Dealmaking attorneys.
Vartanian & Keyes LLP is a California real estate law firm based in Los Angeles — counsel that has sat on every side of the closing table. We handle the purchase and disposition of every asset class, as attorneys who also broker, develop, manage, and own real estate.
The practice
Purchase & Disposition
The core of the practice — diligent dealmaking. We advise buyers and sellers on the acquisition and disposition of every asset class of real estate: residential, multifamily, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and land. From letter of intent through closing, including all-cash and fire-rebuild acquisitions, 1031 exchange coordination, and transfer-tax structuring.
Residential & Commercial Leasing
Leases negotiated and drafted on both sides of the table — from single-family and multifamily tenancies to institutional and credit tenants: new leases, renewals and amendments, pass-through structures, guaranties, and estoppels.
Development Advisory
Advising owners and investors through ground-up and value-add projects — entitlement and permitting, construction contracts, joint ventures, and project structuring from feasibility through delivery.
Real Estate Financing
Purchase-money, refinance, and construction loan documentation — term sheet review, guaranties, deeds of trust, and private lending arrangements.
Corporate Formation for Real Estate
Formation and structuring of LLCs, partnerships, and trusts to hold real property — operating agreements, holding structures, and liability planning around the asset.
Title Review
Preliminary reports, exceptions, and clearance strategy — easements, CC&Rs, liens, encroachments — including resolving disputed exceptions with title insurers mid-escrow to keep transactions on track.
Real Estate Litigation
Specific performance, breach of purchase agreements, title and easement disputes, partition actions, trust and estate property disputes, and construction and contractor disputes in courts across California.
Mediation & Arbitration
Dispute resolution under the C.A.R. and AIR CRE form agreements, from the contractual mediation prerequisite through binding arbitration.
Disclosure & Escrow Disputes
Non-disclosure and unpermitted-work claims, escrow and title company issues, and pre-litigation demand and settlement work that resolves disputes before they become lawsuits.
Brokerage & Agent Representation
Counsel to brokerages and licensees — broker liability claims and defense, commission and referral disputes, and DRE compliance, informed by running a brokerage ourselves.
Landlord–Tenant
Lease enforcement, notices, RSO and Just Cause compliance, owner move-in terminations, negotiated buyouts and relocation agreements, and surrender terms for residential and commercial owners.
HOA & Condominium
Governing document review, assessment and rules disputes, inter-unit damage claims, and owner representation before associations and their managers.
Insurance Recovery
Property damage and fire-loss claims — tenders, coverage positioning, and negotiation with carriers on behalf of owners.
The intersection
Everything touches real estate.
Families, businesses, estates, taxes, and lawsuits all run through property sooner or later — and when they do, the matter sits at the intersection of law, brokerage, valuation, and finance, where the costly mistakes happen in the seams between disciplines.
We practice at that intersection, wearing every hat the asset requires — broker, counsel, owner, landlord, developer — and knowing which one the moment calls for. Most real estate lawyers have never sold a house, managed a tenant, or carried a project through construction; we have, for seventeen years.
We work for people who treat property as a business — the investors, owners, and operators looking to maximize every stage of an asset's life, from acquisition through improvement, operation, and sale — because that's how we run our own.
The record
Through affiliated brokerage Keyes Real Estate — Pasadena to the Palisades™ — the firm's attorneys have brokered and closed sales, leases, and acquisitions across every asset class. Full brokerage record at keyesla.com.
The partners
The firm's two partners arrived at the same intersection from opposite directions — one from the deal, one from the courtroom. Brad Keyes has been a broker for seventeen years and an attorney for sixteen; Narine Vartanian, an attorney for sixteen and a licensed agent for six. Between them, every hat the asset requires.
Brad Keyes
Managing Partner · Attorney & BrokerBrad Keyes practices exclusively in real estate — transactions, leasing, development, financing, and the litigation and disputes that follow real property. A licensed California real estate broker for 17 years (DRE #01857106) and a member of the California State Bar for 16 (No. 271896), he brings more than $1.5 billion in transactional advisory experience across every asset class.
A Westwood native, Brad represents developers, investors, syndicators, and individual owners in acquisitions, leasing, financing, foreclosures, and disputes. Alongside his law practice, he is the broker of Keyes Real Estate, with a deep focus on Eagle Rock and Northeast LA — where he lives, owns and manages commercial property, and brings that on-the-ground fluency to every matter the firm takes on.
Away from the office, Brad trains in boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and spends his time with his wife Annie, their three sons, and two rescue German Shepherds — at home in Eagle Rock or on the road in the family Airstream.
brad@vartaniankeyes.com · d: 310.367.3372 · o: 323.561.3092
Narine Vartanian
Partner · Attorney · Director of ComplianceNarine Vartanian has been a member of the California State Bar for 16 years (No. 271797) and a licensed California real estate agent for 6 (DRE #02136307), practicing with affiliated brokerage Keyes Real Estate. Before founding Vartanian & Keyes LLP, she spent a decade in civil litigation — personal injury, probate, and family law — handling matters from intake through court proceedings, including hearings on dispositive motions.
At the firm, Narine guides clients through both real estate transactions and disputes with precision and advocacy, and represents buyers and sellers of residential and commercial property. She also serves as Director of Compliance for the affiliated brokerage, ensuring every transaction meets Department of Real Estate regulations and the firm's own standards.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Narine is a graduate of UCLA and Loyola Law School, and is fluent in Armenian.
narine@vartaniankeyes.com · d: 818.489.2844 · o: 323.561.3092
Start with a conversation
We practice across California, with most of our work in Los Angeles. Whether you're facing a dispute, planning a transaction, or protecting family property, the first step is a direct conversation about your situation and your options. Call or email — we respond quickly.
- Brad Keyesbrad@vartaniankeyes.com · 310.367.3372
- Narine Vartaniannarine@vartaniankeyes.com · 818.489.2844
- Office323.561.3092
- Eagle Rock Office1412 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041
- Pacific Palisades Office15113 W. Sunset Blvd., Ste. 3, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272