George A. Rice retired from the partnership in December 2007. He was a finance and real estate practitioner in the San Diego office, who had practiced law with the firm since 1969. He first practiced with the Los Angeles office until 1982, then worked out of the Chicago office until 2001. He handled primarily lending, merger and acquisition and real estate transactions, and represented US hotel chains and gaming companies. Major transactions include recapitalizations, various financings secured by gaming, hotel, shopping center, office, residential and other assets, and sales of hotels, gaming, and other businesses to US and international investors, investment partnerships and limited liability companies, development projects, and restructuring and workouts. He has handled leverage buyout loans and other financings representing both borrowers and lenders.
Mr. Rice has served as chair of the Real Property Finance Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. His publications include an article on legal opinions for Illinois secured real estate loan transactions, which he co-authored as part of a Real Property Finance Committee project.
At the time of his retirement, Mr. Rice was listed as a lead partner by Legal500 in its rankings of Southern California Real Estate Transaction and Finance practices.