Bruce Fischer

Bruce Fischer is the Chair of the West Coast Real Estate Practice and Co-Managing Shareholder of the firm's Orange County office. He focuses his practice on working with real estate funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and institutional owners, and their advisors, in connection with the purchase and sale, ground-up development, and financing of commercial properties (including multi-property and multi-state portfolio sales and acquisitions), directly or through the formation of joint ventures with local operators and/or developers.

Bruce also represents institutional lenders and institutional owners in connection with workouts involving complex loan restructuring, foreclosures, deeds in lieu of foreclosure, and the appointment of receivers. Additionally, his practice includes the representation of institutional lenders and borrowers regarding the origination of construction loans, permanent loans and credit enhancement involving commercial projects, multi-phase residential projects, and affordable housing projects.

Concentrations

•Real estate funds
•REITs
•Acquisitions and dispositions
•Joint ventures
•Commercial real estate financing
•Complex loan restructuring and workouts

Beginning in 2010, the year in which Bruce joined Greenberg Traurig, the deal flow for him and his team in Orange County has included over 108 separate acquisitions, including portfolios, ranging in size from $7.5 million to $655 million and aggregating an amount in excess of $7 billion. These acquisitions have been structured in a variety of ways, including the acquisition of equity interests (including REIT shares) in the underlying asset owner and the formation of joint ventures with the sellers of the property and have included a variety of real estate classes, including office and high rise buildings, industrial buildings, retail buildings, condos, apartments, hotels, and vacant land.

Bruce’s experience in representing his clients in connection with the disposition of commercial real estate in the United States is similar to his experience in the acquisitions, both in terms of reach throughout the United States and volume. His team’s deal flow in Orange County of dispositions during the last nine years has included over 141 separate dispositions, some of which were portfolios, ranging in size from $4.6 million to $1.2 billion and aggregating an amount in excess of $7.7 billion.

Bruce’s experience in commercial real estate financing includes documenting and counseling clients in connection with many forms of finance, including construction loans, mini-permanent loans, permanent loans, and mezzanine financings, including multiple layer mezzanine financings. Of his 35 years of experience in real estate, Bruce spent most of the first 15 years of his practice representing institutional lenders and closing more than 1000 commercial loans. Currently, Bruce represents borrowers and lenders in connection with commercial real estate financings throughout the United States. Over the last nine years, he and his team have counseled borrowers on over 147 separate commercial mortgage financings (many of which also included a layer of mezzanine financings and some of which were to be securitized) from over 20 different lenders in 29 states, ranging in size from $8.5 million to over $1 billion and aggregating an amount in excess of $13 billion. Bruce and his team also have skill in representing lenders in connection with their origination of mortgage loans and mezzanine loans. This experience enables the team to provide strategic advice to clients regarding loan deal terms.

Over the last nine years, Bruce and his team have also represented clients in numerous workout and restructure transactions, including large portfolio restructurings.

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Southern California Super Lawyers, 2019, 2020
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide,2008-2020
•Team Member, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2013 and 2017-2018
•Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers , Law Firm of the Year in Real Estate Law, 2015
•Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, Top Tier Firm in Real Estate, 2013 and 2014
•Team Member, ACG New York Champion’s Awards, Deal of the Year (over $500mm); Cross-border Transaction of the Year (over $250mm) for $1.8 billion Acquisition of MacDermid, Inc. by Platform Acquisition Holdings Limited, 2014
•Team Member, a Law360 Real Estate Practice Group of the Year, 2011-2013 and 2015