Robert A. Thompson

Robert A. Thompson is a partner in the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Thompson handles a broad range of real estate investment, development, and financing matters.  In addition, he represents investors and developers in leasing and financing transactions, and land-use and environmental administrative proceedings and litigation, with a particular emphasis on land use regulation and CEQA compliance with respect to residential and mixed use development.  He also specializes in redevelopment and military base reuse transactions.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Thompson has acted as development and/or leasing counsel to several large commercial and residential projects, such as The Sea Ranch in Sonoma County, San Francisco Centre, the Fillmore Center, as well as a number of San Francisco office projects, including Marathon Plaza, 505 Sansome Street, 100 Spear Street, 160 Spear Street, 210 California Street, 345 California Street, 595 Market Street and Embarcadero Center.  More recent San Francisco Projects include the Kaiser Permanente Geary Boulevard Campus and the "Macy's block" redevelopment at Union Square.

Mr. Thompson's more significant and "public/private partnership" projects include the new UCSF Mission Bay campus, the Westfield/Bloomingdale's shopping center, Pier One and the Ferry Building in San Francisco, and the redevelopment of the Hunters Point Shipyard, Treasure Island Naval Station, and Presidio National Park.  His representation of the Presidio Trust has included the Letterman/Lucas Digital Arts Center and the Public Health Service residential project.  Other recent residential projects include the UC Davis West Campus, and the Pacific Union College Eco-Village (Angwin).

Education

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 1969
• B.A., Stanford University, 1965
• University of Vienna, Fulbright Scholar (1965-66)

Admissions

• California

Honors

• Best Lawyers in America
• International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers
• America's Leading Business Lawyers, Chambers USA
• Top 100 Northern California Super Lawyers, San Francisco Magazine, 2007
• Northern California Super Lawyers, San Francisco Magazine, 2007
• Which Lawyer?, Real Estate, Practical Law Company, 2007
• America's Leading Business Lawyers, Transactions and Finance, Land Use and Zoning, 2007
• Nation's Top Ten Environmental Lawyers, United States Lawyer Rankings, 2006
• Legal 500, recommended lawyer, Real Estate / North California, Transactions & Finance and Land Use & Zoning, 2007

Memberships

• Board of Governors, American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL); Chair, ACREL Attorneys Opinion Committee
• Lambda Alpha Honorary Land Economics Society
• Urban Land Institute (ULI); Chair, San Francisco ULI District Council
• ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section; Chair, Committee on Legal Opinions in Real Estate Transactions
• Chair, Committee on the Environment, State Bar of California
• Charter Member, Executive Committee of Real Estate Section, State Bar of California

Articles

• Mr. Thompson is the author of Real Estate Opinion Letter Practice (Wiley Law Publications, 1993); "Opinions in Real Estate Transactions" in Drafting Legal Opinion Letters (Wiley Law Publications, 2d ed., 1992); "Negotiating Loan Transactions" in Negotiating and Structuring Real Estate Transactions (Wiley Law Publications 2d ed., 1993); "Real Estate Finance" in Negotiating Business Transactions (Wiley Law Publications, 1988); and "Checklist for Representing Developers in Local Land Use Approval Proceedings" in Coping with the Real Property Development Process (California Continuing Education of the Bar, 1988).

Speeches

• Mr. Thompson has lectured extensively on real estate lending and development matters for California Continuing Education of the Bar and the Practicing Law Institute, and has taught real estate law as an adjunct professor at two local law schools.