TOP REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT LAWYERS 2025
facility, plus three airport stations. Officials estimate the completed system will eliminate 117,000 vehicle miles of travel daily. Davis represented the airport from the early procurement stages through design and construction phases. He helped develop procurement documents, negotiate terms with developer teams and navigate complex agreement structures. The procurement process presented unique challenges, with developer teams submitting thousands of questions covering financing, aesthetics, agency interfaces and operations concerns. “Complex infrastructure projects always encounter obstacles. The projects at LAX are no different,” Davis said The city assembled teams with appropriate expertise to address each question, cycling through multiple document drafts to resolve issues properly. While this extended the procurement timeline, it enhanced competition and value for the city. Under the availability payment structure, developers maintain responsibility for operating and maintaining both facilities for more than 20 years. Their compensation depends on facility performance, creating incentives for quality construction and long-term functionality. Davis observes shifts in public works contracting approaches, noting that progressive delivery methods have slowed while some owners favor construction manager-at-risk contracting or return to fixed-price delivery methods. His career demonstrates how legal expertise shapes infrastructure development, working behind the scenes on projects that reshape urban transportation networks and improve daily life for millions of users.
complex environmental issues entwined with land use and planning matters so that my clients’ projects
get built,” De Felice said. Her client roster includes
DignityMoves, a homeless housing developer that emerged after the 2020 pandemic. The partnership has produced multiple projects across California addressing homelessness, with several receiving recognition including the State American Planning Association Award of Excellence in 2024. “We are proud that several projects have received awards, including the State American Planning Association Award of Excellence in 2024,” De Felice said. “It is very rewarding to assist them in helping address the issues throughout the state.” De Felice observes that developers face persistent obstacles in the approval process, even for housing projects designed to address community needs. Opposition from residents, commonly referred to as NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) sentiment, creates delays that require strategic navigation.
BRANDON J. DAVIS NOSSAMAN LLP LOS ANGELES B randon Davis has spent more than 20 years representing public agencies on critical transportation infrastructure projects throughout California and the U.S. He focuses on cutting-edge delivery methods that transform how communities access and navigate their cities. Davis represents public owners on projects involving airports, trains and highways, specializing in alternative delivery methods including progressive design-build, design-build, construction manager- at-risk and various public-private partnerships. His work centers on projects that use innovative contracting approaches to deliver complex infrastructure. “I was drawn to the practice because these projects can materially improve how people interface with the cities and regions they live in,” Davis said. “In addition, I love being able to show my children the tangible results of my work.” His recent work includes representing Los Angeles World Airports on two transformational projects at LAX: the Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility and the Automated People Mover system. Both projects represent the city of Los Angeles’ first ventures into availability payment Design-Build-Finance- Operate-Maintain public-private partnerships. The ConRAC project consolidates rental car agencies into a single 6.3-million-square-foot facility near the I-405 freeway. At $2 billion, the project stands as the largest rental car facility globally and the second-largest concrete building in the United States, trailing only the Pentagon. The facility connects to LAX through a 2.25-mile automated train system costing $4.9 billion. The train system includes stations linking to LA Metro’s light rail service and an intermodal transportation
DIANE C. DE FELICE BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP LOS ANGELES D iane De Felice specializes in land use and environmental law, representing developers, investors, public agencies and private sector clients navigating California’s regulatory environment. Her practice focuses on the California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Subdivision Map Act. “I have a deep understanding of public agency administrative processes that allow me to streamline
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DAILY JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT | JUNE 18, 2025 | PAGE 7
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