Jeffrey J. Crosswhite
Attorney
6801 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 210
Pleasanton, CA 94566
925-460-3384 | 925-224-7782
jeffrey.crosswhite@hogefenton.com
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Main Bio
Practice Overview
A tactical litigator and creative negotiator, Jeffrey Crosswhite employs a holistic skill set in resolving disputes and structuring “win-win” transactions for his clients. Jeffrey is a member of the Real Estate & Land Use and Estates & Trusts practice groups and is licensed to practice in California and Oregon.
Jeffrey brings nearly a decade of litigation and transactional experience working with small and mid-size businesses, high net-worth families, entrepreneurs, commercial real estate developers, public agencies, and cannabis retailers. Jeffrey’s well-rounded practice draws from experience as in-house counsel for an urban real estate investment firm, from both defense and plaintiff-side litigation law firms, and multiple clerkships with judges in California and Oregon state trial courts, as well as City and County Attorney offices in Los Angeles, Portland, and Marin County.
Prior to joining Hoge Fenton, Jeffrey was the Assistant General Counsel at California Capital & Investment Group, Inc., where he counseled shareholders, subsidiaries, and affiliated entities in investment, finance, mergers & acquisitions, and commercial real estate sales and leases. Jeffrey also managed the company’s affirmative and defense litigation and negotiated the resolution of third-party disputes with joint venture partners, vendors, employees, and tenants.
Practice Areas
- Business Litigation
- Cannabis
- Estates and Trusts
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Real Estate and Land Use
- Trust and Estate Litigation
Education
- J.D., Lewis & Clark Law School, Environmental Law Certificate, Business Law Certificate
- B.A., Mass Communications, Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
Admissions
- California
- Oregon
- U.S. District Court of Colorado
Affiliation & Awards
PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Eastern Alameda County Bar Association
Bay Area Vintage Base Ball League
AWARDS
2023 Super Lawyers Northern California Rising Stars
2012 Pro Bono Honors Award, Portland Small Business Clinic
Representative Experience
- Public/Private Development Agreements – Lead counsel in an affirmative lawsuit against the City of Oakland on behalf of a redeveloper concerning rights to sell the historic “Rotunda Building” in downtown Oakland.
- Joint Venture Financing – Negotiated and structured the three-party investment and licensing transaction for the launch of a major cannabis retailer’s flagship dispensary in Oakland, California, including $1.5 Million in convertible debt financing from silent investors, and licensee royalty agreement with carveouts for vertical integration and territorial expansion.
- In Re Detweiler Family Trust (Sonoma County Superior Court Case No. SPR-090153) – 2nd Chair bench trial; successfully defended the inheritance of four siblings against the “black sheep” sibling falsely claiming oral modification to their deceased parents’ trust, prevailed on concurrent motions to deem admitted and entry of judgment.
- 2018 M&A – Negotiated a $2 Million acquisition of a 60% equity interest payable through capital contributions over time.
- Rotunda Partners II, LLC v. Moheb DMD, Inc. (Alameda County Court Case No. RG20083539) – Lead attorney in a suit to recover $350,000 in a fraudulently induced settlement; uniquely prevailed in C.C.P § 664.6 Motion to Enforcement of Settlement Agreement and avoided preclusion on right to pursue damages and fraud claims subsequently.
- Western Acceptance, LLC v. General Agriculture, Inc., et al. (Colorado District Court Case No. 20CV00052) – Lead Attorney in defense of a development company and its executive employees in multi-state federal conspiracy and fraud claims based on 12(b)2 Motion to Dismiss under a nuanced common law component of personal jurisdiction; the “no imputed contacts” theory of agency.
- Negotiated purchase and sale of $5.5 Million commercial property with seller carryback finance and joint venture components.
- Employment/Anti-SLAPP Defense (Ume Yoga Oakland, LLC v. [Redacted]) – Lead defense of company and shareholders and from discrimination, wage claims, and Anti-SLAPP motion by a former executive employee. Successfully negotiated settlement through counterclaims for breach of fiduciary duty, dissolution of the company, and negotiating a settlement with remaining shareholders.
Speaking & Publications
- The shoot first and ask questions later approach to California’s Builder’s Remedy Law, San Francisco Daily Journal, Vol. 129. No. 142, July 25, 2023
- An Unprecedented Urban Development Opportunity: SF Bay Area Cities Miss the State Deadline to Rezone BART Properties for Housing, Hoge Fenton, October 13, 2022
