Scott A. Preston, Managing Partner

Direct: (310) 464-0355
Mobile: (310) 890-8727
Fax: (310) 943-1701

scott@prestonarza.com

Scott concentrates his practice in the areas of domestic and international real estate development, finance and investment transactions. He has an extensive background in the areas of international hotel and resort development and financing, international corporate and tax structuring, property acquisitions and sales, land use and the development regulatory process, construction, leasing, foreign investment, and commercial real estate financing.

He serves as a Board of Trustees Member of the American Resort Development Association and as a member of the Legislative Council of the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe. He is a member of the U.S.-Mexico Bar Association (Barra de Abogados MŽxico-Estados Unidos), the Asociaci—n Mexicana de Desarrolladores Tur’sticos (Mexican Tourism Development Association), the South Pacific Tourism Organisation, and the Canadian Resort Development Association. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the International Hotel Investment Forum and is on the Program Steering Committees of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference and The Americas Lodging Investment Summit. He has served as the secretary and treasurer and assistant treasurer of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, California-Pacific Chapter. He is also a member of the California Bar Association (Sections on Real Estate, Corporate and International Law) and Los Angeles County Bar Association (Sections on Real Estate, Business and International Law). He serves on the Board of Directors of The Trevor Project and volunteers for the HIV and AIDS Legal Services Alliance in Los Angeles.

Scott is a graduate of Universidad de Guanajuato foreign exchange program, Mexico (1990), the University of Michigan (A.B., summa cum laude, 1992) and Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1995), where he was articles editor and associate editor for the Harvard International Law Review as well as articles editor and supervising editor for the Harvard Latino Law Review. He was also an intern/law clerk in the Overseas Placement Program, Mexico City, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain.

Prior to forming Preston Arza LLP in the fall of 2009, Scott was a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in Los Angeles, California, and previously had been a partner at Baker Hostetler LLP in Los Angeles, California, and a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP in Santa Monica, California.

Education

Harvard Law School, J.D. (cum laude), 1995

University of Michigan, A.B. (summa cum laude) in Economics and in Spanish Language and Literature, 1992

Admitted To Practice

California 1995

U.S. District Court, Central District of California 1995

Recent Speaking Engagements

“Mexico – Opportunities, Challenges, and Overview – After a String of Bad PR, How is Mexico Bouncing Back? Financing, ¿Dónde está el dinero?,” The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, San Diego, California, January 2010

“Mexico Resort & Second Home Markets: Current Development, Investment & Financing Trends – Where the Money is Going Now,” Latin American Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing Forum, Hollywood, Florida, May 2009

“Investing in the Brazilian Resort, Second Home and Vacation ‘Hot Spot’ Markets: Critical Success Factors for Today,” Latin American Real Estate Opportunity & Private Fund Investing Forum, Hollywood, Florida, April 2009

“The Residential and Vacation Ownership Sector of Resort Development,” Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, Southampton, Bermuda, April 2009

“International Mixed-Use Projects: What We Can Learn From Our Brethren Across The Pond,” American Resort Development Association Annual Convention, Orlando, Florida, March 2009

“How to Package and Finance Your Project In Today’s Tighter Capital Markets,” Central America Tourism and Hotel Investment Exchange, Managua, Nicaragua, March 2009

“Central America: El nuevo mercado más atractivo de las Américas,” The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, San Diego, California, January 2009

“The Legal Eagles,” Canadian Resort Development Association Annual Conference, Victoria, British Columbia, October 2008

“The Hotel Lenders Leaders Forum” (moderator), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, May 2008

“The Capital Markets – Debt” (moderator), Central America Tourism and Hotel Investment Exchange, Guatemala City, Guatemala, April 2008

“Loan Servicing Outside the United States,” American Resort Development Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2008

“Ventas y mercadeo en Estados Unidos de Productos Inmobiliarios Mexicanos — Retos e Impacto Reglamentario” (“Sales and Marketing of Mexican Real Estate Products in the U.S.  Challenges and Regulatory Impact”), Conferencias Intereconomía, Inversión Inmobiliaria en México, Madrid, Spain, February 2008

“Next Generation Mexico – The Baby Boomers Are Coming! Are Mexico’s Mixed-Use Developments Ready to Receive the Influx of Baby Boomers?” (moderator), Bolsa Mexicana de Inversión Inmobiliaria y Turística, México City, Mexico, November 2007

“How to Develop a Hotel/Resort: A Primer for Central America,” presented by the Foreign Investment Advisory Service, a multidonor service of the World Bank Group, Guatemala City, June 2007

“Development Track Workshop: How Do You Structure The Private Residence/Destination Club Deal?” Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, Willemstad, Curaçao, May 2007

“Arizona Foreign Real Estate Sales Registration Requirements: The Public Report Process,” Ventana de México: Baja and Sea of Cortés Meeting Point, Tucson, Arizona, May 2007

“Opportunities in Central America and the Caribbean,” and speaker at the Hospitality Student Educational Session, The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, Los Angeles, California, January 2007

Moderator: “Making Resort ROIs Work with Property and Timeshare Sales,” Hotel Investment Conference Asia-Pacific, Hong Kong, October 2006

“From the Ground Up—A Vacation Ownership Project Case Study,” Vacation Ownership Investment Conference, Orlando, Florida, October 2006

“Timeshare and Fractional Deals,” Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, Southampton, Bermuda, April 2006.