Extremely knowledgeable about all facets of commercial real estate” and “very well versed in local development and political issues.
Chambers USA

Pillsbury partner Robert Herr, a nationally recognized real estate authority, has been listed by Best Lawyers in his field for over 30 years.

Bob represents major real estate developers, owners, investors, managers and lenders, including Shorenstein Properties, Spear Street Capital and Poly Real Estate Group , as well as a major sports business, the San Francisco Giants, in acquisition, financing, development, joint ventures, operations and other business matters. Experienced in land use and zoning issues, Bob seeks government approvals for major office, retail, residential and hotel projects in key urban environments in San Francisco and Oakland. His strategic counsel advances his clients’ visions and transforms skylines.

Representative Experience

  • Advised the owner of a San Francisco office building complex in a billion-dollar recapitalization.
  • Negotiated, on behalf of the seller, the sale and refinancing of a five-office-building portfolio in three states valued at $475 million+, and counseled on related joint venture formation and financing.
  • Represented San Francisco Baseball Associates in its formation and capitalization; purchasing the San Francisco Giants; constructing/financing AT&T Park (including naming rights and sponsorships); and on-going corporate matters.

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  • Represented Poly Real Estate Group in connection with its joint venture with Lennar and Stockbridge as master developer of the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island project in San Francisco Bay, as well as Poly’s separate vertical residential condominium or rental projects on select individual lots on Treasure Island.
  • Represented a real estate investment company in the sale of an undivided interest in an approximately 820,000-square-foot Class A office campus in Austin, Texas.
  • Advised a real estate investment company on the $147.5 million sale of a three-building, 307,000-square-foot office campus in Santa Clara, California.
  • Handled land use/entitlement issues related to a 700-foot-tall, mixed-use office/residential building in San Francisco and a 20-story office building in Oakland, California.
  • Represented Carpenter/Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. regarding the St. Regis mixed-use luxury hotel/residential condominium project at 3rd and Mission Streets in San Francisco.
  • Handled multiproperty portfolio acquisitions and dispositions involving real estate valued at $1 billion+, which addressed complex financing, defeasance, tax and cross-border issues through innovative deal and venture structures.
  • Represented Shorenstein Properties LLC in connection with multiple acquisitions, dispositions, recapitalizations, financings and joint venture transactions involving billions of dollars of commercial properties across the United States.

Professional Highlights

  • Recognized by Chambers USA, Real Estate—California (2004 – 2017) and The Legal 500 U.S., Real Estate (2007 – 2017) and Land Use/Zoning (2013 – 2018).
  • Awarded Best Lawyers’ (published by BL Rankings LLC) 2013 “Lawyer of the Year” for Real Estate Law – San Francisco and recognized for Land Use & Zoning Law (2007 – 2024) and Real Estate Law (1987 – 2024)
  • Member of the team that resulted in Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC) recognizing Pillsbury as its 2016 “Law Firm of the Year” for Construction Law.

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  • Associations
    • San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Board Member (2007 – 2020)
    • American Bar Association (Real Property section, Joint Ventures, Commercial Leasing subsections)
    • San Francisco Bar Association (Real Property section)
    • Lambda Alpha International, Golden Gate Chapter
  • Blog Posts

Education

  • J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1967
    Order of the Coif; Editor, Law Review

    A.B., University of California, Berkeley, 1964
    with great distinction

Admissions

  • California