Gary M. Tenzer is a co-founding Principal and Senior Director George Smith Partners, Inc., a real estate investment banking firm which places in excess of $4 Billion in real estate debt and equity, annually. Mr. Tenzer has considerable experience in commercial real estate finance. He has placed over $5 billion in real estate debt and equity during more than twenty-nine years directly involved in the placement of commercial real estate financing.
Mr. Tenzer has served as a financial advisor and expert witness in many real estate litigation matters and has been an expert witness and litigation consultant to clients in over 150 matters dealing with real estate bankruptcy and other commercial real estate finance litigation matters including brokerage issues, lender issues, partnership disputes, etc. He has given testimony at over 75 trials (both jury and bench) as well as by deposition and declaration.
Mr. Tenzer has assisted clients through preparation of cash flow projections, discounted cash flow and internal rate of return analysis as well as other techniques. In bankruptcies, he has performed "Boulders" and "Fowler" analysis in support of his testimony.
Mr. Tenzer has an aptitude for effective presentation utilizing his computer skills. Through this he has aided attorneys by preparing graphs, time-lines, and flow charts as well as other demonstrative exhibits for trial.
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: Degrees:
-Master of Science in Business Administration (MSBA) University of Southern California. Major in Real Estate Finance, with specific focus on real estate economics and financial feasibility and rate of return analysis.
-Master of Business Administration (MBA) University of Southern California. Majors in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Venture Management. Emphasis on capital structure and creation of start up enterprises in the real estate industry.
-Bachelor of Arts (AB) University of California, Berkeley. Degree in Economics with emphasis on Urban Land Economics and quantitative analysis; minors in Psychology and Astronomy.
Licenses:
-California Real Estate Brokerís License (since 1978)
Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
A: Memberships:
- Director - USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
- Member - Urban Land Institute
- Real Estate Cabinet - Jewish Federation of Los Angeles
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: Lecturer:
-University of Southern California (USC) and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)- graduate and undergraduate courses in real estate finance
-USC Marshall School of Business -Ross Minority Development Program
Other:
-Real Estate Finance advisor to Taft Hartley Pension Fund
-Retained by USC Marshall School of Business to co-author numerous case studies
Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
A: No.
Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
A: I have been retained as an expert in more than 150 cases.
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: - Interest rate determination
- Practices of real estate lending, standards of care and best practices
- Bankruptcy plans of reorganization
- Property valuation, appraisals and project feasibility
- Partnership disputes and loan restructures
- Real estate mortgage lending, lending policy, loan approval issues and fraud
- Real estate loans, financing and refinancing
- Interpretation of financial analysis, proformas and projections submitted by a litigant
- Credit damage and general damages
- Real estate litigation, real estate consulting and debt restructuring
- Diminution-in-value
- Real estate transactions
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
A: I have been retained by the plaintiff in approximately half of the cases on which I have worked ñ 50 cases.
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
A: I have been retained by the defendant in approximately half of the cases on which I have worked ñ50 cases.
Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
A: My deposition has been taken in more than 100 cases.
Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
A: I have testified in front of a jury or bench trial in more than 65 cases.
Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
A: November 2004
Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
A: I have testified in front of a jury or bench trial in more than 65 cases.
Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
A: I have worked as an expert witness for more than 12 years.
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: The firm at which I am co-founding principal and Senior Director, George Smith Partners, Inc., is a leading commercial real estate investment banking firm specializing in arranging acquisition, construction, and mezzanine loans along with joint venture equity and highly leveraged participating debt. In 2006, our firm enjoyed a record year arranging financing totaling approximately $4.3 billion.
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: $565
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: $565
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: $750
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: $750
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: General expenses including travel and out-of-pocket items.
References
Joel FeuerGibson Dunn and Crutcher
333 S. Grand 47th Fl
LA, CA 90071-3197
(213) 229-7432
jfeuer@gibsondunn.com
Ivor Samson
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
685 Market Street; 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-882-2491
isamson@sonnenschien.com
Robert Platt
Manatt Phelps Phillips
11355 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 312-4221
rplatt@manatt.com
Jess Bressi
Cox Castle & Nicholson
19800 MacArthur, Suite 600
Irvine, CA 92612-2435
(949) 260-4625
jbressi@coxcastle.com
