Maura O'Connor

Maura built and chaired the California real estate departments for two major national law firms before launching O’Connor Cochran LLP. She was the first woman chair of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors and continues to serve on its Executive Committee. Maura was named one of the top 10 real estate lawyers in Southern California by Real Estate Southern California.

Maura’s specialties include all kinds of commercial real estate financings, commercial leasing, large-scale distressed real estate asset management, workout and disposition programs, and direct foreign investment in West Coast businesses. She has extensive experience in real estate financing, loan enforcement, acquisitions, development and leasing, most often representing special servicers, lenders and retail chains. She has designed and implemented large-scale systematized and scalable programs to deliver cost-effective legal services in real estate matters, frequently on a fixed fee basis. She created and implemented several of the largest site acquisitions programs for retailers on the West Coast, including a recent multinational retailer that resulted in the successful acquisition of more than 150 sites totaling in value over $1.2 Billion over 18 months. Most recently Ms. O’Connor has developed and implemented predictable-pricing legal service systems for enforcing portfolios commercial real estate loans.

Ms. O’Connor has extensive experience in complex real estate financing transactions, workouts and foreclosures, dating back to the late 1980s. She has also handled many purchases and sales of environmentally contaminated properties. She has served as lead counsel for myriad senior and mezzanine loans, lease financings, securitized transactions, ground leases and equity investments for a wide variety of investors, banks, insurance companies and others. Ms. O’Connor also successfully handled the acquisition, entitlement, and development of major industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, warehouse and distribution facilities, including an industrial land transfer and boundary change between the two principal shipping port authorities in Los Angeles County.

Ms. O’Connor has significant experience in handling foreign direct investment transactions by new entrants into the US and California markets and serving as outside general counsel for such companies. Her clients have included lenders, retailers, servicers, insurance companies, banks, manufacturers, pharmacies, grocery chains, borrowers, hotel chains, shopping center owners, pharmaceutical companies, medical office complexes and ports. She is a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys.