Amy R. Forbes

Amy R. Forbes is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  Ms. Forbes has spent her entire legal career at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and has previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Land Use Practice Group, on the firm’s Executive Committee and as the co-partner in charge of the Los Angeles office.  Ms. Forbes’ practice is concentrated on land use planning issues, including zoning, planning, the California Environmental Quality Act, and municipal law.  The primary focus of her land use practice is at the administrative level, including the negotiation of agreements with local governments and public agencies, the supervision of the preparation of environmental documentation, the processing of entitlements through public hearings and community meetings and other administrative proceedings, as well as legal issues associated with project development and construction.

During a one-year leave of absence from the firm in 1988-89, she had the honor and opportunity to work on land use planning issues at the Crown Property Bureau, the agency of the Thai government which manages the King of Thailand's property, under a Luce Foundation Fellowship.

Ms. Forbes graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University in 1980 (earning a certification in the transportation program) and from the University of Southern California School of Law in 1984, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif.  In 2016, The Daily Journal featured her as an honoree in its 2016 'California Lawyer Attorney of the Year' awards for her work leading the Gibson Dunn team that developed a successful strategy to secure approval of an NFL-ready stadium in under eight weeks. In 2017 she was named “Real Estate Attorney of the Year” as part of Los Angeles Business Journal’s Leaders in Law awards.  The Daily Journal has also named her as one of “California’s Top 50 Development Lawyers” as well as one of the “Top Women Lawyers” in 2017 and she was featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Angelenos to Know in Real Estate Law” in July, 2013. Most recently, Best Lawyers named Ms. Forbes Los Angeles Real Estate Lawyer of the Year for 2022.  Additionally, she was named Land Use & Zoning Law Lawyer of the Year in 2012.  She has been listed in the Legal 500, as  Tier 1 lawyer,  and editions of The Best Lawyers in America® since 2010.  Ms. Forbes has been ranked in Chambers USA since 2006, and is currently a Tier 1 lawyer, the highest rank.  Since 2005, she has been named a Southern California SuperLawyer.

Ms. Forbes currently serves as President of the Center Theatre Group, having served on the Board since 2006 and provided more than 30 years of pro bono real estate advice and other service to the organization (which operates the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson theatres downtown and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.  From 1990 to 1996, she was on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest local preservation organization in the country, serving as president of the organization from 1993-1996.  She has also served on the Board of the USC School of Architecture Guild and the Los Angeles Free Clinic.  She is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Representative Matters:

• Lead counsel in the successful master planning/redevelopment of Hollywood Park racetrack by Hollywood Park Land Company, including the addition of an 80,000 seat NFL stadium (home of the Rams and the Chargers) and 6,000 seat performance venue, using a unique voter-sponsored initiative.  The proposed project also consists of the redevelopment an almost 300-acre site and the construction of approximately 2,500 to 2,995 dwelling units, 890,000 square feet of retail, 780,000 square feet of office/commercial space, 4-acre civic site, and a 300-room hotel with approximately 25 acres of publicly accessible parks and open space.
• Land use counsel to El Toro/Heritage Fields, the venture undertaking the redevelopment of the El Toro air base (a multi-billion dollar, mixed use development) in Irvine, California.
• Lead project counsel for The Berggruen Institute’s innovative campus designed to house its educational programs, fellowships, scholars, and administration.  It is proposed to be located on a 450-acre site in the Santa Monica mountains in the western part of Los Angeles, near the Getty Museum.
• Representing the NBA L.A. Clippers team owner Steve Ballmer in the $400 million purchase of The Forum in the City of Inglewood, California from Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
• Counsel to Murphy's Bowl, the developer of the new Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC) in Inglewood, California. proposed as the new home for the Los Angeles Clippers, anticipated to open in 2024
• Represented Madison Square Garden in their acquisition and renovation of the Forum in Inglewood, including the successful conclusion of negotiations for an $18 million subsidy from the City of Inglewood, and permitting in connection with its more than $50 million renovation as a premier concert venue.
• Pro bono counsel to Grand Hope Park, which ground leases and operates a 2.5-acre park in Downtown Los Angeles, and assisting the non-profit’s efforts to assert claims arising from the elimination of redevelopment agencies in California.  Successfully negotiated settlement of litigation leading to more than a million dollars of compensation to the non-profit.

Capabilities

• Land Use and Development
• Real Estate
• Sports Law

Credentials

Education:

• University of Southern California - 1984 Juris Doctor
• Princeton University - 1980 B.S. Science & Engineering

Admissions:

• California Bar