Cobey’s Experience Enhances Firm’s Construction and Development Leadership
July 2, 2007
LOS ANGELES (July 2, 2007) – Penny Cobey has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP’s real estate and finance practice as Of Counsel in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Cobey will focus on transactional issues in complex private and public construction projects, including project structuring, contract negotiation and drafting, workouts of troubled projects, and settlement of construction claims.
Cobey advises clients such as condominium developers, redevelopment agencies, shopping center developers, and government contractors on issues including choosing the most appropriate form of project delivery; drafting and negotiating contracts with general contractors, construction managers, design/builders, architects, and engineers; bidding and procurement; dealing with insurers, sureties, and lenders; and managing construction defect claims. She also advises landlords and tenants on buildout issues and supports litigators in assessing and briefing construction disputes.
Cobey joins McKenna Long & Aldridge from the firm of Brown Winfield and Canzoneri, Inc. Before working with that firm, she served as senior construction counsel to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s school building program, the largest public building project in the United States. She also served as counsel to the J. Paul Getty Trust, as well as secretary and legal advisor to its Board of Trustees.
"Drawing upon her experience at the L.A. Unified School District and the Getty, Penny brings a unique perspective to construction-related issues in both the real estate and government contracts arenas," said Bill Timmons, chair of MLA’s Real Estate and Finance Department. "Her wealth of experience and dexterity adds to our growing West Coast practice and corresponds with the strengths of the firm’s core practice areas."
Cobey is a former member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry and is a frequent speaker at Forum events. She is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and also holds a Ph.D. from Harvard (English and American Literature) and a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati.