I am now recognized throughout the firm as a resource on a wide variety of issues and am frequently called upon to provide guidance and input on unusual problems or particularly complex transactions. I also serve as the head of the Real Estate Department’s New York Opinion Committee, regularly present CLE programs and serve as a mentor for many associates. One aspect of my practice that differentiates me from many of my peers is how I integrate the experience of lawyers with expertise in other subject matter disciplines. I routinely consult with my partners from the Tax, Securities, Intellectual Property, Corporate, Bankruptcy and Litigation departments and the many subspecialties within these disciplines. To successfully represent a client in many transactions requires input from many or all of these areas and one of the most rewarding parts of my job is to secure the input from these various specialists and synthesize them into a cohesive and practical approach that achieves our client’s goals. Similarly, I enjoy being the real estate consultant on matters led by other groups in the firm. In one recent example, I worked with a team of litigators in representing a syndicate of foreign lenders attempting to work-out a 9-figure loan secured by a ground lease on a newly constructed mixed-use project in Times Square during the heart of the pandemic. When it became apparent that a workout was not possible, I continued to guide the client and the litigation team in developing a strategic plan for the asset, interpreting, and enforcing complex co-lender and intercreditor arrangements and preparing the lender group to take title to the property as an REO. I am presently working with the client to reposition the property and otherwise enhancing its performance, improving the prospects for a profitable sale.

I can trace the development of my career with the growth of my current firm. When I joined the firm, we employed under 200 lawyers and were a Florida based firm that was first considering expanding to New York and other East Coast business centers, where it had neither presence nor reputation. At the time, I was one of two associates in the New York Real Estate Department, neither with much experience, and by necessity became a generalist working independently to take lead roles on whatever work the department was able to generate from whatever clients we could attract. It was during this period that I established, grew and supervised a commercial real estate finance group that, starting from scratch, ultimately closed hundreds of millions in complex loans each year. From these humble beginnings, the firm has grown to over 40 offices, over 300 real estate attorneys and in excess of 3000 attorneys worldwide. The New York Real Estate Department now boasts over 70 attorneys and is regularly recognized as the Real Estate Law Firm of the Year by Chambers and many other organizations and regularly works on the most prominent and complex transactions both in New York and worldwide. I am immensely proud of having been a part of this growth and can track my growth as a lawyer with the growth of the firm.

On my first day as a practicing attorney, a senior partner left a note on my desk explaining that “there are two types of attorneys in the world, those who create problems and those who solve problems” and asking that I decide which type of attorney I would be. I have often thought of this note throughout my career and never forget that I am an attorney who solves problems. When I began working as an attorney, the real estate industry was recovering from the Savings & Loan Crisis, and I represented clients purchasing portfolios from the Resolution Trust Corporation. While I did not appreciate it at the time, these transactions resulted in investors who were willing to take measured, analytical, and thoughtful risks during a down cycle, ultimately earning billions of dollars, while other organizations who were, or had been, reckless in taking risks or did not understand the cyclical and changing nature of the real estate industry, lost fortunes. Having now lived through a half dozen or more cycles and at least three “once in a lifetime” events, I now appreciate that these cycles, while not predictable, must be expected and embraced for the opportunities they present.The end of the Savings and Loan Crisis marked the end of the days where most real estate deals involved a small group of investors working with largely unsophisticated regional banks primarily on a relationship basis. Instead, investment banks and private equity funds, among others, completely changed the landscape of real estate investment by applying constantly evolving sophisticated Wall Street financing techniques and more analytical underwriting.I was very fortunate to have a front row seat in this transition as I was involved in closing some of the loans included in the first phase of securitized commercial mortgage backed securities and have continually participated in various capacities as the industry continues to evolve.