Robert Williams

Robert E. Williams is Of Counsel in the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice Group in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Talent Officer, with managerial responsibility for the recruiting, professional training and performance evaluation of the firm’s associates, as well as for the firm’s diversity and inclusion activities.

Over the years, Mr. Williams’ practice has included work in almost all areas of real estate practice. In recent years, his practice has focused upon representation of lenders, including domestic and foreign banks, insurance companies and other financiers. His work has included documentation of construction loans, permanent loans, “mini perms,” unsecured and “borrowing base” credit facilities, and negotiation of real estate loan “workouts.”

A large portion of Mr. Williams’ work involves representation of lenders in tax-exempt financing of affordable housing projects. He has represented lenders who purchase multifamily housing revenue bonds in private placements.

He has also assisted lenders who provide “direct pay” letters of credit in “lower floater” financings and “backup” letters of credit in bond financings in which other financial institutions provided long-term credit enhancement. Mr. Williams has represented nonprofit developers of affordable housing on a pro bono basis through the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Public Counsel Affordable Housing Project.

Education:

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 1976
• B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1973, with highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa

Representative Matters:

• Represented Bank of America as administrative agent in the bank syndicate that provided the $150 million construction loan that financed the development of “The Grove” shopping center in Los Angeles.
• Represented Bank of America as agent for the syndicate that provided $400 million financing for the “LA Live” project — a mixed use theater, entertainment and office complex adjacent to the Staples sports arena in downtown Los Angeles.
• Represented General Electric Capital Corporation in portfolio financings of office properties in multiple states, and in acquisition of loan portfolios originated by other lenders.
• Represented Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Union Bank, Citibank, U.S. Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Westamerica Bank and California Bank & Trust in purchases and credit enhancements of multifamily housing revenue bonds, the proceeds of which financed affordable housing projects in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina and Florida.

Memberships:

• Member, American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), 1992-present
• Board of Directors, San Gabriel Valley Chapter, American Red Cross
• Member, La Canada-Flintridge Educational Foundation