Donald J. Schiffer

Attorney Profile

Five decades of law. Twenty years of it inside the business.

Most transactional attorneys learned deals by reading them. I learned them by living on both sides of the signature line before I ever hung a shingle in San Diego.

I earned my law license in 1976 and spent nearly the next two decades at a major financial institution. I served as in house legal counsel and as director of strategic planning, which meant I was not only papering transactions but deciding which ones the institution should pursue. During the early 1990s I worked on Resolution Trust Corporation transactions, at the center of the largest disposition of distressed assets in modern American history.

I also served as president of a real estate development company, where I was responsible for liquidating substantial real property assets. I have been the principal negotiating with the lender. I have been the counsel drafting for the lender. That perspective is not something a lawyer can acquire by reading form books.

In 1994 I opened my own practice in San Diego. Since then I have advised entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and small to midsize businesses across San Diego County on business formation, transactions, contracts, loan purchases, and real estate. The practice has stayed deliberately small because the value I offer is my own attention.