Steve Kitagawa is currently the supervising attorney at Ghassemian Law Group and is in charge of 5 other attorneys and oversees numerous current cases.
Steve has years of experience representing financial institutions (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bank of America, Citi Bank, Wells Fargo, Chase, and OCWEN) in various capacities including litigation through trial, appeal, and various other matters including privacy compliance, fraud (suspicious activity reports), eminent domain, and probate (where bank’s the deed of trust was being foreclosed upon). One of his recent cases involved helping facilitate a loan (by a Ghassemian Law Group client to the buyer) and sale of his bar and its assets (to the same buyer), securing the client’s interest by revising the sale contract to include an acceleration clause, protected by a note and deed of trust after the buyer’s counsel prepared a contract for sale (which did not remotely protect the client’s interests).
For six years, he was the managing attorney of the Orange County office of a national firm where he defended complex individual consumer and class action claims relating to the Mortgage Banking industry, including claims involving traditional real property disputes, wrongful foreclosure, violation of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights, UCL, fraud, other tort claims, complex Unlawful Detainer matters, including various habitability claims, coupled with Los Angeles County law specific to tenancies. During this time, he also prepared and argued appeals before State and Federal Courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit.
He trained attorneys and staff in litigation techniques, appeals, and various compliance related matters. He has also trained and counseled corporate clients in various compliance related matters including financial crimes, suspicious activity reports (SARS), and privacy laws (CCPA, CPRA, GDPR).
Here are some examples of what he has done with Ghassemian Law Group:
Steve was able to get the Facility to enter into an agreement with the client which requires the client’s permission (via written agreement) prior to any further expansion of the Facility. He was also successful in securing a deed restriction which guaranteed the same and ran with the land giving the client, his heirs, and/or subsequent purchasers the same rights. Obtaining such deed restrictions is extremely rare and very hard to get.
Ultimately the City Board voted not to approve the Facility’s expansion and the Facility can reapply in one year. At that time, the client will be able to proceed with the same agreement.”
Areas of practice include but are not limited to:
With over two decades of Litigation and transactional experience in Business and Construction law, Mahyar has had numerous cases where there was a cross-over with real estate.
Her experience in Real Estate includes but is not limited to:
Clint’s interest in real estate and construction took root before he finished law school. Since then, Clint has amassed more than twenty years of experience with real estate transactions in California, Idaho and Mexico, including contract negotiations, drafting and litigation.
Clients include property owners, buyers, sellers and developers. Clint’s insightful approach to transactional work balances efficiency of invested time and costs with his desire to achieve the best possible client result.
Clint is admitted to all state and federal courts in California and Idaho. He is fluent in Spanish and adores spending time with his wife and three teenagers which makes him appreciate how simple and straightforward the practice of law really is.
Areas of practice include but are not limited to:
Ghassemian Law provided thoroughly constructed and effective legal strategies for successful outcomes in the complex world of construction law for our small company. Core competence, due diligence, and a commitment to client needs are strengths that inspire confidence and keep producing results when it counts most.
Mahyar and her team possess a wealth of construction and business law expertise. Expertise to both guide a client away from litigation and, if not possible, to skillfully represent them in court.
Mahyar Ghassemian and her firm are the best construction dispute litigators and negotiators in the industry. Mahyar is an expert in this area. Her firms knows the law and are very tenacious in obtaining the best results for their clients. I have been involved in very lengthy litigation as co-counsel in a very big case and jury trial. Mahyar is one of the hardest working and most effective advocates I have ever had the privilege of working with.
Small Firm Value – Large Firm Expertise