Sklar Kirsh LLP

Corporate

Los Angeles

Sklar Kirsh LLP has done more than $2.5 billion worth of transactions, added two new practice areas, and grown its attorney headcount to nearly 30 lawyers within the last two years. No small accomplishments for a law firm that started less than six years ago with five lawyers.

Officially launched in 2013 with a corporate transactional practice headed by Jeffrey A. Sklar and a real estate group, led by Andrew T. Kirsh, Sklar Kirsh recently added litigation and entertainment practices.

“Our corporate and real estate practices evolved very nicely and grew to provide a premier level of service to our clients,” Sklar said. “In the course of providing those services, we noticed more and more that our clients needed litigation support.

“We have a number of corporate clients and real estate clients who are in the entertainment space who have varying needs and we needed to provide an entertainment transactional practice in order to support those needs.”

The firm launched its litigation practice, led by partner Justin M. Goldstein, earlier this year. The firm chose not to add a group all at once but instead focused on adding the right lawyer to lead each group.

“It’s very important for us to keep our boutique qualities and the culture of our firm,” Kirsh said. “If you bring in an entire team at once, that can change the culture of the firm.

“Jeff and I thought it was important to bring in the right person to head litigation and then brought in litigators one by one who are like-minded for the rest of the group.”

Partner Michael N. Rosner, who came to the firm from Relativity Media LLC in 2013, leads the entertainment practice at Sklar Kirsh. Hillel M. Elkins, also formerly with Relativity Media, joined Sklar Kirsh in 2017 and the entertainment practice launched. Transactional work for studios, production companies and digital media entities is the group’s focus. It does not advise talent, such as actors, directors and screenwriters.

The entertainment group has already closed a high-profile deal, advising Entertainment Studios Inc., one of the largest independent producers and distributors of film and television, in its acquisition of The Weather Channel and the Local Now streaming services from The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital, and Comcast/NBCUniversal.

With this deal, Sklar Kirsh faced big law firms as its opposing counsel. Ropes & Gray LLP and Jones Day were the legal advisers for The Weather Group, the parent company of The Weather Channel and Local Now. Comcast/NBCUniversal received counsel from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

“It was a real milestone deal for our client in that it marked the largest deal that Entertainment Studios, Byron Allen’s company, has done to date,” Rosen said. “It marked one of the largest deals our young firm has done to date.”

The firm’s corporate and real estate groups also continue to do complex and high-profile transactions. The Abbey Companies relied on counsel from Sklar Kirsh as it refinanced its entire portfolio, which includes 27 properties across all asset classes. CITI Real Estate Funding Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC provided over $229 million for the deal.

In another matter, Sklar Kirsh advised Beverly Pacific in a joint venture with Redwood Urban in the $132.5 million acquisition of the Jefferson at Hollywood complex, which comprises 270 luxury apartments along with 8,850 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

“The challenge that we have is that more now than ever there’s urgency in every transaction — small, medium or large,” Kirsh said. “When you’re representing the buyer, the fear throughout the market is that if you don’t transact and get your documentation done immediately, the seller will transact with another party.

“The challenge is having to structure, negotiate and document complex deals in a time frame that is extremely condensed,” he added.

Having a team that works collaboratively helps attorneys overcome the obstacles.

“It can’t all be done by one person,” Kirsh said. “It’s done by the entire real estate group, lawyers and paralegals and staff having very good communication with clients and the other side.”

“It’s also overcome by focusing on material legal issues that impact the business deal and not getting overwhelmed by the small stuff,” he said.

Continuing to offer top-notch and strategic legal services for their clients is what Sklar Kirsh aims to do in the future.

“Our primary goal is to provide outstanding service for our clients,” Sklar said. “What that translates into is making sure what we have the services our clients need and as they grow.”

“We’re a firm of great lawyers but we’re a firm of great people,” he said. “We really have a fantastic group of people who are also fantastic lawyers.”

— Melanie Brisbon