The Top Lawyers in New York Commercial Real Estate Right Now

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Martin Miner

Holland Knight

If you have a hotel to sell, or some money to invest in the hospitality industry, say, Holland Knight might be a nice fit.

The firm has worked with Marriott, Starwood and BD Hotels, as well as on the sales of boutique hotels. They have also repped big clients in commercial leases, construction and development, including the Empire State Development Corporation, Clarion Partners and Jetblue (in its recent office move to Long Island City).

Martin Miner, head of the real estate practice, has over 30 years of experience in the field. Asked what he offers clients nowadays, he answered without hesitation: “Great personalities.” And The Commercial Observer can attest to Mr. Miner’s charm. In a world of cold, calculated financial maneuvers, a warm personality goes a long way.

Mr. Miner has in the past lent his charm to a class on real estate transactions at Columbia’s business school. “I try to tell them that the market doesn’t always go up,” he said of his students. “I try to tell them that in today’s real estate world, corporate law and real estate law are very close. You need to have both to be accomplished today.”

 

Ron Sernau and David Weinberger

Proskauer Rose

This real estate duo pride themselves on teamwork and on the individual expertise each brings to the table. Sound cliché? So be it, according to David Weinberger. With him on the lender’s side and Ron Sernau on the borrower’s, their firm has worked on some massive deals in the last year—repping Vornado (a frequent client) at 1 Park Avenue; CBRE Investors in its purchase of 1540 Broadway; Harbor Group at 4 New York Plaza; and their own firm in their recent move to 11 Times Square, where Mr. Sernau analogizes his firm to “the shoemaker’s children, with holes in their shoes.”

With expertise on both sides of a transaction, Mr. Sernau sees Proskauer attorneys as “a part of the brokerage process,” not simply as legal advisers. That involves risk, of course, but risk is part of the inherent beauty of real estate for Mr. Sernau. For example, Proskauer recently represented Harry Macklowe in his return to the real estate stage: the purchase of 150 East 72nd street, which closed in June. “He has the chutzpah to put down his money when the rest of us are running away,” Mr. Sernau said.

What sets Proskauer apart in Mr. Weinberger’s view is how business is never proprietary at his firm. Regardless of who brings in business—he or she, and yes, approximately half Proskauer’s partners are women!—the person with the best qualifications works on a deal. “We get the best talent for the task,” Mr. Weinberger said.

 

Kenneth Fisher

Cozen O’Connor

When it comes to experience navigating the myriad interconnections that run this town, it’s hard to beat 10 years on the City Council. One meets the right people and gets to know how things really work. Kenneth Fisher of Cozen O’Connor, who specializes in real estate development, zoning and land-use matters, brings just that political capital to the table.

He is the man to call when dealing with any of the many labyrinthine city commissions, panels and approval processes that are part of every bigger Gotham real estate deal, even, somehow, the as-of-right ones.

No stranger to controversy, as he has represented clients like landlord the Pinnacle Group, The Real Deal once called Mr. Fisher “the go-to-guy for real estate clients embroiled in contentious projects.”

Mr. Fisher, who has analogized real estate in New York City to oil in Saudi Arabia, has retained his focus on public real estate policy since his move back to private practice. He is a founding chair of the board of directors of the Governors Island Alliance, a nonprofit redeveloping that public space, on whose board he continues to serve, and represents a number of nonprofits in their legal negotiations.

gvoien@observer.com

 

The Top Lawyers in New York Commercial Real Estate Right Now