Our Team

 
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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Managed the orderly disposition of $300,000,000 of defaulted debt assets preserving maximum equity at minimum tax cost.
  • $80,000,000 joint venture with Brentwood based company for land and improved properties in Riverside and San Diego Counties.
  • $20,000,000 sale transaction with profit participation pertaining to six buildings in Temecula.
  • Guided 6 affiliated companies (in California and Texas) through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, preserving tens of millions of dollars of owners’ equity.
  • $400,000,000+ sales of developed land to Lennar, Centex, Richmond American, Beazer Homes and other builders.
  • Obtained 501(c)(3) Letters of Determination for The BetterWorld Trust fka The BetterWorld Together Foundation; and, Jacob's House.
  • $20,000,000+ fire case management of litigation settlement.
  • $100,000,000+ estate planning.
  • Managed counsel handling of early bond redemption in City of Perris for real estate development.
  • $76,000,000 acquisition of property portfolio in Southwest Riverside County and San Diego County from Arden Realty.
  • $50,000,000 refinancing of CMBS loans of industrial property in Greater Dallas area.

EDUCATION

  • Harvard College, B.A. Social Studies, cum laude
  • University of San Diego School of Law, J.D., cum laude
  • University of San Diego School of Law, LLM, Taxation

Member:

  • NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association), San Diego
  • Harvard Club of San Diego

MARTIN A. WEISS, Esq.                        Co-Founder and Senior Partner                                                        

As General Counsel of The Garrett Group for almost 20 years, Martin has earned a reputation for legal knowledge, creativity, high ethical standards, responsiveness and genuine care for his clients.

Martin specializes in all aspects of real estate, business and contract law, including Purchase and Sale Agreements, Options, Leases, Joint Venture Agreements, Loan Documents, Employment Agreements, Land Entitlements, Business Formation Documents, Limited Liability Company Operating Agreements, and General Contractor and Independent Contractor Agreements.

Martin has represented real estate and business clients in connection with over $1,000,000,000 in transactions, including serving as inside and outside general counsel for a number of for-profit and non-profit entities. Thanks to his LLM in tax law, Martin is able to incorporate tax strategies as part of his transactional planning.

Martin is currently the General Counsel to The Betterworld Trust, a 501(c)(3) private foundation. 

When not practicing law, Martin enjoys reading, going to the movies with his wife, Cristina, and biking with his daughter, Rachel. He has also been a foster father to two boys and sponsor of children at The City of Children in Ensenada, Mexico.

 
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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Representative Transactions:

  • $20,000,000 acquisition of a 103 condominium units in Nevada.
  • $35,000,000 acquisition of 200+ apartment units in Nevada.
  • $80,000,000 development of a pipeline of renewable energy projects with several large international renewable energy companies.
  • $18,000,000 institutional investment in seven residential development projects in Riverside County, California.
  • $8,000,000 sale of privately held e-commerce company in the health and wellness industry.
  • $7,250,000 loan from a private bank to refinance a hotel in Bakersfield, California.
  • $18,000,000 construction loan for a hotel in Loupa, CA.
  • $10,000,000 hotel construction loan in California.
  • Acquisition of three office buildings in San Diego to convert to multi-family project.
  • $4,500,000 note acquisition and subsequent SBA refinancing of a hotel in North Carolina.
  • $1,300,000 acquisition of a non-performing promissory note from a bank, subsequent foreclosure and re-possession of commercial property in San Diego, California.
  • $1,000,000 Convertible Note financing of tech start-up in Solana Beach, CA.

SELECTED SPEECHES AND WRITINGS

  • Deal Structuring, Loan Origination & Financing Regulatory and Business Developments: Evaluating Market Conditions and Lending Parameters, Structures and Trends. IMN Real Estate General Counsel’s Forum, Dana Point, CA (May 2012).
  • What Every Lawyer Should know about Litigating Real Estate Fraud Cases in California, Los Angeles County Bar Association County Bar Update (January 2009)

EDUCATION

  • University of California San Diego, B.A., cum laude, 1999
  • University of California Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 2002
 
 

BENJAMIN M. WEISS, Esq.                        Co-Founder and Managing Partner                                                

“Simpler is better. Business people don’t have time to wade through pages and pages of legalese. I strive to accomplish my clients’ goals as simply and straightforwardly as possible.”

Ben specializes in negotiating, structuring, documenting, and closing complex real estate, financing, corporate securities, and other business transactions. In the real estate industry, he represents developers, investors, lenders, tenants, and landlords in all phases of acquisition, financing, investment, development, commercial leasing, and property management processes. Ben also leads The Weiss Group's private lending practice group that specializes in representing private lenders in real estate financing transactions.  In other industries, Ben assists clients in all of their commercial and corporate matters, including securities, mergers and acquisitions, and contracts.

Ben began his career with Kirkland & Ellis LLP, the largest and most profitable law firm in the United States.  He later became the in-house General Counsel for a San Diego-based real estate developer.  Having a big firm background and being an experienced former in-house General Counsel makes Ben an invaluable resource to companies across many industries.

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PHILIP A. DIMITROFF Paralegal

Philip Dimitroff was raised locally in North County San Diego after his family moved here in 1992. Following economics and political science studies at UC Riverside and University of Magdeburg, Germany, Philip is now working as a paralegal specializing in real estate transactions. His current goals are to go back to school to get a law degree, as well as continue to build experience and education in the real estate field.

Outside of work, Philip enjoys spending time reading and tabletop gaming.