Saul Breskal

Biography

Saul Breskal counsels his clients on complex real estate transactions and matters, ranging from notable high-dollar entertainment, gaming, hospitality, and construction projects to smaller commercial and residential properties.

Saul handles all aspects of real estate transactions, including negotiating purchase agreements, finance documents, joint ventures, construction contracts, ground leases, and public-private partnerships. He oversees all aspects of the transaction, from the negotiation of the deal documents to the due diligence, escrow process, and, ultimately, its close. Saul is often called upon to continue providing counsel for his clients’ general legal needs long after the close of escrow.

Saul has also worked on billions of dollars’ worth of diverse real estate and general business transactions for clients across numerous industries and sectors, including film studios, publicly traded gaming and hospitality companies, the nation’s largest title insurance company, public agencies, regional and national developers of residential and commercial real properties, and celebrity and high-net-worth individuals.

Outside the Firm

Saul enjoys playing golf, snow skiing, listening to music, reading novels, and spending time with his wife, three children, goldendoodle, and large extended family.

Experience

Real Estate Acquisitions and Sales

  • Represented a publicly traded company in connection with transactions for the purchase of vacant land on the Las Vegas Strip for an aggregate purchase price of $575 million.
  • Represented a private equity firm in connection with the sale of an independent film studio for $205 million.
  • Represented a private equity firm in connection with the purchase of an independent film studio for $110 million.
  • Represented a REIT in connection with the purchase of an independent film studio for $200 million.
  • Representing a hospitality company in connection with the purchase of 150 acres in Rockland County, NY, and 110 acres in Ventura County, CA, for the development of high-end spa retreats.
  • Represented a hospitality company in connection with the purchase and subsequent sale of 130 acres in Sonoma County, CA.
  • Represented Meriwether Management Company in connection with the purchase of The Griffin Club Los Angeles (formerly the Beverly Hills Country Club).
  • Represented family offices in connection with the purchase of multi-family apartment complexes in Idaho, Texas, and Nevada with purchase prices aggregating over $200 million.
  • Represented Blatteis & Schnur in connection with the purchase of multiple retail properties in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Charleston.
  • Represented a family partnership in connection with the purchase of multiple retail properties on Melrose Avenue, in West Hollywood.
  • Represented a REIT in connection with the purchase of vacant land for development of a high-rise apartment complex in the Arts District of Los Angeles.
  • Represented a family office in connection with the purchase and sale of multiple office buildings in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.
  • Represented the owners of a privately owned film studio in connection with selling the studio to a REIT and in reinvesting the proceeds from the sale in multiple commercial properties through Section 1031 tax deferred exchanges.
  • Represented multiple high-net-worth individuals and celebrities in connection with the purchase and sale of some of the most expensive personal residences in California.
  • Represented Vistamar School in El Segundo, CA, in connection with the purchase of land for the expansion of the school premises.
  • Represented Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA, in connection with the purchase of real estate property for the expansion of the school premises.

Construction

  • Lead counsel responsible for negotiating and drafting more than 100 challenging construction and design-related contracts—totaling more than nine billion dollars—for the Las Vegas CityCenter, the country’s largest privately funded construction project, comprised of 18 million square feet of hotels, casino, shopping malls, condominium towers, and more.
  • Lead counsel representing Sunset Gower Studios in matters related to the construction of Hollywood’s first new office building in more than two decades, including negotiating leasing and construction contracts as well as supervising the entitlement process, which encompassed the negotiation of settlements with neighboring landowners and community interest groups.
  • Represented MGM MIRAGE in connection with negotiating and drafting construction contracts for a casino resort in Macau, China.
  • Represented MGM MIRAGE in connection with the restoration of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, MS, after it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
  • Represented the Skirball Cultural Center in connection with negotiating and drafting a construction contract for the expansion of its existing facility.
  • Representing a developer in connection with the construction of a private resort in The Bahamas.
  • Represent multiple high-net-worth individuals and celebrities in connection with the construction of improvements on residential real property.

Ground Leases; Public-Private Partnerships

  • Represented Los Angeles County in connection with the negotiation of a 40-year ground lease of the newly rebuilt Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital to a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of reopening a much-needed outpatient hospital and emergency room.
  • Represented Los Angeles County in connection with the lease of county-owned property comprising two city blocks in downtown Los Angeles to a nonprofit corporation for a term of 88 years, and the simultaneous sublease of the property to a for-profit developer, Trammell Crow, for the development thereon of a $135 million mixed-use project.
  • Represented Orange County in connection with negotiating a 66-year ground lease and public-private partnership for the redevelopment of Dana Point Harbor.
  • Represented Los Angeles County in connection with the negotiation of a 62-year ground lease and public-private partnership for the development of a mixed-use project on 86 acres of land owned by the County in Carson, CA. 
  • Represented Sunset Gower Studios in connection with the negotiation and drafting of a 115,000-square-foot build-to-suit lease for an office building in Hollywood.

Other Notable Representations

  • Represented the nation’s largest title insurance company in connection with the settlement or workout of major claims aggregating over a billion dollars in several states across the country.
  • Successfully concluded the largest charitable land donation under the California Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit Act of 2000.

Recognitions

  • 2023, "Commercial Real Estate Visionary," listed in Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing
  • 2017–2022, Real Estate Law, Southern California, listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2010, "Top 20 Under 40 Attorneys in Southern California," listed in Daily Journal
  • 2005, Rising Star, Southern California, listed in Super Lawyers

Affiliations

Professional Activities

Saul is involved with charities that provide services and housing to children and adults with special needs, and has provided pro bono services to two charities actively involved in providing such services, ETTA and The Village by Cornerstone.

Credentials

Admissions

  • California

Education

  • University of Cape Town, BS, with honors
  • University of Oxford, JD