Allen Matkins Elects Matthew Fogt, Alan Hearty, and Alexander Nestor to Partnership

SAN DIEGO – May 1, 2013 – Allen Matkins, a California-based full service real estate and business law firm, announced today that attorneys Matthew Fogt, Alan Hearty, and Alexander Nestor have been elected to the firm partnership. The election is effective as of July 1, 2013.

"Matt, Alan, and Alex are excellent lawyers with strong client relationships, and we are very pleased to welcome them to our partnership," says David Osias, managing partner of Allen Matkins. "They each exemplify – both personally and professionally – our focus on client service and community involvement. This new class of partners will carry on the Allen Matkins legacy. I congratulate them on their deserving election."

Matthew Fogt

Matthew works with the land use, real estate, environmental and natural resources, and energy practice groups in Allen Matkins' Orange County office. Reputable real estate matters in which he either played a lead or significant role include representing a variety of real estate finance and development firms on the acquisition, development and disposition of several master planned and multifamily communities; mixed-use, office, retail, and industrial projects; auto dealerships; and solar facilities throughout the Western United States. Matthew's land use work includes obtaining development approvals from various local, state and federal agencies, performing entitlement and zoning review as part of acquisitions, and navigating projects through CEQA.

Matthew has been published in the California Real Estate Journal and Distressed Assets Investor, and has been named to the Southern California Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" each year since 2010. Most recently he co-authored a legal alert on a new energy use disclosure law taking effect July 1, 2013, which will impact owners of non-residential California buildings.

Matthew received his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University where he graduated magna cum laude and was honored with the Order of the Coif. During law school, Matthew was an editor on the BYU Law Review, President of the Natural Resource Law Society, Civil Chair of the Government and Politics Legal Society, a counselor in the Academic Success Program, and a pupil in the American Inns of Court. Prior to law school, Matthew worked for the United States Forest Service on planning issues. He received a B.S. in environmental studies from the University of Utah.

Alan Hearty

Alan is a trial attorney based in Allen Matkins' Century City office. His practice focuses on complex litigation with an emphasis on real estate and commercial business matters. Alan’s real estate experience includes representing owners, purchasers, sellers, developers, lessors and lessees of commercial properties on a wide variety of complex matters. Recently, Alan co-chaired a five-week jury trial and helped to obtain a multi-million dollar verdict for a publicly traded real estate investment trust in a case involving breaches of an industrial lease.

As part of his commercial practice, Alan represents government agencies, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and individual business owners on a diverse range of matters involving entertainment production / development agreements, intellectual property agreements, shareholder agreements and partnership agreements, among other types of business agreements. Recently, Alan co-chaired a two-week arbitration and helped to secure a multi-million dollar award for a software company in a case involving breaches of an asset purchase agreement.

Alan was born and educated in Ireland and is now a citizen of the United States. He attended University College Dublin and graduated magna cum laude with a combined business and law degree. Alan continues to maintain strong links with the Irish-American business community, and he frequently counsels Irish government agencies and companies on legal issues. Alan was a recipient of the 2010 Irish Legal 100 award, which honors those of Irish heritage for their efforts in supporting the Irish-American legal profession. Past recipients of the award include United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Alan traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept his award from His Excellency, Michael Collins, the Irish Ambassador to the United States.

Alexander Nestor

Alex practices in the labor and employment group in Allen Matkins' San Francisco office, where he represents some of the nation's largest technology and financial services companies. He represents employers in litigation proceedings in state and federal court, in arbitration, and before administrative agencies on a broad range of employment matters, including discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, defamation, wage and hour, trade secret misappropriation, and unfair competition claims. He also counsels and assists employers in resolving a variety of employment issues, such as compliance with state and federal employment laws, developing employee policies, reductions in force, executive employment agreements, and restrictive covenants.

Alex has co-authored the firm's annual legal alerts outlining California's updated labor and employment laws and has been recognized as a leader in the employee mobility area by Legal 500 United States. He earned his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, where he served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Joyce L. Kennard of the Supreme Court of California. Alex earned his master's degree in international relations from Northeastern University and undergraduate degree from York University.

ABOUT ALLEN MATKINS

Allen Matkins, founded in 1977, is a California-based law firm with approximately 220 attorneys in four major metropolitan areas of California: Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and San Diego. The firm's core specialties include real estate, real estate and commercial finance, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, construction, land use, natural resources, environmental, corporate and securities, intellectual property, joint ventures, taxation, employment and labor law, dispute resolution and litigation in all these matters.