Peter Harris

Peter F. Harris is a partner in the Orange County office of Lewis Brisbois and chair of the Banking & Finance Practice and chair of the Opinions Committee. He focuses his practice on the following :

Commercial/Industrial Real Estate Transactions :

Retail, office and industrial leasing transactions including leases for space, leases for free-standing buildings, ground leases, licenses, lease amendments, and lease termination agreements.

Acquisitions, sales and exchanges including letters of intent, purchase and sale agreements, due diligence, title analysis and clearance, escrow agreements, closing instructions, and closings.

Development and construction transactions including development agreements, reciprocal easement agreements, easements for public road access or utility installation and maintenance, owner-contractor agreements, and agreements with design professionals.

Financial Institutions Law :

Construction, bridge, and permanent loans secured by real property assets including loan commitments, loan agreements, promissory notes, deeds of trust, security agreements, fixture filings, loan guaranties, assignments of leases and rents, and other loan documents.

Revolving lines of credit secured by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and other personal property including perfection of security interests under the Uniform Commercial Code. Workouts of distressed loans including pre-negotiation agreements, forbearance agreements, loan restructurings, and amendments of loan documents.

Mr. Harris represents financial institutions, public agencies, shopping center owners/operators/developers, chain store owners/operators, and international, national and regional business organizations.

Over the course of his 35-year legal career, and in addition to his years in private practice emphasizing the practice areas above, Mr. Harris  has been in-house counsel for a financial institution, staff counsel for a Federal regulator of financial institutions, and approved outside counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

In addition, Mr. Harris formerly owned and operated a title insurance agency, and has been a continuing education lecturer in the areas of office leasing transactions, commercial real estate acquisitions, and workouts of distressed commercial real estate loans.

Education :

• The Akron University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1981
• Youngstown State University, Bachelor of Science, 1977

Admissions : State Bar Admissions, California

Associations :

• California Bar Association
• International Council of Shopping Centers
• Mortgage Bankers Association
• Building Industries Association

Representations :

• Representation of a community redevelopment agency in the development of a 14-story Class “A” office building, a neighborhood shopping center and an affordable senior housing facility.
• Representation of an international car manufacturer in the acquisition and development of numerous sites for research and development facilities, for vehicle retention facilities, and for vehicle testing facilities.
• Representation of a regional grocery store chain in the leasing of store sites, and in the acquisition, development and financing of store sites.
• Representation of a financial institution in numerous major commercial loan transactions including real estate construction and permanent loans, revolving lines of credit secured by accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, and workouts of distressed commercial real estate loans.