Mintz Levin hiring spree includes 3 new partners in Los Angeles

Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC has added three partners to its Los Angeles office. This continues the firm's recent expansion push, with 19 new partners added in 2020.

The three come from Pircher, Nichols & Meeks LLP.

Daniel B. Guggenheim was a partner working on real estate acquisitions and financing. He has represented private equity fund managers and other institutional investors. He also teaches real estate law at the USC Gould School of Law.

Erin F. Natter has represented real estate funds and institutional lenders. She recently represented buyers in a $1.5 billion acquisition. The Daily Journal named her to its top 40 Under 40 list in 2016.

Michael D. Soejoto led the Pircher firm's tax department. He aids large investors with structured transactions on commercial real estate projects.

"Erin, Danny, and Mike have a strong track record working together, providing superior legal services to clients and helping them navigate complex challenges that real estate clients are facing nationwide," said Robert I. Bodian, Mintz's New York-based managing member, in a press release Friday. "Adding this standout team of attorneys further strengthens our capital markets, joint venture and tax capabilities, and solidifies our commitment to the continued expansion of our Real Estate Practice."

The firm also added two new partners last week in Boston and New York. In March, Mintz added Melissa V. Frayer as a partner at its corporate practice in San Francisco.

The firm's aggressive expansion contrasts with a legal industry that has been in flux during the economic and court shutdowns. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the legal services industry added a seasonally adjusted 3,100 jobs nationally in September.

This continued an expansion that began over the summer after a sharp drop in jobs during the spring. According to many experts in legal recruiting, 2020 has been a good year for well-established attorneys, particularly those who can help bring in business. Much of the impact of the downturn has fallen on recent law school graduates and younger attorneys.

California's commercial real estate market could also be heading for a level of upheaval not seen in decades. Voters are about to decide on Proposition 15, which would remove many of the protections from property tax increases that commercial real estate has enjoyed under 1978's Proposition 13.

According to voter materials from the California Secretary of State's office, the change could bring in between $6.5 billion to $11.5 billion annually if the voters approve the measure.