Overview
David Hamsher is a partner in the Global Real Estate practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s San Francisco office. He represents real estate developers and investors in a broad array of real estate transactions, including the negotiation of joint venture, purchase and sale, financing, entitlement, development, affordable housing, community benefit, and labor agreements. This work spans asset types, including for-sale and multifamily residential, commercial, retail, resort, and complex mixed-use projects.
Recognitions
- The Legal 500 USA, Land Use/Zoning (2022)
- The Legal 500 USA, Real Estate (2021-2022)
- Ranked in Chambers 2019-2022, most recently as a top 5 San Francisco real estate practitioner in Chambers USA 2021 for Real Estate in Northern California.
- Selected as a "40 Under 40" by the San Francisco Business Times in 2018.
- Recognized as a "Rising Star" by Law360 in 2018.
- Recognized as a Super Lawyers "Rising Star" by Law and Politics and San Francisco Magazine numerous times, most recently in 2018.
Education
- David received his B.A. degree from Brown University in 2000 with a concentration in Political Science and his J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 2006. At Northwestern, he was an Editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. That journal published his comment in 2006 on the ability of states to modify census data to correct the Census Bureau’s prisoner enumeration methods.
Representations
Significant representations include:
- Lennar Corporation, FivePoint and their partners for development of Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, and Treasure Island, which together consist of more than 20,000 new homes, more than 6,000 of which will be priced for low and moderate income families, 4 million square feet of commercial and retail space, 600 acres of new parks, and nearly a thousand hotel rooms on more than 1,000 acres of largely vacant land. This work has included:
- Negotiation and structuring of exclusive negotiation and disposition and development agreements for Phase 1 of the Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, and Phase 2 of the Hunters Point Shipyard and Treasure Island.
- Formation, operation and disposition of numerous joint ventures for development of the projects’ new home, retail, residential, and hotel uses, including a number of joint ventures for affordable and public housing.
- Entitlement, disposition, and construction of all 750+ homes on the Hunters Point Shipyard, including the project’s first affordable housing development.
- California Barrel Company and Associate Capital in connection with the acquisition and development of The Power Station in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. The project is a reimagining of 29 acres of San Francisco’s industrial Central Waterfront into a mixed-use neighborhood including approximately 2,600 new homes, 1.5M square feet of office and life science uses, and retail and community-serving amenities.
- Numerous regional centers, lenders, and developers on EB-5 financings throughout the country totaling more than $1BN.
- Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, one of Canada’s leading institutional fund managers, in connection with numerous multifamily joint venture arrangements across the country, including an innovative multifamily platform in the Bay Area.
- Prologis (for the Oakland Army Base) and Lennar Corporation and its partners (for the Hunters Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point and Treasure Island), and Associate Capital (for The Power Station) in negotiations with labor unions and community groups for project labor and local hiring for construction and operation of these large, long-term projects.
- Salesforce.com in its agreement to sell Mission Bay land to the Golden State Warriors.
- Rockwood Capital and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds in connection with joint ventures, acquisitions, and financings for various asset types, including significant office, retail, residential, and resort projects.
Engagement & Publications
- David is a frequent speaker on joint ventures, including as a regular panelist at Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) Annual Commercial Real Estate Institute, and on EB-5 financings. David also organized and participated in a Law Seminars International Conference on real estate joint ventures and funds with a panel titled Addressing Population Growth and Density Through Public/Private Partnerships, where David spoke on development of public/private partnerships by joint ventures and the similarities and differences between joint ventures and public/private partnerships.
- David is frequently quoted on the real estate market and related matters in leading publications.
Involvement
- David is committed to pro bono work. He represented the Neighborhood Parks Council for many years in development of new parks and open spaces in San Francisco, including the Helen Diller Playground—a wildly popular playground at the heart of Mission Dolores Park—Linden Alley and numerous other community parks. He represented the Neighborhood Parks Council in connection with its merger, forming the San Francisco Parks Alliance, which he has continued to represent in improving San Francisco’s parks.
- In 2014, David represented Partners in Oakland Education in its partnership with BRIDGE Housing to develop a new charter school facility for Vincent Academy in West Oakland. David also represents the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which has protected more than 33,000 acres around Truckee Donner. David is currently representing the Bay Area Discovery Museum in connection with the expansion and rehabilitation of its facility in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and San Francisco’s Homeless Prenatal Program.
- Member, Lambda Alpha (an honorary real estate economics society)
- Member, SPUR
- Member, San Francisco Bar Association
- Member, California Bar
- Member, American Bar Association (ABA)