Isabel L. Brown
Attorney

Ms. Brown practices in the areas of affordable housing, real estate development, and public finance.

Ms. Brown represents public agencies, including counties, cities and housing authorities, in the structuring and financing of housing and mixed-use developments. Ms. Brown has extensive experience in structuring fee and leasehold property dispositions and loan transactions, and preparing and negotiating disposition and development agreements, ground leases, loan agreements, homebuyer documents, and the ancillary documents necessary for such transactions. She also has comprehensive knowledge of the statutory requirements of federal and state housing funding programs, including the HOME Investment Partnerships Act program, the Neighborhood Stabilization program, the Community Development Block Grant program, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, the Project-Based Section 8 Voucher program, and the Rental Assistance Demonstration program.

Ms. Brown also represents affordable housing developers and public agencies in the development and management of housing and mixed-use developments. She has extensive experience in forming nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies; the federal and state tax exemption application process; loan closings; condominium development; drafting and negotiating construction contracts and professional services contracts; and fair housing compliance.

Ms. Brown has lectured on federal and state disabled persons accessibility requirements, condominium development requirements, construction contracts, and loan documents and closings.

Education

  • B.S.E. Civil Engineering, cum laude, Princeton University
  • Masters in Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
  • J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law
  • Articles Editor, Ecology Law Quarterly
  • Sadie & Alvin Landis Prize in Local Government Law

Previous Employment

  • Legislative Assistant, U.S. House of Representatives
  • Assistant Architect, City of New York, Department of Housing, Preservation & Development

Professional and Volunteer Affiliations

  • State Bar of California