing, and leasing of office and retail properties. Ms. Louskos has handled major real estate acquisitions and sales on behalf of developers and REITs. She is a frequent speaker on real estate topics. Ms. Louskos received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 1980.
LAURA S. LOWE, coauthor of chapter 15, is underwriting counsel with Old Republic Title Company, San Francisco, and was formerly counsel with Miller, Starr, Regalia, Walnut Creek, and the West Region Agency Counsel for LandAmerica Financial Group, Inc. Ms. Lowe was in-house counsel for the title insurance industry from 1998 to 2008. Before that, she worked as a litigation attorney for various firms in the Bay Area. She is a member and past chair of the California Land Title Association’s (CLTA) Education Committee. Ms. Lowe has presented programs for CEB, the Real Property Section of the State Bar of California, the National Business Institute, and the CLTA, and has provided classes to various real estate companies, mortgage loan brokerages, and local real estate organizations. She is the coauthor of two chapters in California Easements and Boundaries: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB). Ms. Lowe graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1982 and received her B.S. in 1974 from Ohio State University.
PETER S. MUÑOZ, coauthor of chapter 9, is a partner with Reed Smith LLP in San Francisco. Mr. Muñoz’s clients consist of a mix of large, mid-size, and small banks, savings and loan companies, equipment leasing companies, mortgage companies, and private real estate and commercial financing entities. He generally represents creditors and lenders and equipment lessors in the documentation of complex credit transactions and in the restructuring and enforcement of such transactions both inside and outside the bankruptcy courts. Occasionally, he represents guarantors or borrowers in such transactions. He specializes in all forms of commercial and real estate finance transactions, asset-based loans, intellectual property financing, and agricultural lending. Mr. Muñoz writes and lectures extensively on issues of real and personal property lending and foreclosure, and a variety of UCC matters. He is the author of California Real Estate Finance Practice: Strategies and Forms, chap 7 (Cal CEB), and he was a contributing editor to California Mortgage and Deed of Trust Practice (3d ed Cal CEB). Mr. Muñoz is a member of the California Bankers Association Legal Affairs Committee and a member of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and his B.A. and M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
HOWARD L. PEARLMAN, author of chapter 6, has practiced real estate law for 35 years. He was a principal at Bartko, Zankel, Tarrant & Miller, San Francisco, for 24 years, where he litigated, arbitrated, and mediated a wide range of matters involving purchase and sale contracts, nondisclosure and fraud claims, broker compensation and liability, construction contracts and defects, commercial leases, environmental cleanup liability, common interest developments, and adjoining landowner disputes. Mr. Pearlman’s practice currently focuses on real estate consulting, expert witness services, and arbitration as an active member of the National Roster of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association. He is a contributing author of California Basic Practice Handbook (Cal CEB) and Ground Lease Practice (2d ed Cal CEB). He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and his B.A. from Reed College.
SCOTT A. SOMMER, author of chapters 10, 11, and 12, is Of Counsel to Larson O’Brien LLP, Los Angeles. His practice involves complex real property matters, including environmental law, land use, and land title issues. Mr. Sommer has spoken frequently at continuing legal education courses sponsored by CEB. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
STEPHEN STWORA-HAIL, coauthor of chapter 3, is a former partner and chair of the Real Property Group, at Downey Brand LLP, Sacramento, and a former partner in the Real Property Group of Best, Best & Krieger LLP, Sacramento, and now maintains a solo practice at the Law Offices of Stephen Stwora-Hail, Sacramento. His transactional practice emphasizes leasing, acquisitions, financing, development, easements, CC&Rs, and land use. He is a past Chair of the Real Property Section of the State Bar of California, a past member of the Governing Committee of CEB, and has written, edited, and presented for CEB and the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar. Mr. Stwora-Hail received his B.A. from the University of Chicago and his J.D. from Santa Clara University.
TIMOTHY R. SULLIVAN, author of chapters 13 and 14, is a partner in the Fresno office of McCormick Barstow LLP, and is part of the firm’s Tort and Specialty Litigation Practice Group and its Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Sullivan represents both insurers and insureds in a variety of insurance-related matters, including personal injury, construction defect, bad faith and declaratory relief actions. He is the Consulting Editor and coauthor of Property Insurance: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB), as well as coauthor of California Real Estate Brokers: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB); California Construction Contracts, Defects, and Litigation (Cal CEB); California Title Insurance Practice (2d ed Cal CEB). Mr. Sullivan has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” each year since 2008. He is also a former member of the State Bar Real Property Executive Committee and is a past-President of the Fresno County Bar Association. He received his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Missouri–Columbia.
WILLIAM D. WICK, coauthor of chapter 7, formerly a partner with Wactor & Wick, LLP, Oakland, is the founding lawyer of Wick Environmental Law PC, Piedmont, CA. Mr. Wick’s practice is devoted exclusively to environmental counseling and litigation, with a focus on hazardous site cleanup matters. He counsels and defends clients in real estate, regulatory, and enforcement matters, and serves as an expert witness on the law relating to hazardous site cleanup. He is rated “AV-Preeminent” (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubble; he has been consistently selected by other lawyers as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” in Environmental Law by Law & Politics and is listed as one of “The Best Lawyers in America.” He is an author of “Cleanup of Hazardous Substances,” Chapter 55, in California Environmental Law and Land Use Practice (Matthew-Bender Treatise). He is an advisor emeritus and former member of the Executive Committee of the Environmental Section of the California Lawyers Association, and is former Chair of the Environmental Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Before entering private practice, Mr. Wick served for 13 years as an attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was responsible for enforcement under all major federal statutes. He was the Chief of the Hazardous Waste Branch of the Office of Regional Counsel for Region IX for 6 years, supervising 30 attorneys responsible for hazardous site cases in Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii, and the Trust Territories. Mr. Wick was an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University School of Law, where he taught environmental law from 1981 to 1991. He is a frequent speaker and writer on environmental law topics, and has been a regular contributor to “The Practitioner” column on environmental law in the San Francisco Daily Journal and Los Angeles Daily Journal. Mr. Wick received his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1971 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.
About the 2023 Update Authors
HOLLY BARBERI, update coauthor of chapter 2, is General Manager and In-House Counsel at Vista Sotheby’s International Realty in Manhattan Beach. She is experienced in real estate development, lending, and brokerage. Ms. Barberi received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, her M.Ed. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.
MARK CARLSON, update coauthor of chapter 2, is the founder of the Carlson Law Group, Inc., in Woodland Hills. Mr. Carlson handles real estate litigation and civil matters. He has represented major developers, appraisers, loan brokers, escrow companies, contractors, and other real estate professionals in a wide range of matters. Mr. Carlson has represented major land owners in premises liability cases and nationally known companies in complex multijurisdictional federal litigation. He has significant trial experience in both state and federal courts. Mr. Carlson received his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from California Lutheran University.
JOANNE L. DUNEC, update author of chapter 15, is a senior Deputy City Attorney with the Real Estate Unit of the Office of the City Attorney, Oakland. Before joining the City, Ms. Dunec was Underwriting Counsel with Old Republic Title Company, San Francisco, and a shareholder with Miller Starr Regalia, where she specialized in real estate transactions and land use regulation and development, with an emphasis on public/private partnership transactions. Her work includes adaptive reuse of underperforming assets, mixed-use development, military base reuse, and rehabilitation and preservation of historic properties. For many years she served as an annual panelist and moderator of the Real Property Law Practice: Year in Review for CEB. Ms. Dunec was an adviser to CEB for Neighbor Disputes: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB), California Easements and Boundaries: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB), and Ground Lease Practice (2d ed Cal CEB). She was also an author of Real Property Ownership and Taxation (Cal CEB). Ms. Dunec is an American College of Real Estate Lawyers Fellow. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and her B.S. from the University of Arizona.
GORDON K. ENG is the update author of chapters 4 and 8; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
STACIE A. GOEDDEL, update author of chapter 5, is a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, San Francisco. She represents owners, lenders, and hotel companies in commercial real estate transactions and has a special expertise in complex resort and hospitality development projects. Ms. Goeddel serves on the Hiring Committee for Holland & Knight’s San Francisco office and is an active member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. from Tulane University.
JOSE A. MENDOZA, update coauthor of chapter 2, is a senior attorney at the Carlson Law Group, Inc., in Woodland Hills. His practice is focused on residential and commercial real estate transactions and litigation, and represents clients in construction defects, professional liability defense, commission disputes, and business litigation. Mr. Mendoza was formerly in-house counsel with Coldwell Banker and served as Judge Pro Tem at the Los Angeles Superior Court. He is a member of the California Association of Realtors’ Legal Affairs Forum and is an Advisor with the California Lawyers Association’s Executive Committee for the Real Property Law Section. He received his J.D. from Loyola Law School and his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
PETER S. MUÑOZ is the update author of chapter 9; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
HOWARD L. PEARLMAN is the update author of chapter 6; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
SCOTT A. SOMMER is the update author of chapters 10, 11, and 12; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
STEPHEN STWORA-HAIL is the update author of chapter 3; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
TIMOTHY R. SULLIVAN is the update author of chapters 13 and 14; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
WILLIAM D. WICK is the update author of chapter 7; see his biography in the About the Authors section of this book.
MARY E. WORK, update coauthor of chapter 2, is the founder of Mary E. Work, APC, Manhattan Beach. Her practice is focused on providing compliance guidance to the California real estate brokerage industry as well as the representation of real estate professionals facing regulatory problems. Prior to establishing her regulatory compliance practice, Ms. Work was legal counsel with the Clifornia Department of Real Estate. She is a member of the California Association of Realtors (CAR) Legal Affairs Forum. Ms. Work is also a coauthor of two chapters in California Real Estate Brokers: Law and Litigation (Cal CEB), chapter 8 (Regulation of Brokers), and chapter 9 (Disciplinary Procedures). She received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law.
