Policymakers, legal experts and investors explore real estate’s changing legal and economic framework at the 2025 Real Estate Law and Business Forum
The USC Gould School of Law 2025 Real Estate Law and Business Forum recently brought together hundreds of real estate professionals for a day of thought-provoking discussions featuring leading industry experts. Among the distinguished speakers was luncheon keynote presenter Elisabeth Freinberg, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel of LA28, who addressed the intersection of real estate, infrastructure and the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The one-day continuing legal education event took place on February 27 at the Jonathan Club in Downtown Los Angeles. The Forum is co-chaired by Susan Booth, Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, and USC Alumnus Glenn Sonnenberg (BA 1977, JD 1980), President of Latitude Real Estate Holdings.
In her luncheon keynote, Freinberg provided an insider’s perspective on the preparations for the 2028 Olympics, emphasizing the significance of long-term planning, public-private partnerships and sustainability in large-scale urban development projects.
“We are going to be the first no-build Olympics, which means no permanent infrastructure is going to be built for the games,” Freinberg said. “We are going to make the games fit the city. We are going to leverage existing venues. We are going to be working with our municipal partners, with the city of Los Angeles and with the venue owners to broker deals.”
The Forum opened with a comprehensive analysis of the current real estate economy, exploring the increasing influence of macroeconomic forces, shifting demographics and climatological change on the Southern California market. Panelists discussed how geopolitical factors and recent wildfires have shaped development trends and investment strategies in the region.
In “How Macro Events Are Influencing the Southern California Market,” Dr. Christopher Thornberg, Founding Partner at Beacon Economics, and Richard K. Green, Director and Lusk Chair in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, examined the complex interplay between inflation, state policies and evolving consumer demands.
“If we can learn how to rebuild rapidly, perhaps we can learn how to build more rapidly,” Thornberg said. “Ultimately, the long-run lesson is that to rebuild resiliently in the face of these kinds of threats, you need two things: you need to be able to rebuild rapidly, which is a function of permitting, and people need to be properly insured.”
Throughout the day, experts led discussions on a variety of pressing topics, including the legal and financial implications of rebuilding in the wake of natural disasters, new strategies for land use regulation and the role of artificial intelligence in the real estate sector.
“Quick Hits 2025: Roundtable Discussion – Current Issues Facing Real Estate Investors, Developers, and Practitioners,” provided an overview of pressing industry challenges, from property valuations and insurance concerns to the latest implications of the Corporate Transparency Act. Panelists shared practical insights on navigating the unpredictable market and reassessing the role of insurers.
“The California homeowners market is the largest in the United States. More premiums are in here than any other state,” said Andrew Whitman, Senior Director at FTI Consulting. “For the last five-plus years, those insurers have spent $1.09 for every dollar in premium they’ve taken in — that’s not sustainable and it’s not going to work long term.”
Concurrent breakout sessions provided in-depth analysis on niche topics, such as equity workouts in real estate partnerships, the future of last-mile industrial development and emerging trends in EV charging infrastructure.
Founded in 2003, the Real Estate Law and Business Forum is widely recognized as Southern California’s premier gathering for real estate professionals, offering a dynamic platform to engage with the latest industry developments and connect with leading experts.
USC Gould School of Law offers continuing legal education opportunities for professionals who want to learn and network with leading experts in their industries. A fixture of the Los Angeles legal community since 1948, USC Gould Continuing Legal Education hosts six annual conferences for professionals at every level to learn from, and network with, the biggest players in entertainment, estate planning, business, tax and intellectual property. To learn more, visit or subscribe at gould.usc.edu/cle – and follow on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Previous Article
