Super Lawyers Magazine Features Partner Erin K. Tenner – A Pioneer in Auto Dealer Buy/Sell Transactions

February 2025

With a longstanding legal career focused on the automotive industry, Partner Erin K. Tenner has built a reputation as the go-to advisor for auto dealership sales and acquisitions since 1986. Super Lawyers Magazine spoke with Erin to discuss how she got her start in the industry, how her practice has evolved through the years and her approach to get deals done.

Erin got into the auto arena by chance. After moving to California, she landed her first job with a firm in Century City that worked strictly with auto dealers, and she was thrown into the deep end quickly – and willingly.

“I was hired by an attorney who was also a CPA, a great mentor and person,” Erin said. “In my first week he had me talk to a client about a purchase agreement. I got direct client contact right away.”

She added: “It’s so much fun working with auto dealers. They are a very gregarious bunch for the most part, great characters.”

Erin shared a story about a client who was assigning his lease, but was reluctant to ask for too much. “I suggested to him that he should ask the factory, from whom he was leasing the property, for a novation” – an agreement that the seller would no longer be liable on the lease once it was assigned to someone else. Despite protests from the broker, Erin called the factory, had the novation in hand within an hour and closed escrow that day. That one decision saved the client millions.

“For some reason brokers and dealers think these transactions are very fragile and easily blow up. That has not been my experience,” she explained.

Read the full interview here.

Please Note: This article is necessarily general in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice with respect to any particular case. Readers should consult with an attorney before taking any action affecting their interests.