This course is cross-listed with the Boalt Hall School of Law

COURSE NUMBER: MBA 287.2

COURSE TITLE: Business and Legal Issues in Real Estate Development

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3

INSTRUCTOR: Bill Falik

E-MAIL ADDRESS: billfalik@gmail.com

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://catalyst.haas.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesdays 6:00 – 9:00PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: Some lectures, frequent guest speakers and significant class participation.

REQUIRED READINGS: Course reader containing cases, articles and commentary on course topics.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Class participation – 20% and final take home exam – 80%.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

This course is designed as an interdisciplinary course for business and law students and will focus on the legal and business aspects of real estate development.  The course will include consideration of every aspect of the acquisition, planning, entitlement, environmental review, political, community support, legal and initiative challenge, and ultimate disposition of a fully-entitled, 1500-acre unit master planned property in California. The course will analyze the legal, environmental, business, and strategic components of each stage of the development and entitlement process from the perspective of developers, lawyers, community groups, political decision-makers, and environmental organizations. Law students will learn to evaluate business risks and to make business decisions regarding real estate, and business students will gain a conceptual framework for understanding legal issues regarding real estate development. Course materials will include legal and business cases, statutes, contracts, private placement memoranda, partnership and operating agreements, initiatives, land plans, and environmental documents. There will be frequent guest lecturers who are expert in each of the areas covered by the course.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Bill Falik, Visiting Professor

Bill Falik has practiced land use, real estate, and environmental law and mediation in Northern California for the past 35 years and during this period he has pursued a dual career as attorney and real estate developer. He graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in 1968 and from Harvard Law School in 1971, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He has served as a federal district court law clerk in San Francisco and has taught real property law, CEQA, Environmental Law, Land Use Law, and Real Estate Development at the University of San Francisco School of Law where he served as an Assistant Professor. In addition he has served as a Teaching Associate at Boalt Hall.

During his 35 year legal career, Mr. Falik has been a partner in three San Francisco law firms in which he chaired the environmental and land use law departments. Currently, he is the Managing Partner of Westpark Community Builders which developed 1,500 acres in Roseville, California and planned and entitled 4300 residential units which were sold to the three largest builders in the United States. In addition, as CEO of Live Oak Enterprises, he has developed the Whitney Oaks masterplanned community in Rocklin, California with a championship Johnny Miller designed golf course and 2000 homes.

Mr. Falik currently serves on a number of nonprofit Boards and renders real estate development consulting services to diverse clients.