Andrew Mayer Zacks
N/A
Licensed for 32 years
Law Degree
Awards
Primary Practice Area
Real Estate
Language
English
About
Andrew M. Zacks specializes in San Francisco real estate litigation, including landlord/tenant, residential rent control, neighbor disputes, purchase and sale disputes, non-disclosure matters, land use regulation, land use permitting, property rights, the Ellis Act and appeals/challenges to local ordinances and administrative decisions. Having practiced exclusively in this area for more than 20 years, Mr. Zacks is frequently retained to provide consulting services and expert testimony.Mr. Zacks serves as a mediator in real estate disputes as a part of the Superior Court/Bar Association of San Francisco Early Settlement Program, and as a lecturer/panelist in the San Francisco Bar Association’s Annual Seminar on “Recent Developments and Hot Topics in San Francisco Landlord-Tenant Law Practice”. Mr. Zacks is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale Hubbell and has been repeatedly named a San Francisco Super Lawyer®.Mr. Zacks has successfully litigated before local administrative tribunals and at all levels of the State and Federal Judiciary, including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Zacks has achieved many successes in trial courts and in arbitration proceedings, and he has won more than 24 victories in the California Court of Appeals and California Supreme Court. Mr. Zacks has represented parties in three separate petitions in which the California Supreme Court granted review.
Language
English
Contact
Reviews
Andrew Zacks and his partner Scott Freedman succeeded in rescinding the purchase of a multi-million dollar, newly remodeled house we bought that had several undisclosed defects. After living in the house for about 6 months, we began to experience water intrusion on the ground level. Initially we consulted Andrew to help us fix the problem, hire the best engineers to come up with a repair plan, and make sure that the sellers compensated us for all our costs. But as we tried to come up with a repair plan, it became increasingly clear that this was no easy fix. Because Andrew is such a highly respected attorney, he was able to assemble a team of San Francisco's best engineers and other professionals to help us understand the extent of the problems. While they eventually came up with a repair plan, they also told us that it would be expensive, time consuming and technically difficult, which helped us decide to move forward with rescission. During arbitration, our opposition's experts maintained that the repairs were easy, quick and inexpensive. But because Andrew had assembled a superior team with years of experience in San Francisco, our side had more credibility, which ultimately helped us win rescission. Proving that the sellers engaged in intentional fraud was not easy, especially because during the discovery phase, they did not produce many important documents. Andrew and Scott were relentless in following up with other witnesses to get as many of the missing documents as possible. They noticed the smallest of details, like a different personal email address that one real estate agent had used that led to a whole new batch of emails that helped prove that the other side wasn't telling the truth. Andrew was always realistic in setting our expectations. He told us that it's difficult to win a rescission case. But when we told him we felt like we had no other choice, that repair wasn't an option and that the sellers had intentionally deceived us, he and his firm fought heart and soul to win our case. Part of what makes Andrew a fabulous attorney is his quick strategic thinking - whether he's cross-examining a witness or reacting to some new twist in the case, Andrew is always taking in new information and reassessing the best course of action. I firmly believe part of what helped us win our case is the realistic and reasonable tone Andrew and Scott set throughout the arbitration proceedings. They never pulled cheap stunts. They take the high road. They are gentlemen. The award they asked the arbitrator to give us was reasonable and fair, not pie in the sky. Not only did we win rescission, but the arbitrator awarded us everything we asked for monetarily. At our request, Andrew recommended and worked with a bankruptcy attorney to make sure any settlement agreement was iron clad and that we could actually collect the money. From start to finish, Andrew Zacks is the best real estate attorney in California.
Andrew and his firm are A+++, especially in Landlord/Tenant and Real Estate matters, due to rare combinations of outstanding talents and exceptionally innovative and hard, tireless work.
I am a practicing real estate attorney and have been for the past 40 years. I have worked with hundreds of attorneys, many as my counsel on investment matters and well as in my practice. I would rate Andrew among the very best with whom I've worked. He is knowledgeable, practical, has excellent business judgment, quickly and effectively assesses client needs and is a pleasure to work with. In addition to Landlord/Tenant matters, Andrew has provided invaluable counsel on a broad range of real property matters.
Andrew Zacks and his partner Scott Freedman succeeded in rescinding the purchase of a multi-million dollar, newly remodeled house we bought that had several undisclosed defects. After living in the house for about 6 months, we began to experience water intrusion on the ground level. Initially we consulted Andrew to help us fix the problem, hire the best engineers to come up with a repair plan, and make sure that the sellers compensated us for all our costs. But as we tried to come up with a repair plan, it became increasingly clear that this was no easy fix. Because Andrew is such a highly respected attorney, he was able to assemble a team of San Francisco's best engineers and other professionals to help us understand the extent of the problems. While they eventually came up with a repair plan, they also told us that it would be expensive, time consuming and technically difficult, which helped us decide to move forward with rescission. During arbitration, our opposition's experts maintained that the repairs were easy, quick and inexpensive. But because Andrew had assembled a superior team with years of experience in San Francisco, our side had more credibility, which ultimately helped us win rescission. Proving that the sellers engaged in intentional fraud was not easy, especially because during the discovery phase, they did not produce many important documents. Andrew and Scott were relentless in following up with other witnesses to get as many of the missing documents as possible. They noticed the smallest of details, like a different personal email address that one real estate agent had used that led to a whole new batch of emails that helped prove that the other side wasn't telling the truth. Andrew was always realistic in setting our expectations. He told us that it's difficult to win a rescission case. But when we told him we felt like we had no other choice, that repair wasn't an option and that the sellers had intentionally deceived us, he and his firm fought heart and soul to win our case. Part of what makes Andrew a fabulous attorney is his quick strategic thinking - whether he's cross-examining a witness or reacting to some new twist in the case, Andrew is always taking in new information and reassessing the best course of action. I firmly believe part of what helped us win our case is the realistic and reasonable tone Andrew and Scott set throughout the arbitration proceedings. They never pulled cheap stunts. They take the high road. They are gentlemen. The award they asked the arbitrator to give us was reasonable and fair, not pie in the sky. Not only did we win rescission, but the arbitrator awarded us everything we asked for monetarily. At our request, Andrew recommended and worked with a bankruptcy attorney to make sure any settlement agreement was iron clad and that we could actually collect the money. From start to finish, Andrew Zacks is the best real estate attorney in California.
Andrew and his firm are A+++, especially in Landlord/Tenant and Real Estate matters, due to rare combinations of outstanding talents and exceptionally innovative and hard, tireless work.
I am a practicing real estate attorney and have been for the past 40 years. I have worked with hundreds of attorneys, many as my counsel on investment matters and well as in my practice. I would rate Andrew among the very best with whom I've worked. He is knowledgeable, practical, has excellent business judgment, quickly and effectively assesses client needs and is a pleasure to work with. In addition to Landlord/Tenant matters, Andrew has provided invaluable counsel on a broad range of real property matters.