Overview

Douglas A. Praw is a partner in Holland & Knight's Los Angeles and Century City offices and serves as the West Coast Real Estate Practice Group Leader. His practice focuses on commercial real estate, including the representation of public and private REITs, public companies, commercial banks, hedge funds, private equity groups, educational institutions, and family office investors in connection with the acquisition, sale, development, leasing, ground leasing, and financing of a variety of asset classes, including office buildings, mixed-use projects, hotels, sports and entertainment districts, medical office buildings, multifamily and residential developments, industrial parks and retail centers. He also provides strategic advice on various public financing and public infrastructure projects. Mr. Praw holds his Series 63 and 82 licenses.

For his extensive experience in a wide range of real estate and public finance matters, Mr. Praw has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and has been recognized as one of the top "40 Under 40" most successful and youngest stars of the Southern California real estate industry. Mr. Praw has also written articles published in American City & County magazine, Water Impact, The California Real Estate Journal, Western Real Estate Business and Builder and Developer.

Representative Experience

Mr. Praw represented:

  • Verizon Business Services on its $1 billion sale of the Yahoo campus in Sunnyvale, California, to Google LLC
  • An affiliate of a public homebuilder, in the sale of the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California
  • A privately held multifamily developer in the negotiation of a ground lease with Los Angeles County and the $52.5 million acquisition of a leasehold interest in Marina del Rey, for the development of a 585-unit apartment complex
  • An institutional core fund in:
    • The $110 million acquisition of 901 Page Avenue, Fremont, California
    • The $177 million acquisition of a property in Los Angeles, California
    • The $295 million sale of 6500 Wilshire Blvd to Cedars-Sinai Hospital
    • The $186 million acquisition of the 20-story office property located at 720 Olive Way, Seattle, Washington
    • The $220 million acquisition of the 10-story, 299,127 square foot office building located at 1601 Wewatta, in Denver, Colorado
    • The acquisition of various ground leasehold interests in the Stanford Research Park

Mr. Praw represented various hotel developers with:

  • The approval of a $17 million (NPV) hotel development funding agreement by the city council of Los Angeles for a 258-room hotel project in downtown Los Angeles
  • The approval of a $15.7 million (NPV) hotel development funding agreement by the city council of Los Angeles for a 247-room hotel project in downtown Los Angeles
  • A $25 million financing from the New Mexico Finance Authority for public infrastructure improvements
  • A public financing effort that yielded $25 million (NPV) for the redevelopment of Westfield Culver City, a project expected to generate more than 4,000 jobs for the community
  • A $67.3 million hotel development funding agreement by the city council of Los Angeles for a 395-room Marriott and Residence Inn project in downtown Los Angeles
  • The issuance of $164 million in municipal bonds to finance public infrastructure for the redevelopment of Winrock Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • A credit enhancements that resulted in a $12 million Qualified School Construction Bond for the funding of construction of a charter school in Chula Vista, California
  • A joint venture in the $475 million refinancing of the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, California

  • Represented a college in the approval of its Los Angeles campus, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne
  • Represented a leading shopping center in connection with the redevelopment of a shopping center in Santa Ana, Calif.

Credentials

Education
  • Southwestern Law School, J.D.
  • Washington University in St. Louis, B.S.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • California
Memberships
  • American Bar Association
  • Urban Land Institute
  • National Association of Bond Lawyers
  • National Cannabis Industry Association
  • Eliot Society for Washington University in St. Louis
Honors & Awards
  • LA's Leaders of Influence - Thriving in Their 40s, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2023
  • Los Angeles County Commercial Real Estate: Trends, Updates and Visionaries magazine, Los Angeles Times, Commercial Real Estate Visionary: Professional Services Advisor, 2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Real Estate Law, 2019-2024
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
  • Top Author, Real Estate Industry, JD Supra Readers' Choice Awards, 2018 
  • The Legal 500 USA, Real Estate and Construction: Land Use/Zoning, 2016; Real Estate, 2018, 2019  
  • Guide to the World’s Leading Real Estate Lawyers, Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides, 2015
  • Who's Who in L.A. Law: Angelenos to Know in Real Estate Law – Los Angeles Business Journal, 2013
  • Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business guide, Real Estate, 2016, 2017, 2021-2023
  • Southern California Rising Star, Los Angeles Magazine, 2006-2016
  • Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers magazine, 2006-2017
  • 40 Under 40, Real Estate Southern California magazine
  • Who's Who in Real Estate – Los Angeles Business Journal, 2005

Publications

Speaking Engagements

News