Loretta C. Thompson

Partner | Los Angeles

Email Loretta
+1 310 228 5756
VCARD

Secretary Vivienne Lanthier

Email Vivienne
+1 310 228 5758

Loretta is a partner on the real estate team.

Her practice includes both commercial and residential real estate matters, including those involving financing and acquiring real estate with digital assets and cryptoassets, and the use of metaverse and NFTs in real estate. She regularly negotiates and facilitates real estate acquisitions and dispositions and handles tax exchanges for REIT's, public and private corporations, family offices and high net worth individuals. Loretta also has extensive experience negotiating and administrating finance transactions, commercial leasing, property management contracts, construction and design contracts, and development agreements and easements. She also advises clients on sustainable investing and resilience management for commercial and residential real estate.

Loretta's leasing practice focuses on the negotiation and documentation of commercial industrial and office project leases, as well as rental agreements and leases of high-end residential properties. She also has extensive experience working on all aspects of lender-side commercial real estate and construction loans (for private equity, portfolio, institutional, secondary market) , including due diligence, drafting loan agreements, and facilitating the pre- and post-closing processes.

Prior to her legal career, Loretta spent nearly two decades as an asset manager and leasing agent for some of the highest profile tenants and landlords in Southern California. Highly specialized in industrial and commercial office space leasing, she works with public REITs, financial institutions, high tech businesses, manufacturers, distributers, and other companies to manage all types of commercial leasing transactions.

Experience

Climate change, sustainability and social impact Corporate High net worth individuals
Private companies Public companies Real estate

Track record

Playboy Mansion sale

Represented the Playboy Enterprises affiliated entity as seller's counsel in connection with the sale of the Playboy Mansion for a record-setting $100 million.

Winery and vineyard estate

Acted as lender's local California counsel in a $65 million refinance of existing debt on a historic winery and vineyard estate.

REIT sale of apartment portfolio

Represented a national REIT in the $96.5 million sale of a 2,215 unit apartment portfolio.

$85 million residential property sale

Acted as lender's counsel in $85 million residential property sale.

Tax savings for REIT

Represented a national REIT in $550 million in tax exchanges, resulting in significant tax savings.

$74m apartment project

Handled $74 million apartment project sale for a national REIT.

Talks

  • 'Advanced Construction Law,' NBI - February 13, 2026, speaker 

  • 'The Global Rethinkers: ESG in California real estate,' Withers video - April 13, 2023, speaker

  • 'The ROI of Sustainability: Building a Business Case for Living Buildings,' Bisnow's Los Angeles State of the Market - The Resurgence of the Los Angeles CRE Market - October 5, 2021, moderator

  • 'A Continued Discussion On: How Environmental, Social, And Governance (Esg) Strategies Create Resilience And Sustainability,' GM Webinar - June 23, 2021, speaker

  • 'Buildings Need to Develop Immunity to Forces and New Realities That Affect Them - How Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategies to Create Resilience and Sustainability in Real Estate,' GM Webinar - May 20, 2021, speaker

  • 'So You Think You Know Title 24: A Checklist for Operations and Tenant Improvements,' BOMA GLA Codes Committee Seminar - March 30, 2017, panelist

  • 'BOMA Energy Performance Contract Model (BEPC) and BOMA Green Lease and the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP),' Greenbuild International Conference - 2016, panelist

  • 'Practical Issues in Section 1031 Exchanges,' USC Gould School of Law 2016 Tax Institute - January 26, 2016, panelist

  • 'Partnership and Real Estate Hot Topics,' USC Gould School of Law 2016 Tax Institute - January 26, 2016, panelist

Insight

18 March 2026 | Article

Buying or transferring residential property through an entity or trust? A new reporting rule applies
California

8 December 2023 | Article

Why California life is worth the taxes – at least for many

22 November 2023 | Article

A new path forward for surplus land owners in California

25 May 2023 | Article

Find Opportunities for 1031 Exchanges in Today’s Market
Birdseye view of solar panel buildings

13 April 2023 | Video

ESG in California real estate

21 December 2022 | Article

City of Los Angeles Trumpets a “Mansion Tax” for Real Estate to Ring in 2023

20 September 2021 | Firm news

Withers grows California real estate team with partner Loretta Thompson in LA

External publications

Admissions

  • California, 2000

Education

  • Southwestern University School of Law, J.D.

  • Scripps College, J.D.

Languages

  • English

Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Real Property Section, Member

  • Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles (BOMA), Committee Member

  • BOMA Sustainability Committee, Member, 2010-2014

  • Vistas for Children Charity, Member

Key dates

  • Year joined: 2021
  • Year became partner: 2021

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