Tim Lappen's practice, spanning more than 45 years, emphasizes representing clients as their outside general counsel in virtually any legal matter of importance to them, anywhere in the world. Tim’s work involves myriad family office matters, luxury homes, general residential and commercial real estate, entertainment, hospitality, intellectual property, tax, labor, litigation, land use, and more. He also represents entertainers, athletes, and others with regard to a variety of projects, including estate planning, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, philanthropic, and general business advice.
Tim is particularly well-known for his pioneering work with local, United States, and international family offices on such disparate projects as estate planning, purchase and sale of residences, other real estate matters, litigation, labor law (especially household labor-related issues), and personal property acquisitions and dispositions (such as fine art, jewelry, other collectibles, yachts, aircraft, and particularly motor vehicles). In addition, Tim represents anyone who has an interest in a luxury home – buyers, sellers, lessors, lessees, developers, architects, general contractors, lenders, borrowers, and owners who need advice on such disparate matters as contracts, boundary disputes, litigation, land-use and zoning and even labor and employment issues involving the household staff.
Tim's expertise extends to projects involving general business law. He is especially effective in his work with family-owned and other closely-held businesses as he can advise such clients on a wide range of topics. As one of the founding directors of the twice-yearly U.C.L.A. Anderson School Steinbeck Family Business Program, and as one of the directors of the USC Marshall School of Business Family Business Program, he presents often on the matters of particular importance to such clients.
Tim is both the founder and chair of the Firm’s Family Office Group and the Firm’s Luxury Home Group. He has presented to audiences and also moderated innumerable panels, such as speaking for an unprecedented eight consecutive years at the Milken Institute Global Conference, at the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), the USC Marshall Family Business Symposium, the Lido Consulting Annual Family Office Investment Symposium, including the Private Family Office Roundtable, and the Family Office Panel Discussion with David Cohen (Karlin Real Estate), David Nazarian (Nimes Capital) and Tony Pritzker (Pritzker Group). He has also presented on panels at Haute Living’s Annual Los Angeles Luxury Real Estate Summit with some of the top real estate agents in Southern California: “Power Players Under 40” and “$100 Million Producers”, many of whom are seen regularly on the television show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. He also has presented on disparate legal issues to senior executives at many major financial services firms, international real estate agencies, and to many others.
Representative Experience- Represents individuals, families, family offices, public companies, and private businesses as their outside general counsel
- Represents clients across the entire spectrum of wealth on myriad matters
- Represented the largest development in recent Los Angeles history, as well as buyers and sellers of some of the most expensive homes in America
- Frequent speaker on Family Office and Luxury Home topics at national events and events sponsored by financial institutions and advisors, business managers, accountants, industry groups and others, both at events for their clients and events for their in-house training
- Invited speaker for an unprecedented eight years, Milken Institute Global Conference