Amy Freilich
Partner
Amy Freilich is a highly accomplished real estate and land use lawyer with extensive experience in land acquisition and disposition, California Environmental Quality Act and entitlement of major projects throughout the Southwestern United States. Amy received her A.B. in Public Policy with honors from The University of Chicago and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, and is licensed to practice law in California and New York.
For over 20 years, Amy has served as lead land use and real estate counsel to a variety of private developers and public agencies in complex land and public-private partnership transactions, including entitlement of numerous suburban and infill master planned community (residential and mixed-use) projects; the Home Depot Center (home to Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA) and related facilities on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA; and numerous other residential, retail, office and entertainment projects. Amy also developed and led the original transit oriented joint development program for the LA to Pasadena Gold Line Authority.
As a subset of this work, Amy has negotiated numerous military base, transit-oriented development and redevelopment transactions, including complex development, disposition and development and infrastructure agreements for reuse of military facilities and for transit facility development. In this capacity, Amy has been actively involved in negotiation of transactions at the Staples Center (home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Clippers) in downtown Los Angeles; Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA, the Gold Line Authority in development of four major transit stops along 13 mile rail route (Los Angeles to Pasadena), including over 700 multifamily housing units, retail, restaurant and office uses adjacent to newly constructed light rail commuter line; the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA (disposition and development of residential and commercial property including for 1,000,000+ square foot lifestyle entertainment and big box retail center); facility exchange with the Army Reserve at Camp Parks in Dublin, CA; headquarters and multi-modal facility for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at Union Station, Los Angeles, CA; and acquisition and entitlement of Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA.
Amy has alsorepresented private developers in responding to Requests for Proposals (RFP) and public agencies in selection of development teams by RFP for numerous projects, including for the Gold Line, Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, Metropolitan Water District and Grand Avenue projects.
Prior to joining Armbruster, Goldsmith & Delvac, Amy served for five years as Senior Vice President, Land Use Counsel at SunCal Companies, a master developer of mixed-use communities throughout California and the western United States, providing advice and leadership in acquisition and entitlement of master planned communities throughout the southwest, including Westland (Albuquerque, NM), Alameda Point (redevelopment of former Naval Air Station Alameda), Oak Knoll (redevelopment of former Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA) and numerous Los Angeles County, Inland Empire, Coachella Valley and Sacramento County developments. This work included leading entitlement and acquisition due diligence efforts (and supervising legal teams) in acquiring Bickford Ranch, Placer County, CA; Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, Oak Knoll, CA; Naval Air Station, Alameda, CA; Copper Canyon, Sparks, NV, and Ritter Ranch in Palmdale, CA. Amy also assisted SunCal in developing and implementing its state legislative and regulatory and sustainability policies.
Amy has been a frequent public speaker at real estate and land use forums, including Urban Land Institute, Crocker Real Estate Symposium, UCLA School of Continuing Education, American Bar Association, State and LA County Bar Association, Southwest Legal Foundation and numerous continuing legal education programs. Amy has twice been named one of SoCal's Most Powerful Real Estate Women by Real Estate SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA magazine (2002 and 2003).
Amy has taken an interest in K-12 education, serving on the Board of Trustees of The Laurence School and currently serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Bridges Academy, a school for gifted and highly gifted youth with learning disabilities. Amy is a member of Lambda Alpha Los Angeles (honorary land economics society).