MICHAEL R. NEWHOUSE, ESQ.

Partner

Mike Newhouse is in his third decade of practice and is a “Super Lawyer” as voted by his peers and Los Angeles Magazine. Mike's broad based practice includes counseling and representing large businesses, small businesses and individuals. Such clients include members of the real estate industry, hospitality and food service industries, the apparel industry, technology companies, insurers, licensors, financial institutions, accredited investors, multi-media and post production companies, interior designers, musicians and entertainers, and jewelry industry clients.

A significant part of Mike's practice is real estate related, and focuses on representing developers, landlords, tenants, property managers and financial institutions in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate litigation and transactions. Transactions and litigation involve shopping centers, office and industrial buildings, residential subdivisions, residential and commercial condominiums, hotels, and golf courses.

Mike also dedicates a significant part of his practice to intellectual property establishment and disputes, government and regulatory matters, as well as investor class actions and related complex litigation.

Representing this diverse group of clients includes extensive experience with partnership disputes, breaches of contract and related litigation, licensing agreements, entity formation, contract formation and negotiation, loan structuring, commercial and residential loan default workouts, construction defect litigation, receiverships, and negotiating and structuring real property leases, acquisitions, sales, financing, and development. Mike also has extensive appellate advocacy experience, including a published decision in the case of Watts v. Farmers Ins. Exchange (2002) 98 Cal.App.4th 1246.

Mike is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California (B.A. 1996) and the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (J.D. 2000). He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at USC’s Gould School of Law.

In addition to California state courts, Mike is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California. 

Mike is also an active member of his community. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Mike to the City’s West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission where he served as Commission President from 2017-2022. In 2024, Mayor Karen Bass appointed Mike to the City’s Citywide Planning Commission. Mike is also a longtime member of the Board of Directors of Venice Arts, President Emeritus of the Venice Neighborhood Council Co-Founder of the Venice Art Crawl, and a founder and former Chair of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), a coalition of all 13 Los Angeles Neighborhood and Community Councils on the Westside of Los Angeles.

Mike lives in Venice with his wife Ruthie, sons Holden and Dylan, and dogs Marley and Snoopy. He is an active traveler, athlete, outdoor enthusiast and musician, who plays Bass and Guitar for The Potential Suitors, a Los Angeles based Blues Country-Punk band www.potentialsuitorsband.com

Articles:

Important New Labor & Employment Updates Summer 2016

Recognizing and Preserving Native American Treaty Usufructs In The Supreme Court: The Mille Lacs Case. PublicLands & Resources Law Review Westlaw Citation 21 PUBLRLR 169

Slamming the Door on Legal Malpractice In Criminal Matters, Los Angeles Lawyer, with Jonathan B. Cole and David B. Owen, Vol. 24, No. 11, February 2002.

Beyond Specific Performance: Recovering Damages Through Escrow: Development Magazine, Summer 2015

Splitting Fees: It's Agent Vs. Agent When it Comes to Commission Disputes: Commercial Investment Real Estate, September/October 2015

A Wake Up Call To Franchisors: The Big Mac Attack: Buchalter Nemer Hospitality, Food and Beverage Industry Newsletter