Grant Puleo

focuses his practice on a wide variety of real estate, finance and business transactions. He serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Education industry group. He has extensive experience in a broad array of commercial, multi-family and educational facility real estate transactions, including acquisitions, development, construction, P3, syndication, opportunity zones, dispositions and specialized leasing and financing of all product types throughout California and the United States. Mr. Puleo's finance experience includes both borrower and lender representation in the origination and workout of complicated debt and equity transactions, such as acquisition and construction financing, mezzanine financing and synthetic leasing transactions. He also represents clients in business matters involving the transfer of business assets and the formation and restructuring of joint ventures, private placements, opportunity funds and other business entities.

Mr. Puleo is also a seasoned trial attorney, having tried over a dozen jury trials and several dozen binding arbitrations and mediations involving real estate, finance and business disputes as well as risk management and litigation avoidance counseling. Mr. Puleo has also testified in trial and in deposition as an expert witness.

Mr. Puleo is an adjunct professor of law at California Western School of Law, where he lectures on commercial real estate transactions. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Endeavor Bank and serves as pro bono legal counsel for various non-profit clients.

Resume

Experience

•Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2014-present
•Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP
- Partner, 2004-2014
•Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
- Associate, 2003
•Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP
- Associate, 2000-2003

Honors and Awards

•Finalist, San Diego Business Journal Leaders in Law Awards, 2019

•Named a Top Attorney In San Diego by Modern Luxury magazine, 2019 and 2020

•America's Most Honored Professionals - Top 1%

•Recognized as a top lawyer and legal leader in Banking & Finance in The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel and The National Law Journal

•Best of the Bar, The San Diego Business Journal, 2014 through 2019

•Voted San Diego Super Lawyers for Real Estate, 2012 through 2020

•Voted Southern California's Top Rated Lawyers, 2012 through 2019

•Top Lawyer in California for highest ethical standards and professional excellence as listed in The Legal Network
•AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Civic and Charitable Activities

•Convivio Center
- Pro Bono Legal Counsel
•Rescued Cards
- Pro Bono Legal Counsel

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Selected Publications

•Featured in Duane Morris Works on Hotel Deal, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 10, 2014
• Negotiate or Litigate: Landlord's Dilemma When Faced With a Defaulting Tenant, January 15, 2014
•Author of Defaults and Remedies Chapter of Ground Lease Practice (2nd ed. Cal. CEB 2009)
•Co-author, Mezzanine Loans to Developers and Owners of Real Estate Projects: 10 Ways to Improve the Quality of the Equity Pledge, The Real Estate Finance Journal, Spring 2007
• So, You Want to Advertise and Sell Your Mexican Residential Real Estate Project in the United States-Now What? October 1, 2007

Selected Speaking Engagements

•Moderator, Investment Panel, Interface San Diego Mixed Use Conference, San Diego, CA, June 18, 2020
•Moderator, National Macroeconomic Outlook and Implications for the Student Housing Market, IMN Student Housing 360, Dana Point, CA, January 16, 2020

•Speaker, Foreclosing on a Real Estate Mezzanine Loan, CLE program, Strafford Webinars, October 8, 2019

•Moderator, National Outlook: Macro Trends Across the US, Bisnow National Student Housing Summit, Bisnow Media, June 5, 2019

•Speaker, Title Insurance For Real Estate Mezzanine Financing, CLE program, Strafford Webinars, February 14, 2019

•Speaker, How Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Firms Are Using Technology To Drive Measurable Results Across All Aspects Of Their Business, IMN Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing, Laguna Beach, CA, January 17, 2019

•Moderator, Investing through Qualified Opportunity Zones, Opal Family Office & Private Wealth Forum West 2018, October 25, 2018

•Speaker, Hot Topics in Commercial Leasing, Lexvid Continuing Professional Education, October, 18, 2018

• Multi-Faceted Multi-Family Panel, IMN's 3rd Annual Real Estate Family Office and Private Wealth Management Forum (West) Huntington Beach, California, May 11, 2017
• Loan Participations and Purchased Loans: Structuring Participation Agreements, Lender Due Diligence, Strafford Webinar, March 31, 2016
• Real CRE Deals: Case Study-Led New Best Practices for JVs, IMN's 13th Annual Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing, Laguna Beach, California, January 22, 2016
• Small is Beautiful (But Challenging) in Today's Market: A Strategy Update from Small-Mid Sized Funds, IMN 12th Annual Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing, Laguna Beach, California, January 21-23, 2015
• Mezzanine Financing for Middle Market Deals: Significant Developments, The Knowledge Group: Live Webinar, November 3, 2014
• Pledge Agreements for Partnerships & LLCs, Webinar/Teleconference, April 2, 2013
• Get it While it's Hot! The Potential Within Multi-Family in 2013, IMN 10th Annual Winter Forum on Real Estate Opportunities & Private Fund Investing, Laguna Beach, California, January 25, 2013
• Pledge Agreements for Partnership and LLC Equity Interests, Webinar/Teleconference, April 3, 2012
•IMN's Bank & Financial Institution Special Asset Executive Conference on Real Estate Workouts, Los Angeles, September 26-27, 2011
• Pledge Agreements for Partnership and LLC Equity Interests, Phone/Web Seminar, June 30, 2011
• Hot Topics in Leasing, San Diego County Bar Association, San Diego, August 2010
• Advising International Clients in Times of Opportunities, San Diego, May 20, 2010
• Mezzanine Loans/CMBS/Multiparty Workouts, Bankers Forum on Distressed Properties and Real Estate Loans, New York, April 19-20, 2010
• What Real Estate Lawyers and Their Clients Need to Know About the Credit Market Crisis: Understanding How it Can Impact Your Clients & Proactive Client Strategies to Gain Access to Capital, Reed Seminars, June 5, 2009
• Borrower and Real Estate Mezzanine Lender Workouts: Case Studies, 6th Annual Western Borrowers' and Investors' Forum on Real Estate Mezzanine Loans & Distressed Real Estate Debt, Los Angeles, April 2, 2009
• Commercial and Real Estate Loan Documents: More Than Just Papers, Lorman Education Service Seminar, San Diego, November 2008
• lntercreditor Issues in Commercial Real Estate Workouts, Commercial Real Estate Workouts, Turnarounds & REO, Irvine, California, July 21-23, 2008
• The Intercreditor Agreement: How Have the Details Changed Since the Early 90s, 5th Annual Western Borrowers' & Investors' Forum on Real Estate Mezzanine Loans, Los Angeles, April 14, 2008
• What Are Lenders Doing With Underperforming Properties Pre-Foreclosure? Symposium on Distressed Residential Real Estate, Miami, March 20, 2008