Michael F. Sfregola is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group and Co-Head of the Real Estate Practice Group’s Hotel and Hospitality Practice.  He has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating the acquisition and financing of hotel, resort, commercial, industrial and residential properties, including multi-jurisdiction and major portfolio acquisitions from both public and private sellers in the United States, Europe and Asia.  He is also an accomplished tax lawyer, representing domestic and foreign institutional investors, including private real estate equity funds, hedge funds, public and private REITs and sovereign wealth funds in connection with structured finance transactions, mergers, divestitures and workouts, as well as tax planning with respect to real estate joint ventures.  His practice includes the restructuring and repositioning “family-owned” real estate and operating companies, including advice on such issues as governance, succession and planning for liquidity events.

Currently and for the past several years, Mr. Sfregola has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of real estate law by Chambers USA, where he has consistently ranked in the first-tier among his peers.  He has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500, The International Who’s Who of Real Estate Lawyers and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.  In the hospitality space, he has served as lead attorney for a number of transactions singled out for “deal of the year” honors by The Americas Lodging Investment Summit.

Mr. Sfregola joined Gibson Dunn in February 2005.  He was previously a tax and real estate partner with Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory LLP, where he practiced since 1980.  He graduated Phi Betta Kappa and summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Irvine in 1976.  He earned his law degree in 1979 from the University of Southern California where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.  Mr. Sfregola has lectured on real estate joint ventures, hotel management agreements and related topics, as well as tax and legal issues affecting private equity funds.