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New Matters
Dear Friend of the
Firm:
Our firm continues to be among a small number of law firms in the region
known for critical, high-quality expertise and proven skill in devising
innovative legal and business solutions. We appreciate your having chosen
us to be your legal counsel. We look forward to continuing to work with
you to demonstrate our capabilities in the ever-changing marketplace in
which we work.
Our firm’s ongoing practice demonstrates the wide range of legal
matters in which we are involved for a diverse group of individual, business,
and not-for-profit clients. Some of the recent matters and transactions
on which we have successfully worked include:
- Currently representing a national real estate company in numerous land acquisitions for major residential developments, including litigation, in Westchester, Rockland and Dutchess Counties.
- Obtained significant, controversial site plan, subdivision, variance and zoning amendment approvals and favorable court decisions for builders in Eastchester and Bronxville.
- Processing applications to redevelop an existing commercial site in New Rochelle with 152 luxury residential units and ground floor retail uses, as well as a 90-unit residential development and a waterfront luxury single-family home development along Long Island Sound.
- Avoided litigation and negotiated a last-minute settlement with a municipality that allowed a 200,000- square-foot retail space for national brand names to open on time.
- Victorious in a multi-million dollar property tax refund and tax exemption case in the State of New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, for a religious organization in Westchester County.
- Representing clients in estate planning and administration for estates ranging in size from $100,000 to $40,000,000.
- Negotiating an acquisition of several shopping malls in the Mid West for a regional development company.
- Gained environmental and land-use approvals for a major environmental cleanup company in Putnam County.
- Ongoing commercial leasing for several commercial multi-property landlords totaling 1 million square feet.
- Representing several religious and educational organizations in zoning and land use matters, including successfully asserting claims under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act as well as advancing the approval process for a new university in Westchester County.
- Advancing land use applications for a mixed use redevelopment project along the Hudson River in Dobbs Ferry that includes public waterfront improvements.
- Gained funding from Westchester County for public waterfront improvements related to a mixed-use project, as well as, a residential project along the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow.
- Successfully
representing a Westchester County homeowner’s association in the
New York State Appellate Division Court resulting in having the Business
Judgment Rule applied to the association in defense of an action brought
by dissident homeowners.
We are pleased to
tell you that we have taken the opportunity to embrace change as an opportunity
for growth in our firm. We are able to offer you expanded service capabilities
and provide more cost-effective resources, while continuing to offer personalized
services from our legal team. Some of the improvements we are making are:
- Our recent addition of two associates to our professional legal staff, one of whom supports our transactional practice and the other of whom supports our land-use and litigation practices.
- Our successful recruitment of two highly-ranked law school graduates who will join us in the Fall of this year to support our land-use and litigation practices.
- Our ongoing commitment to our professional, administrative, and paralegal staff, who continue to provide extensive support to our clients, support that has long distinguished us among the region’s largest law firms.
While we have been focusing on the improvements at our firm, we have not forgotten our tradition of commitment to the communities and professional associations we serve. Over the years, as you know, many of our colleagues have taken leadership roles in many civic and professional organizations, such as hospital boards, youth care centers, affordable housing entities, environmental and land trusts, municipal organizations, and County business foundations. This year is no different!
Here are a few examples:
- John Marwell is a Vice President of the New York State Bar Association and Past President of the Westchester County Bar Association.
- P. Daniel Hollis III, Chairperson for the Westchester County Bar Foundation’s Joseph F. Gagliardi Award and co-chair of the Westchester County Bar Association Judicial Screening Committee.
- Robert Davis, Board Member of Food-Patch; Member of the Westchester County Bar Association Grievance Committee.
- Catherine Andreycak, Board Member of the Pleasantville Fund for Learning.
- John Stedman,
Administrator, Board Member, Treasurer and Past President of the Westchester
Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators
As we approach the halfway point of this year, we enjoy a great deal of positive activity at our firm. This is possible because of your support and involvement, which we deeply appreciate. Please know that we are committed to ensuring that the hallmarks of this firm – a high-level of service and a deep understanding of the nuances of the regional marketplace – remain our top priority. We look forward to continuing to serve you and team with you.
