Grant Puleo

Grant Puleo's practice includes a wide variety of real estate, finance and business transactions. He has extensive experience in a broad array of multi-family residential and commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, development, dispositions, specialized leasing and financing of all product types throughout California and the United States. Mr. Puleo represents lenders, preferred equity investors, operators and developers as well as users in the acquisition, financing, development, ownership, leasing and disposition of commercial, retail, industrial, residential and office condominium, multi-family residential, single family developments, restaurant, hotel, office, biotech, campus, research and development and manufacturing facilities and properties.

Mr. Puleo's finance experience includes both borrower and lender representation in the initiation and workout of complicated debt and equity transactions, including acquisition and construction financing, mezzanine financing and synthetic leasing transactions. Mr. Puleo also represents clients in business matters involving the purchase and sale of business assets and the formation and restructuring of business entities.

Previously a trial attorney, Mr. Puleo provides general litigation advice to clients and negotiates on behalf of both landowners and users to resolve real estate-related litigation, such as unlawful detainer, lis pendens and condemnation. Mr. Puleo also provides his business clients with risk management and litigation avoidance counseling.

Prior to joining Procopio, Mr. Puleo was an associate with the law firms of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison.

Mr. Puleo received a B.A. in Political Science from San Diego State University in 1990 and his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law with great distinction (Order of the Coif) in 1995. He is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Puleo has presented and written on various real estate and litigation topics. He is a guest lecturer for the Commercial Real Estate Transactions course at California Western School of Law and a frequent panelist and moderator for BIOCOM’s Facilities Workshops. He has spoken at BioParks, CALBIOSummit, Building Owners' & Tenants' Summit on Biotech, Medical Pharmaceutical Lab Facilities, and Sterling Education Services' Commercial Leases - Drafting, Enforcing, and Litigating Program. From 1996 to 1999, he lectured to thousands of healthcare professionals throughout the western United States on various aspects of professional liability, risk management, insurance coverage, litigation avoidance and other legal issues.

Mr. Puleo is a member of BIOCOM’s Facilities and Finance Committee and the American Bar Association Advisory Panel and serves as pro bono legal counsel for Monarch Schools and VOICE, LLC.

 Recent Articles/Publications

• “Mezzanine Loans to Developers and Owners of Real Estate Projects: 10 Ways to Improve the Quality of the Equity Pledge,” The Real Estate Finance Journal, Spring 2007
• Negotiating Disputes with a Defaulting Tenant

Recent Seminars and Speeches

• Speaker, “Hot Topics in Leasing,” San Diego County Bar Association, San Diego, CA, August 2010
• Speaker, “Advising Foreign Real Estate Buyers and Sellers,” San Diego, CA, 2010
• Panelist Speaker, "Mezzanine Loans/CMBS/Multiparty Workouts," Bankers Forum on Distressed Properties & Real Estate Loans, New York, NY, April 2010
• Speaker, “What Real Estate Lawyers & Their Clients Need to Know About the Credit Market Crisis: Understanding How it Can Impact Your Clients & Proactive Client Strategies to Gain Access to Capital,” Reed Seminars, June 5, 2009
• Panelist Speaker, "Borrower & Real Estate Mezzanine Lender Workouts: Case Studies," 6th Annual Western Borrowers' & Investors' Forum on Real Estate Mezzanine Loans & Distressed Real Estate Debt, Los Angeles, CA, April 2009
• Moderator and Speaker, “Commercial and Real Estate Loan Documents: More Than Just Papers,” Lorman Education Service Seminar, San Diego, CA, November 2008
• Panelist Speaker, “Intercreditor Issues in Commercial Real Estate Workouts,” Commercial Real Estate Workouts, Turnarounds & REO, Irvine, CA, July 2008
• Panelist Speaker, “The Intercreditor Agreement: How Have the Details Changed Since the Early 90’s,” 5th Annual Western Borrowers’ & Investors’ Forum on Real Estate Mezzanine Loans, Los Angeles, CA, April 2008
• Panelist Speaker, “What are Lenders Doing With Underperforming Properties Pre-Foreclosure?,” Symposium on Distressed Residential Real Estate, Miami, FL, March 2008