C. Gregg Ankenman
Raised by a real estate broker and investor, Gregg has been absorbing the nuances of property deals since childhood. He earned his real estate license at age 18. Today, Gregg offers clients a lifetime of real-world experience and deep legal insight to real estate matters.
Gregg has extensive experience in real estate and business transactional work, including commercial real estate leases, sales, 1031 exchanges, and financing. He has handled hundreds of commercial lease transactions for retail, office, industrial, agricultural, and telecommunications sites. Gregg also advises developers, landlords and property owners with matters such as sales, acquisitions, development, property management, and financing. He has counseled apparel and shoe chains, , restaurants, fitness club operators, jewelry store chains and manufacturing companies in numerous real estate asset and business transactions.
Gregg has served in leadership positions in bar and industry organizations, as well as various leadership roles at the firm.
Long active with National Retail Tenants Association (NRTA), Gregg has a deep understanding of the issues facing the retail industry. He has served as NRTA’s general counsel, received its Founders Service Award, and co-chairs the curriculum committee working to provide retail, office, corporate, industrial and franchise tenants with real estate education training.
Gregg has written extensively on legal and real estate issues, authoring chapters on retail leasing, office leasing, real estate finance practices and real property sales transactions volumes for California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB). He served as chief consultant on CEB’s Retail Leasing: Drafting and Negotiating the Lease.
Praised as dedicated and responsive to clients, Gregg is also committed to community engagement. He is an active volunteer and leader with nonprofit and community groups, advancing humanitarian, sustainability and social issues.
Gregg volunteers with Baragwanath Blessings Inc., a nonprofit organization (founded by his daughter Colette) that helps babies and children around the world, including supplying babies in Latin America, Africa and Asia with hand-made hats and blankets and operating nutrition programs and medical clinics in Guatemala. Long interested in music, he is head roadie for his musician-son Dan and sings bass in the Oakland Interfaith Community Choir.
Education
- J.D., University of California Berkeley, School of Law
- B.A., Brigham Young University, Phi Kappa Phi, magna cum laude
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Our business and finance attorneys represent national, regional and local clients participating in significant transactions.
Our real estate practice is one of the largest in the American West, including Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada with experience in all aspects of the real estate development process, from due diligence, acquisition and finance, through land use permitting and entitlements, to leasing and sale.
Our attorneys provide full-service representation to alternative, renewable, and next-generation energy producers, developers, and manufacturers.
Awards and Honors
- Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Law, 2023-2025
- Named, Top 100 Bay Area Corporate Philanthropists, San Francisco Business Times, 2024
ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS
- Featuring, “Meet Our Donors!” Operation Dignity, May 2, 2023
- Author, “Understanding the Retail Landlord Perspective,” California Centers, November/December 2019
- Speaker, “Mixing it Up Over Mixed Use” and “What Are Landlord’s Thinking?” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2019
- Author, “What are Landlords Thinking?” National Retail Tenants Association Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, July 2019
- Speaker, “The Responsible Salesperson: Guidelines to Reduce Your Liability Risks,” Colliers International, May 2019
- Speaker, “Changing Face of Retail & Office Real Estate” and “Casualty Damage,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2018
- Author, “Changing Face of Retail and Office Real Estate,” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, August 2018
- Co-Author, “Commercial Real Estate is Changing – Are You Prepared?” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, March 2018
- Speaker, “Green Lease Leaders Webinar,” Real Estate Section of the American Bar Association, December 2017
- Speaker, “Lease Acquisitions – Warts N’ All,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2017
- Co-Author, “Landlord’s Work and Tenant Improvement Allowances: Do You Need Security” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, August/September 2017
- Co-Author, “Key Retail Leasing Issues” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, July 2017
- Speaker, “Checking Under the Hood: What to Look for When Acquiring Pre-Owned Leases” and “CAM Wars,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2016
- Speaker, “Green Retail Leases: The Bottom Line Benefits of Being Green,” Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, December 2015
- Co-Author, “Hot Tips for a Tenant to Green its Space,” Oakland Business Review, October 2015
- Speaker, “Negotiating Key Issues in Office Leases ” and “CAM Wars,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2015
- Author, “CAM Wars (Part 2 – Tenant’s Fair Share),” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, June 2015
- Author, “CAM Wars (Part 1 – The Definition of CAM),” NRTA Tenants In-Common Virtual Newsletter, March 2015
- Speaker, “Security for Tenant Improvement Allowance and Landlord’s Work,” ICSC U.S. Shopping Center Law Conference, October 2014
- Speaker, “CAM Wars” and “Trends and Issues in Office Leasing,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2014
- Co-Author, “The Changes Ahead for Commercial Real Estate,” San Francisco Daily Journal, August 13, 2014
- Co-Author, “The Changing Face of Real Estate Law in the 21st Century,” Western Real Estate Business, April 1, 2014
- Speaker, “Trends and Issues in Office Leasing,” and “Site Plan Workshop: Site Selection and Development in Retail Leases,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2013
- Co-Author, “A Roadmap to Retail Subleases, Part 2,” NRTA Tenants-in-Common Newsletter, August 2013
- Co-Author, “A Roadmap to Retail Subleases, Part 1,” NRTA Tenants-in-Common Newsletter, July 2013
- Speaker, “Build a Store: Construction Provisions in Retail Leases” and “Managing Outside Counsel” NRTA Annual Conference, October 2012
- Speaker, “Environmental Issues With an Impact on Leasing,” Law Seminars International Conference on Commercial Real Estate Leases, April 2012
- Speaker, “Developments in Real Estate Law,” NRTA Retailer In-House Counsel Forum, November 2011
- Co-Author, “Retail Twists on Green Leasing: Addressing the Unique Needs of the Retail Sector,” San Francisco Daily Journal, October 26, 2011
- Speaker, “The Bottom Line Benefits of Being Green” and “Developments in Real Estate Law,” NRTA Annual Conference, September 2011
- Speaker, “Green Lease Revolution,” Corporate Realty Design & Management Institute, May 2011
- Contributing Author, Retail Leasing, California Continuing Education of the Bar
- Contributing Author, Office Leasing, California Continuing Education of the Bar
- Contributing Author, California Real Estate Finance Practice: Strategies and Forms, California Continuing Education of the Bar
- Contributing Author, Handling Real Property Sales Transactions Action Guide, California Continuing Education of the Bar
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
- Member, General Counsel, National Retail Tenants Association
- Member, Board of Governors, National Retail Tenants Association
- Chair, Ethics Committee, National Retail Tenants Association
- Member, Curriculum Committee, Annual Conference, National Retail Tenants Association
- Member, International Council of Shopping Centers
- Member, Institute of Real Estate Management
- Member, Real Property Section, State Bar of California
- Member, Board of Directors, Real Property Section, Alameda County Bar Association
- Member, Legislation Committee and Delegation to California State Bar Conference of Delegates, Alameda County Bar Association
- Member, CEB Real Property Advisory Committee, California Continuing Education of the Bar
Admissions
- California