Our Attorneys

Name: gordonkemper.com
Address: 645 West 9th Street, Suite 213, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, US
Telephone: (213) 452-8280

Marcia Z. Gordon

Marcia Z. Gordon is a founding partner of Gordon Kemper LLP. She has a broad real estate practice, representing local, national, and international clients in a variety of complex real estate transactions. She has substantial experience in leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, development, and financing of office, industrial, commercial, retail, hospitality, gaming, residential, telecommunications, and low-income housing projects. The financing transactions Ms. Gordon has been involved in include construction lending, permanent lending, mezzanine lending as well as the restructuring of existing loans. She is licensed to practice in California and New York.

Ms. Gordon is recognized by The Green Building Certification Institute as an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED® AP) having recognized expertise in the field of sustainable design and an in-depth understanding of green building practices and principles (including, but not limited to, energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and improved indoor environmental quality). As a LEED AP, Ms. Gordon is part of a select group of attorneys nationwide who are qualified to provide advice on leasing, maintaining, operating, acquiring, disposing and financing of LEED certified projects and to assist clients with obtaining certification in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System.

Previously, Ms. Gordon taught on a part-time basis real estate development law at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and is currently the President of the Barnard College Club of Los Angeles. She sits on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Real Property Section where she recently served as the Chairperson of the Commercial Development and Leasing Subsection.

Education

J.D., Brooklyn Law School
A.B., cum laude, Barnard College of Columbia University

Awards

The Champion Award, National Women’s Political Caucus, Los Angeles Metro Chapter
The Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, Board of Governors of the State Bar of California
Southern California Super Lawyer, 2007-2020

Phone: (213) 452-8280
Email: marcia.gordon@gordonkemper.com

Andrew James Thomas

Mr. Thomas is a seasoned trial lawyer. He has served as lead counsel in over forty trials and he has also tried numerous binding arbitration hearings. The trials have included multi-week jury cases in state and federal courts. Mr. Thomas has also served as lead counsel in Adversary Proceeding trials before the United States Bankruptcy Court in cases involving the issue of whether debts are dischargeable. Mr. Thomas has substantial experience negotiating settlements in complex real estate and business litigation cases. Mr. Thomas has argued cases before state and federal appellate courts.

Mr. Thomas holds Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV (Prominent Lawyer) rating, which is held by approximately 10% of all practicing lawyers in the United States. Martindale-Hubbell, founded in 1868, conducts a true peer reviewed rating that includes confidential surveys of judges and lawyers

Practice Areas: Real Estate, Business, Banking, and General Civil Litigation and Mediation

In addition to trials in his core practice areas, Mr. Thomas has tried many other types of cases. He believes that lawyers who try cases to juries should maintain a broad practice.

Private Sector Clients: Mr. Thomas has represented nationally known banks in over 50 cases, and real estate development companies, owners, tenants, contractors, design professionals, and investors in over 100 real estate cases. In the field of business litigation, Mr. Thomas has represented numerous companies and individuals in lawsuits involving breach of contract, fraud, fiduciary duties, trade secrets, shareholder litigation, partnership litigation, and limited liability company litigation.

Public Sector Clients: Mr. Thomas been retained by various Southern California cities to serve as lead trial counsel for their Mayors and City Council Members in high-profile cases. The trials have included a state court jury trial involving constitutional due process claims by a real estate developer, and a five-week federal jury trial involving alleged bribery of City Council Members in the competitive bidding for the construction of what was then one of the largest public-private real estate projects in California. He has also served as appellate counsel for a public utility in a case concerning the liability of a shareholder owned public utility under eminent domain theory where numerous houses were destroyed by a fire caused by a downed high-voltage transmission power line.

Appointments: During the Great Recession, Mr. Thomas was appointed to the FDIC’s panel of outside bank litigation counsel. He was an invited speaker at the FDIC’s Office of In-House Counsel at its Western U.S. Regional Headquarters. Mr. Thomas was appointed by the Los Angeles Superior Court in a settlement program where before a trial started the parties were required to meet with a trial lawyer who had experience in their type of case.

Pro Bono and Bar Association Activities: Mr. Thomas participated in the Trial Attorney Project of the Los Angeles County Bar Association where he tried four criminal jury trials pro bono as a temporary prosecutor. He is a former Co-Chair of the of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Subsection on Bench and Bar Relations.

Greek – American Representation: Mr. Thomas speaks conversational Greek. He has represented numerous Greek Americans and companies they own. Mr. Thomas is the California law consultant to the international law firm of John Tripidakis & Associates in Athens, Greece. Mr. Tripidakis was formerly legal counsel in the Greek Ministry of Labor and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and now handles real estate matters for international clients.

Education

J.D., cum laude, University of San Diego School of Law
B.A., cum laude, UCLA

During law school, Mr. Thomas studied comparative British and American Real Property Law at the USD Institute on Comparative Law at Oxford University. He was a Staff Member of the USD California Regulatory Law Reporter. He also served as a Law Clerk Extern at the California Court of Appeal, Fourth District.

Phone: (213) 452-8280
Email: andrew.thomas@gordonkemper.com