Stephanie L. Pfaff

Stephanie has a broad-range practice representing clients in transactional matters.  She has experience in negotiating and drafting purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, real estate joint venture agreements, partnership agreements, and limited liability company agreements.  Stephanie provides transactional leadership and support for real estate acquisitions and dispositions, renewable energy projects, including diligence review and project management for large portfolio deals.  Stephanie regularly advises clients on California documentary transfer tax and property tax matters, qualified opportunity zone matters including qualified opportunity fund structuring and related advising, like-kind exchange transactions, and advises clients on state and local California tax matters, including sales and use tax, franchise tax, and withholding matters.   

Stephanie also advises clients in transactional tax and real estate matters for estate planning trusts and family-owned businesses, private foundations, and public charities.

Stephanie's background as corporate counsel allows her to bring a client perspective to each client matter, as well as giving her the ability to analyze multiple issues surrounding her clients' transactional needs.

Before joining DLA Piper, Stephanie was corporate counsel for a San Diego-based real estate developer, also serving as vice president and corporate secretary. During her time in-house, she was responsible for the integrity of the company’s corporate structure, including the drafting and negotiating of LLC agreements, partnership agreements, bylaws and inter-company agreements. Stephanie worked directly with the company’s board of directors on the ongoing strategy of the company’s corporate structure to meet its long-term goals, successfully drafting all documentation related to the restructuring of the company under the supervision of the general counsel. As corporate secretary, she oversaw the corporate governance and compliance of the company.