Julie S. Mebane

Partner

  • Julie S. Mebane
  • Phone: +1 619 744 2211

    Julie S. Mebane - LinkedIn Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    750 B Street, Suite 2900
    San Diego, CA 92101-4681
    USA
  • Duane Morris LLP
    Spear Tower
    One Market Plaza, Suite 2200
    San Francisco, CA 94105-1127
    USA

Julie S. Mebane practices in the area of real estate law, with particular emphasis upon commercial real estate purchases, sales, loans and secured lending, and commercial, industrial and office leases. Ms. Mebane has related experience in compliance with mapping and other development conditions, escrows, title issues, redevelopment projects, hazardous materials, easement concerns, and property license agreements. She has represented a diverse base of clients, including large corporate developers, educational institutions, public utility and power companies, landlords and tenants, owners of smaller real estate portfolios, single-property investors and developers, and high-end residential buyers and sellers.

In one particularly challenging and long-term engagement, Ms. Mebane was responsible for a variety of legal services for a new master-planned community in northern San Diego County. The master plan included both residential and resort components: residential homes, church, park, and school sites, a major hotel, and a golf course. Ms. Mebane's involvement continued as these components were sold to merchant builders and other entities over a period of years, and also covered trademark issues which arose in connection with the marketing of the project. Ms. Mebane has also overseen legal issues in the development, purchase, and sales of a number of downtown San Diego office buildings. She has done substantial real estate work for universities on a wide range of matters.

In 2018, Ms. Mebane was presented with the Duane Morris Pro Bono Leadership Award, which recognizes an attorney who exemplifies the spirit of pro bono: a selfless, long-standing and unwavering commitment to pro bono service; a leader by example who accepts pro bono matters without fanfare; and a pro bono contributor who encourages and mentors other firm attorneys in pro bono service. Annually from 2005 through 2011, and in 2013, Ms. Mebane has been named to the list of the San Diego Daily Transcript's Top Attorneys in the category of Real Estate/Construction. In 2012, she was named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an invitation-only distinction within the American Bar Association. Her civic involvements have included acting as the volunteer general counsel for the UCLA Alumni Association and being a member of the board of directors for the San Diego chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Ms. Mebane was selected for membership in The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) in 2009, and she is a sustaining member of the Lawyers Club of San Diego. She served on the Board of Directors of the Downtown San Diego Partnership between 2011 and 2014.

A member of the American and San Diego County Bar Associations and the State Bar Association of California, Ms. Mebane is a 1981 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where she was Editor-In-Chief of the UCLA-Alaska Law Review, and a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Representative Matters

  • Represented Pipeline Health in multi-state acquisition of community hospital and medical office building properties, including four locations in Southern California valued at approximately $180 million. 

  • Represented a major French transportation company in its acquisition of two California-based transportation companies providing intercity bus and airport shuttle services; the complex deal involved a related $65 million multi-year transportation services contract with a municipality, the leasing and subleasing of industrial properties, an assumption of indebtedness, and financially distressed sellers.
  • Represented a national post-secondary institution regarding the handling of national lease-related documentation, including negotiating and drafting numerous commercial leases, amendments, subleases, subordination agreements, estoppels and termination agreements.
  • Represented Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in securing a 10-year lease with BioMed Realty, one of the nation's largest owners of biotech and laboratory properties, for its continued research and development of vaccines for HIV, cancer, hepatitis C and chronic infectious diseases.
  • Represented a pharmaceutical company specializing in cancer drug research in leasing laboratory space in a La Jolla research and development business park.
  • Represented a luxury resort and vacation home developer in connection with complex real estate and title issues arising from its acquisition of resort property near Lake Tahoe, CA.
  • Represented as a pro bono client MarineParents.com, a public charity founded in 2003 to support Marines and their families, and favorably negotiated a trademark licensing agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).
  • Represented a for-profit college in the negotiation and documentation of a lease for a new campus in Emeryville, Calif.
  • Represented an international biotech research institute in the negotiation and documentation of a lease for a 45,000 rentable square foot research facility located in La Jolla, Calif.
  • Represented a high-tech joint venture in the San Diego area in the negotiation and documentation of a lease for a commercial office building located in San Diego, Calif.
  • Represented a national insurance company in the negotiation and documentation of a lease for a full floor of commercial office building space located in downtown San Diego, Calif.
  • Represented a leading international grower of peat moss in its acquisition of a large tract of land and related buildings and improvements in Watsonville, Calif.
  • Represented a family trust in the sale of a restaurant and land in Chula Vista, Calif.
  • Handled real estate matters in connection with the sale of a privately held maker of hydraulic, fuel and pneumatic system components for the aerospace industry to a publicly traded industrial-products manufacturer.
  • Responsible for real estate transactions and advice for a respected local university in San Diego; handled several real estate acquisitions of new property for university, as well as providing other ongoing real estate advice and representation to university's representatives in diverse matters such as cell site leasing, rental agreements and facilities leasing contracts, sales of donated property and title insurance matters.
  • Represented foreclosing lender in the bulk sale of large Orange County "fractured" condominium complex, involving sale of multifamily project consisting of both single family condominiums and units converted to apartments.
  • Radian Asset Assurance: Represented bond insurer in connection with real estate matters related to several bond transactions, including $28,875,000.00 bond financing by the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority; $28,700,000.00 bond financing by Casa de las Campanas senior housing facility in San Diego County; and $27,000,000 bond financing by the University of Southern Nevada.
  • National Bank of Arizona: Oversaw real estate aspects involved in sale of eleven California bank branch locations of Stockmen's Bank in California's Central Valley, including fee transfers and leasehold assignments.
  • National Power/Big Valley Power: Primarily responsible for analysis and resolution of complex title issues related to refinancing and obtaining title insurance coverage of a biomass power facility and transmission line spanning two counties in Northern California.
  • ArcLight Capital Partners: Handled real estate matters associated with complex $135,000,000 debt refinancing by client engaged in natural gas production and distribution in Central Valley of California; matter involved particularly complex title insurance and easement issues.
  • Alfred Karcher GMBH & Co.: Represented large German corporation in connection with the sale of its manufacturing facility in Los Angeles County.
  • Multiple-year representation of developers of two large-scale Northern San Diego County residential and resort communities known as Aviara and Kelly Ranch, including numerous purchase and sale transactions with related title and escrow issues, map compliance issues and documents, resort-related documents, California Coastal Commission documents, real estate brokerage matters and name protection issues.
  • Along with a Duane Morris multi-office team, represented the agent bank in a syndicated acquisition financing of in excess of $350 million involving over 80 borrowers, and over 70 parcels of real estate in over 10 states.
  • Represented diverse property owners, including a financial institution, a winery, a university, and a nonprofit corporation, in connection with negotiation and documentation of cell site leases and licenses of their facilities.
  • Represented large medical group in negotiation and documentation of full-floor office lease.
  • Served as General Counsel for four years to a large public university's alumni association, addressing varied transactional and other legal issues of a non-profit university-affiliated organization.

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Education

  • University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1981
    Editor-In-Chief, UCLA-Alaska Law Review
  • University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 1978
    Phi Beta Kappa

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2004-present
  • Stipanov & Mebane
    - Partner, 1994-2004
  • Scalone Stipanov Yaffa & Mebane
    - Partner, 1990-1994
  • Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
    - Associate, 1986-1990
  • Gray, Cary, Ames & Frye
    - Associate, 1981-1985

Professional Activities

  • Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
  • Lawyers Club of San Diego
  • American Bar Association
  • State Bar Association of California
  • San Diego County Bar Association

Honors and Awards

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2022 and 2023
  • Named a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, 2021

  • Duane Morris Pro Bono Leadership Award, 2018

  • Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017
  • Listed in San Diego Business Journal's 2015 Best of the Bar List
  • Named in the San Diego Daily Transcript's annual Top Attorneys listings, 2005-2011 and 2013, in the category of Real Estate/Construction
  • Recognized in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who of American Women, and Who's Who in American Law
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

Board Memberships

  • Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF)
     - Vice Chair, Board of Directors, 2022-present
  • Downtown San Diego Partnership, 2012-2014
  • Francis Parker School
    - Board of Trustees, June 2002-2010; Secretary and Member of Executive Committee, 2006-2010
    - Chair, Francis Parker Annual Fund
    - Chair, Francis Parker Audit Committee
  • National Association of Women Business Owners
    - Member, San Diego chapter, 1994-1997
    - Board of Directors, San Diego chapter, 1996-1997

  • Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, Board of Directors
    - 1992-1995
    - First Vice President, 1994-1995

  • UCLA Alumni Association
    - General Counsel and Member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 1992-1996

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Vice Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, 2017-present

  • The UCLA Fund
    - Vice Chair, June 2000-June 2001
    - Co-Chair, San Diego Regional Steering Committee, 1997-1999
  • Co-Leader, Girl Scout Troop 3320, 2003-2005

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, Women Attorneys' Roundtable Discussions, featured in July 20, 2011 and July 25, 2012 issues of the San Diego Daily Transcript
  • Co-speaker, "Hot Topics in Insolvency and Bankruptcy," CresaPartners' annual meeting, San Diego, California, April 30, 2011
  • Speaker, "Signs of the Times in the Golden State," Business Issues Forum of National Convention of the Counselors of Real Estate, October 2009
  • Panelist, "Work-Life Balance," Lawyers Club of San Diego Student Committee, April 2, 2009
  • Panelist, "Fundamentals of Real Estate Closings in California" Course, Lorman Education Services, November 2006
  • Panelist, "Major Realty Property Acquisitions" Course, California Continuing Education of the Bar, May 2002 and May 2001