Three real estate partners at the Manhattan law firm of Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP have been named to lead important bar association groups in the real estate field for 2019-2020.
Sandra L. Jacobus has been elected as Co-President of the Real Estate Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats, a prestigious 91-year-old international association of attorneys with more than 5,000 members from more than 110 countries worldwide.
Ms. Jacobus is a partner in the Real Estate Transactions as well as the Cooperative and Condominiums Practice areas at Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer. She has vast experience in all aspects of cooperative and condominium law, including property acquisition, construction financing, and unit sales. She also provides ongoing legal support for cooperative and condominium boards in such matters as corporate governance, underlying mortgage financing, shareholder disputes, architectural agreements, construction contracts, and commercial leases. She represents foreign and domestic corporations, trusts, and individuals in the acquisition, sale, and financing of vacant land, commercial and mixed-use buildings, condominium and cooperative units, and luxury homes.
Margery N. Weinstein has been named Chairperson, and David S. Fitzhenry has been named Secretary, of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Cooperative and Condominium Law.
Ms. Weinstein is a summa cum laude graduate of Tufts University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a graduate of New York University School of Law. Prior to joining Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer, she was Counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, practicing in that firm’s real estate group for more than sixteen years. Ms. Weinstein’s practice concentrates on cooperative and condominium law and residential and commercial transactions, including townhouse and single-family-home conveyances, cooperative and condominium sales, financing, leasing, construction contracts, and bulk purchases. She has also represented owners in connection with the creation of “no-action” condominiums, and counsels cooperative and condominium boards in corporate governance and general matters. Ms. Weinstein has been recognized as one of New York’s Women Leaders in Law for 2017, 2018, and 2019, and has been recognized in New York’s Best Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America in the field of real estate law for the years 2019 and 2020. She has been listed as a Super Lawyer annually since 2012. Before becoming Chairperson of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Cooperative and Condominium Law, she served as chairperson of the subcommittee editing the form contract utilized statewide in cooperative apartment transfers.
Mr. Fitzhenry has extensive experience handling sophisticated New York City real estate transactions. He has been on all sides of the real estate deal table, representing lenders, developers, sponsors, purchasers, sellers, landlords, tenants, condominium associations, and cooperative apartment corporations. Private companies and commercial real estate owners regularly engage him to advise on new ventures, where he often acts as special counsel to major retailers, medical centers, and various nonprofit organizations pursuing conversions of existing properties to commercial condominiums, including the creation of complex leasehold condominium structures. He also counsels privately-held businesses on the bulk purchase of unsold cooperatives shares and unsold condominium units, as well as the subsequent required filings with the Department of Law.
These high-profile appointments of Ms. Jacobus, Ms. Weinstein, and Mr. Fitzhenry continue Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer’s longstanding commitment to bar leadership. Also within the firm’s Real Estate Department, name partner Matthew J. Leeds has held leadership positions within the New York State Bar Association, including as Chair of the Real Property Section and Co-Chair of that Section’s Cooperative and Cooperatives Committee, and teaches law students real estate law as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School.
ABOUT GANFER SHORE LEEDS & ZAUDERER LLP
Since 1979, Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer has been a significant force in business litigation and real estate law in New York City. With the skill and sophistication of a large law firm and the responsiveness and efficiency of a boutique firm, GSLZ approaches every matter, every case, every transaction with fresh eyes and an innovative mindset. By consistently delivering outstanding service and maintaining laser focus on their clients’ goals, GSLZ has earned the trust of Fortune 500 companies, major real estate investors, and other leading law firms.
