Best of the Beach 2022: Real Estate Law, Trust Law
Real Estate Law
Baker Burton & Lundy
For a small town law firm, Baker Burton & Lundy deals with huge numbers, having negotiated nearly a billion dollars in real estate transactions last year. “Our real estate department is led by Kent Burton, who has more than 40 years’ experience,” said Clint Wilson, a partner in the Pier Avenue firm. “Kent has built a team of transactional attorneys who are like minded in that we all strive to put out an excellent work product, and work closely with our clients to accomplish the objectives of each transaction.”
The firm’s real estate team of four collaborates on projects “to ensure we’re thinking of every issue that might arise so we can better protect and serve our clients,” Wilson said. The real estate department specializes in commercial leases. “We have a clientele that ranges from national and publicly traded retailers to local business owners and real estate investors. In 2021 alone,” he added, “the real estate department drafted commercial leases for nearly two million square feet of commercial property and negotiated real estate transactions worth more than $800 million.”
The law firm is known locally for representing residents before planning commissions, mediating neighborhood disputes, and providing pro bono services to nonprofits. Its one story building on Pier Avenue in downtown Hermosa Beach is about as far from the Century City offices favored by high power attorneys as one can get, literally and figuratively, and still be in Los Angeles County. Office dress favors Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirts over starched Oxford cloth and their email ends in SurfLaw.Com.
The fact that the firm has won over $4 billion in settlements, including $2 Billion against Sempra.
Energy, is nowhere in evidence, except for the fact that they recently bought the nextdoor dry cleaners to accommodate their growing staff.
515 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Bakerburtonlundy.com
Runner-up
Law Offices of Bennett Rheingold
3424 W Carson St Ste 500, Torrance, CA 90503-5723
(310) 508-8376 or 310-214-1477
Mark (in the middle) with his Awesome Staff.
Trust Law
Mark Swatik
Looking for an attorney you can trust to handle your trust, probate and estate planning issues? South Bay readers have cast their vote for Mark Swatik, a board-certified specialist who is no stranger to Easy Reader’s “Best of” listings.
“With the laws always changing, having your Estate Plan done by a board certified Estate Plan specialist is the only way to go. I’m proud to hold this certification and to continue serving our community,” Swatik said.
Swatik is also a licensed real estate broker, which he says has been “very beneficial in overseeing real estate transactions during probate and trust administrative matters.”
Swatik earned an MBA, with an emphasis in Finance, from Webster University, and has an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice. He also is an Adjunct Graduate Professor for National University’s MPA program.
Until 2013, he combined his legal efforts with serving as a sergeant with the Hawthorne Police Department, where his duties included patrol supervisor/watch commander, Internal Affairs, and detective bureau supervisor.
Mark Swatik, Esq., MBA
2377 Crenshaw Blvd. Suite 201
Torrance
Runner-up
Baker, Burton & Lundy Law Offices
515 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-9893
Bakerburtonlundy.com