Corie A. Edwards

TRANSACTIONAL LAW

Corie A. Edwards is a real estate attorney and Partner at Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s preeminent land use firms. Corie provides support to the firm’s real estate development and land use practice, working in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. She has been honored to contribute to some of the most transformative projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as to smaller-scale developments by some of the Bay Area’s most prolific and well-regarded real estate developers. Corie’s practice spans the greater Bay Area: from wine country to Silicon Valley, to jurisdictions in the East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, and into the Sacramento Valley.

Corie’s real estate practice is informed by over 20 years as a litigation attorney, during which time she focused on resolving complex commercial disputes for real estate- and construction-industry clients.

The diversity of Corie’s practice includes commercial and residential real estate, acquisitions/dispositions, development agreements, easements/license agreements, leasing transactions, due diligence, title review, litigation management, construction contracts/disputes, insurance coverage, risk management, and business formation.  Corie’s unique mix of expertise helps her clients understand and mitigate risk, develop creative deal structures, and prepare & negotiate development-related agreements with local jurisdictions and owners of neighboring properties.

Outside of her legal practice, Corie serves as a Planning Commissioner for the City of San Ramon. She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, and currently serves as Co-Chair for the Commercial Local Product Council (San Francisco District Council).  Corie previously Co-Chaired the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative in San Francisco, was an Acting Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Committee and liaison to the Major Programs Committee, Co-Chair of the Programs Committee for the 2020 Fall Meeting, and a Member of the 2020 Fall Meeting Host Committee. Corie participated in the development of the District Council’s last two strategic plans.

Corie regularly volunteers to bring ULI’s UrbanPlan to several Bay Area high schools, and has served as a judge for the moot court program at Hastings College of the Law.

EDUCATION

• B.A., 1993, University of California at Riverside (Philosophy-Law and Society and Political Science)
• J.D., 1996, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

EXPERIENCE/NOTABLE PROJECTS

• Negotiated construction contracts for commercial and residential projects in the City and County of San Francisco and Alameda County, California.
• Defended international real estate investor in quiet title action concerning ownership of parking garage, mixed-use development project, in San Francisco, California.
• Successfully opposed efforts to enjoin redevelopment of parcels in a shopping center in Contra Costa County, California.
• Represented an investment fund in Monterey County, California with a judicial foreclosure action and companion mortgage fraud claim, concerning commercial property acquired for development.
• Prepared & negotiated purchase documents for acquisition of Oakland, California properties for redevelopment into 76-unit apartment community, with the relocation of existing historic structures.
• Counsel to a private property owner in the negotiation of a parcel map waiver in Oakland, California, and resolution of related title insurance claim in connection with the encroachment of residential improvements.
• Obtained summary judgment and award of attorneys’ fees and costs in favor of property owner on $1.7 million wrongful eviction claim following an owner-move-in eviction in San Francisco, California.
• Prosecuted quiet title lawsuit regarding access easement over 195-acre ranch property in Contra Costa County, California.
• Defended unfair competition action regarding alleged failure to mine construction aggregate from a leased property in Madera County, California.
• Defended a commercial property owner in $4.2M mechanic’s lien claim by tenant improvement contractor, following the bankruptcy of tenant.
• Completed due diligence for acquisition of South Bay property subject to historical development agreements and burdened by $24M Housing & Community Development grant.
• Prepared and negotiated documentation for relocation of neighbor utilities that crossed development site.
• Handled title insurance claims correspondence and managed litigation counsel for joint venture partners on multi-million dollar title insurance claim.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• City of San Ramon (2021 – present), Planning Commission
• City of San Ramon (2015 – 2021), Housing Advisory Committee (Chair 2017-2021)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Co-Chair (2021 – present), ULI San Francisco Local Product Council (Commercial)
• Vice-Chair (2019 – present), ULI San Francisco Local Product Council (Commercial)
• Urban Plan Volunteer | Real Estate Exchange (REEX) Summer Programs (2020-present)
• Co-Chair (2013 – Present), ULI San Francisco, Women’s Leadership Initiative (Programs Committee)
• Urban Land Institute Member of Sustainable Development Committee
• Environmental Law Institute (2013 – 2014)
• Urban Land Institute (San Francisco District Council) (2005 – Present)
• State Bar of California (1996 – present), Member of Real Property and Environmental Law Sections