ATTORNEYS
Shawn Dhillon, Esq.
Shawn Dhillon is an experienced real estate and business law attorney and founder of Real Estate Law Corporation™. Shawn specializes in real estate law, business law, and litigation.
He has drafted and negotiated over $500 million in commercial real estate transactions all over California. His work includes complex real estate purchase and sale transactions, new developments, ground leases, and commercial leases with local, regional, and national companies, including several Fortune 500 Companies. Shawn regularly counsels owners of retail shopping centers, shopping malls, office buildings, industrial buildings, apartment complexes, self-storage facilities, hotels, gasoline service stations, as well as real estate developers, property management companies, general contractors, sub-contractors, brokers, and tenants. Shawn also has extensive civil litigation experience, from case inception through jury trials, and has recovered millions of dollars for his clients.
Prior to founding Real Estate Law Corporation™, Shawn worked at litigation law firms, served as in-house counsel for a large construction and development company and was also in-house counsel for a large fully-integrated commercial real estate company with $1 billion in real estate assets and over 1,400 commercial tenants.
Shawn is also an experienced commercial real estate broker and has negotiated and brokered several million dollars in commercial transactions on behalf of his clients. Shawn utilizes his unique experience to provide his clients with candid and thorough advice in every situation. In 2018, Shawn received the Sacramento Business Journal “40 Under 40” Award for his professional and civic accomplishments. He is also the Chair of the California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law section for 2022 – 2023, and served as the Vice Chair for 2021 – 2022.

EDUCATION
J.D., Western State College of Law, 2013
Magna Cum Laude
Editor-in-Chief of Law Review
Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in Contracts
B.S., California State University, Sacramento, 2008
Major: Business Administration, Finance concentration
Cum Laude
BAR ADMISSIONS
State Bar of California, 2013
COURT ADMISSIONS
- All District Courts in California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
LICENSES
California Real Estate Broker, 2007
AFFILIATIONS & AWARDS
- Chair, California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law section , 2022 – 2023.
- Vice Chair, California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law section , 2021 – 2022.
- Top 40 Under 40 Award, Sacramento Business Journal, 2018.
- Chair and Editor of e-News, California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law section , 2020 – 2021.
- Member, Real Property Law, Real Estate Transactions and Land Use Committee, 2019 – 2020.
- Executive Board Member, California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law section , 2019 – present.
- Awarded 2022 Super Lawyers Rising Stars
ArticleS and Presentations
Relevant Experience
Purchase and Sale
- Represented real estate investor in the acquisition of a Class A office building for over $16 million from the affiliate of publicly traded real estate investment company.
- Represented real estate company in the acquisition of a regional shopping mall for over $34 million.
- Represented investor in acquisition of a hotel property for over $8 million.
- Represented property owner in negotiations for the sale of land and property to Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
- Represented seller in the sale of several 7-Eleven Franchises.
- Represented real estate investor in the acquisition of a retail shopping center for over $3.7 million.
- Represented real estate investor in the disposition of a retail shopping center for over $12 million.
- Represented real estate investor in the acquisition of a grocery anchored retail shopping center for over $13 million and assumption of a commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) loan.
- Represented client in the disposition of several gas station businesses.
- Represented a retail tenant in the exercise of an option to purchase the commercial real property from the landlord.
- Represented landowner in the disposition of residential home lots to a national homebuilder for several million dollars.
- Represented partnership in acquisition of industrial complex for over $6 million through a 1031 exchange.
- Represented real estate investor in the acquisition of a portfolio of office properties for over $8 million.
- Represented real estate investor in the disposition of an industrial building for over $3.7 million.
- Represented client in the disposition of an auto repair and oil change franchise.
- Represented client in the acquisition of a gasoline station property and retail strip center in a multi-million dollar purchase.
Commercial Leasing
- Represented landlord in lease negotiations and drafting of a triple net lease with a Fortune 500 healthcare company.
- Represented shopping mall owner in negotiations and drafting of leases with a multi-national clothing retailer and a national home furnishing store.
- Represented office building owner in successful negotiations with a Fortune 500 mobile telecommunications company for a long-term cell tower license agreement.
- Represented local retail tenant in lease negotiations for restaurant space in a retail strip center.
- Represented landowner in negotiations and drafting of a lease for a battery storage facility.
- Represented commercial landlord in lease transactions with national companies, including Ross Dress for Less Stores, Marshalls, Carvana, and Planet Fitness.
- Represented landlord in drafting and negotiating a lease transaction with a residential brokerage company.
- Represented landlord in a lease transaction with a fitness gym for over 40,000 square feet of space.
- Represented medical company in lease negotiations for a medical lease.
- Represented landlord in a lease transaction with a national auto repair and oil change franchise.
Real Estate Development
- Represented real estate developer in contract negotiations for an industrial development project.
- Represented real estate developer in negotiating and structuring a joint venture to develop a self-storage facility.
- Represented residential lot owner in contract negotiations to build a custom home.
- Represented landowners in various easement and access issues with adjacent landowners.
Landlord-Tenant
- Represented a retail property landlord in breach of contract action against a tenant. Quickly obtained a prejudgment attachment order for all past due and future rent obligations and eventually recovered over $400,000.00 for the landlord.
- Represented a retail property landlord in breach of contract action against a retail tenant and the former tenant under the same lease, resulting in recovery of $75,000.00 for the landlord.
- Represented industrial building owners in an unlawful detainer action against a tenant and swiftly obtained full possession of the leased premises.
- Represented office building owners and successfully obtained a lump sum payment of over $28,000.00 from a defaulting tenant, with a demand letter and no court filings.
- Represented the shopping mall landlord in breach of contract action against a defaulting tenant, and recovered $45,000.00 for the landlord.
Litigation
- Represented lender in non-judicial foreclosure on 40 acres of land.
- Obtained pre-litigation settlement of over $140,000 for client in a breach of contract dispute.
- Represented real estate investor in action for specific performance of a real estate purchase agreement and swiftly obtained favorable settlement for client.
- Represented homeowner in a failure to disclose dispute and successfully obtained a court judgment in excess of $130,000.00.
- Represented homeowner in a failure to disclose dispute and successfully obtained a settlement at mediation in excess of $40,000.00.
- Successfully represented a real estate company in a contamination dispute against a dry cleaner tenant.
- Successfully represented ranch owner in a wrongful foreclosure action against the 4th largest bank in the United States. The case was satisfactorily resolved during the second week of a jury trial in which Shawn served as second chair trial counsel. The client kept the ranch and also obtained a lump sum payment from the defendant.
- Successfully challenged a national insurance company’s denial of life insurance proceeds, and obtained the full value of the disputed insurance coverage for the life insurance policy beneficiary, totaling nearly $400,000.00. se