Lawyers thrive in expanding real estate market - Belkin Burden Wenig and Goldman L.L.P

When they founded their firm in 1989, the real estate market was flat. At the time, Sherwin Belkin, Joseph Burden, Howard Wenig and Jeffrey Goldman focused on representing clients in Housing Court and foreclosure actions.

Today, with the city's real estate market thriving, Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, with offices at 342 Madison Avenue, is thriving, too, branching out to represent clients in a variety of administrative proceedings, land-use matters and assemblages, and in varied real estate transactions, including office and retail leasing, conveyancing and development deals.

The firm has grown to include 21 attorneys, including 12 partners and nine associates, as well as two legal assistants and seven paralegals.

In 1999, the firm, which has become a major player in the real estate field in only 10 years, represents clients in the buying, selling and development of property, land-use proceedings before the city's Board of Standards and Appeals, applications for rent increases keyed to MCIs (Major Capital Improvements), and applications for J-51 benefits for the renovation of housing. The firm handles proceedings and litigation before city, state and federal agencies, as well as both state and federal litigation.

The major focuses of the law firm's activities in the five boroughs in recent years have been in Manhattan and the resurgent Bronx, according to Wenig.

"When we started out in 1989, the real estate market was in the doldrums," Wenig noted. "Today, with incredibly low interest rates available, a major part of our activity has shifted to development. With the current, low-interest environment, the time is extremely ripe for the development of real estate."

Wenig added, "We are proud of the role we played, in 1993, in supporting legislation that brought the first decontrols of rents in a quarter of a century."

The managing partner also noted, "The current, pro-business climate in our state and city emphasizes flexibility and fair-minded approach to real estate, something that had previously been lacking. That's one of the main reasons we are seeing more development of property. In terms of The Bronx, there are expanded opportunities for real estate because of the recent resurgence of a borough that had long been considered a place for developers to ignore."

"One of the main things we offer our clients is accessibility to top-level people in our firm," Wenig said. "Unlike some firms, we are not paralyzed by over-specialization; we don't treat everything as a widget."

"Some firms have lawyers who do only applications of different kinds and nothing else," Wenig said. "They have lawyers who only go to court. The client has to go to a variety of different lawyers in the firm just to get proper representation. We have lawyers who handle a broad spectrum in the real-estate practice of law."

Wenig added that the lawyers in his firm try assiduously to avoid having their egos get in the way of representing their clients. That is not always the case with other firms, he said.

"Our objective is to maximize profits for our clients," Wenig stressed. "If that means going to court, we go to court, but we only go to court to achieve something. Some people enjoy playing games with the legal process, but that's not our thing. We're not looking to show how smart we are; it serves no purpose for us to be perceived as a bull in a China shop. Frequently, it's better to have a fast settlement of a case, in which our clients get paid quickly, rather than a long, drawn-out legal proceeding. We never forget the fact that time is money for our clients."

Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman represent a broad spectrum of housing developments, management firms, businesses and non-profit institutions in their real estate dealings.

The firm's clients include: The Rent Stabilization Association (RSA), Waterside Plaza, the Milstein Organization, Columbia University, LaSalle Partners, M&R Management, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., New York University, Olmstead Properties, the Real Estate Board of New York, Peter Sharp & Co., The Trump Organization, Rose Associates, Bernstein Real Estate, Beth Israel Medical Center and the Chelsea Hotel.

Other clients include: Quik Park, H.J. Kalikow, the Jewish Theological Seminary, Long Island College Hospital, Emmes Asset Management Company LLC, H.J. Kalikow, Justin Management, the Macklowe Organization, Lehrer McGovern & Bovis, New York Life Insurance Co., Phillips International, Rockrose Development Corp., St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, The Apthorp, The Belnord, William Gottlieb and the Winter Organization.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Hagedorn Publication
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group