Gary Ogden

Gary Ogden is of counsel in the Business Services practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK). He has more than 35 years of comprehensive legal advisory and transactional experience in all aspects of buying, selling, developing, leasing and financing both large and small commercial properties. 

Gary has served as real estate counsel for Federated Department Stores, Inc. (now Macy’s, Inc.), Frey Wille jewelers, Leonidas Chocolatiers, CSK Auto, Mattress Gallery, Rydell Automotive dealership group, and various other shopping center developers, retail tenants and office building owners in the development, leasing, purchase/sale and financing of commercial properties throughout the United States.  

Prior to joining BBK, Gary was a partner at a prominent law firm in Los Angeles specializing in transactional commercial real estate with a focus on office and retail leasing, acquisitions and dispositions. He also led his own practice in Santa Monica, representing a range of clients including shopping center and office building owners, developers, national and regional retailers and others. 

After law school, Gary represented clients such as Ralphs Grocery Company and JMB/Urban Development (a national developer of regional shopping centers). He later became the in-house real estate counsel to the Broadway Stores, Inc., where he was responsible for drafting and negotiating regional shopping center development agreements, purchase and sale agreements, leases, reciprocal easement agreements (REAs), license agreements, finance documents and architectural/construction contracts.

Active in the community, Gary regularly chairs and lectures in a number of professional continuing education programs on various aspects of real estate development, leasing and management. He plays the piano, is an avid Poker player and has four adopted stray cats as a result of his wife’s passion for animal rescues and rights.