Manuel Fishman focuses his practice on representing real estate developers and owners in the acquisition, sale, and financing of commercial properties. In addition, he has an active leasing practice representing owners of several major office buildings in San Francisco, including the Transamerica Pyramid, as well as tenants in lease and sublease transactions. His expertise includes letters of intent, tenant improvement work agreements, security deposits/letters of credit, signage rights, expansion and contraction rights, permitted transfers, operating expense audits, and lender and master landlord recognition agreements. Mr. Fishman maintains close relationships with the real estate brokerage community and utilizes these relationships to provide clients with market based information important to their existing and prospective real estate requirements. Mr. Fishman also has extensive experience in the area of ground leasing and retail leasing and is recognized as a leading attorney in the area of landline and wireless communications and Internet-based services in commercial properties and rooftop installations.
In addition, Mr. Fishman acts as outside general counsel to start-ups that seek to leverage some part of commercial real estate into a tech application, and helps guide these companies in their efficient use of legal time and expertise in various subject matters, from employment and IP to enterprise contracts and web site privacy policies.
Mr. Fishman also represents clients in equity structuring for, and the acquisition of, value add properties, including the formation of single purpose entities and joint ventures, and acquisition financing. Mr. Fishman has negotiated numerous construction management, project development and property management agreements relative to ground up development projects, as well as all types of easements and other adjoining owner agreements.
Mr. Fishman serves as chair of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of San Francisco’s Government Affairs and Policy Advisory Committee (GAPAC). He served on BOMA San Francisco’s Board of Directors from 2003–2006, and was the recipient of the 2006 Associate Member of the Year from BOMA San Francisco. He is the past representative of BOMA San Francisco to the California BOMA Board. Mr. Fishman is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Real Property Sections of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of California.
Most recently, Mr. Fishman has been recognized as a 2017 Best Lawyer in America in Real Estate Law, an honor he has received since 2007, and was recognized as a 2014 Top Rated Lawyer by American Lawyer Media in conjunction with Martindale Hubbell. He has also been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer from 2012-2016 and as one of Bay Area Magazine’s Top Lawyers in the Bay Area.
Mr. Fishman is a frequent lecturer on office and shopping center leasing matters and writes frequently for industry newsletters.