Laurie Dennen, of counsel with Berding & Weil LLP, practices transactional business and commercial real estate law. Ms. Dennen's transactional and business practice includes structuring, negotiating and preparing various types of contracts in conjunction with structuring and documenting complex business transactions and forming and maintaining various types of business entities and strategic alliances, with special attention being given to governance/management issues and to the respective rights and obligations of the owners, inclusive of buy/sell arrangements. Ms. Dennen's transactional business practice is diverse and includes providing professional counsel to produce shippers/brokers, distributors, waste management facilities' operators, manufacturers, technology and wineries and growers. Ms. Dennen also represents high asset individuals in relation to their investments and overall financial planning.

Ms. Dennen's commercial real estate practice includes acquisitions, exchanges, sales and development, commercial leasing, including office, industrial and retail, real estate secured finance, construction agreements and all aspects of the ownership, management, construction and development of commercial real estate. Ms. Dennen's primary focus in her commercial real estate practice is with major office building and shopping center representation on behalf of both landlords and tenants. Ms. Dennen's many years of business experience gives her a practical focus and common sense approach to evaluating, counseling and advising business clients. Also, Ms. Dennen's past hands-on business experience and her financial and accounting education allow her to view her clients from a business person's perspective and to work seamlessly with her clients' CPAs, financial advisors and bankers.

Prior to joining Berding & Weil LLP, Ms. Dennen was an associate at Greenan, Peffer, Sallander & Lally, LLP and Cooper, White & Cooper where she practiced corporate and commercial real estate law. Prior to that, Ms. Dennen was an associate with Eizen, Fineberg & McCarthy, P.C. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania concentrating her practice in corporate and business law, mergers and acquisitions, with an emphasis in privately held entities. Upon graduation from law school in 1997, Ms. Dennen accepted a one year clerkship with the Honorable Linda Wallach Miller, Court of Common Pleas, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Before returning to school to earn her advanced degrees, Ms. Dennen was a financial analyst and strategic planner for American Television & Communications Corporation and Comcast Corporation.

Ms. Dennen received her Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law in May 1997; she received a Masters in Business Administration from Villanova University in July 1994, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.

Ms. Dennen is admitted to the bar in the State of California, the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA)--Government & Public Affairs Committee.

Ms. Dennen is a member of the Contra Costa County Bar Association--Real Estate Section. Ms. Dennen currently sits on the Board of Directors of American Association of University Women-San Ramon Branch (Co-VP Programs Committee; Recording Secretary; Co-Chair Tech Trek; Chairperson for the 2010 State Convention; and was recently elected to AAUW-CA, State Board of Directors and Secretary for 2010-2012) and Ladies of the Vineyard Golf Club (9 Hole Chairperson, Tournament Chairperson and Education Chairperson). Ms. Dennen has sat on the Board of Directors of the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce (as Legal Counsel) for a number of years and has served as the Vice-Chairperson of the San Ramon Economic Development Advisory Committee for the City of San Ramon.