Real Estate Sales

RICHARD J. SOBELSOHN, Esq., LEED AP, GGP

*** **** **** ******, **, NY 10025 / 212-***-****; *****************@*****.***

PROFILE

Entrepreneurial, results-oriented transactional attorney with significant experience both in-house and in business roles in the real estate development/green real estate practice areas

Expertise (i) analyzing, structuring, negotiating and closing sophisticated commercial real estate and other financing transactions; (ii) restructuring debt for high-profile real estate businesses; and (iii) facilitating and promoting strategic alliances

Strategic and analytical business facilitator focused on the overall picture to achieve desired objectives and skilled at formulating risk management strategies to promote corporate growth and profitability

Results oriented motivational manager of immediate reports and greater company team, outside contractors, legal editors, outside expert authors

Expertise in real estate brokerage laws with significant prior NYS, NJ, CT Real Estate school training experience

Practitioner, employing skills from practice to develop a tool for today’s transactional attorneys, including: author solicitation, orchestrating the editorial process with outside expert authors, legal editors and generally editing and drafting content not otherwise supplied

LEED Accredited Professional, United States Green Building Council

Green Globes Professional, Green Building Initiative

Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers

Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School, New York Law School, Fordham University School of Law

LAW FIRMS

MOSES & SINGER LLP, NY, NY, Real Estate Associate, LEED AP August 2007- May 2012

KAYE SCHOLER LLP, NY, NY, Real Estate Associate June 2006 - August 2007

STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP, NY, NY, Real Estate Associate December 2004 - June 2006

Sustainability:

Provide advice and counsel to major international financial institutions on sustainable development, leasing and related green-building issues. Negotiate, draft and close green leases, alternative energy retrofit contracts and other sustainability vendor agreements. Review and counsel clients on sustainable and renewable energy device legislation. Negotiate and draft sustainable provisions to construction, architect and engineer agreements and other AIA related documents.

Sales/Acquisitions & Commercial Leasing:

Represent public and private companies in negotiating and drafting numerous commercial and retail leases (both as landlord and tenant) and in lease renewals, extensions, subleases, surrenders and terminations. Manage and close individual properties and portfolio transactions. Partner with senior executive management on acquisitions and site development. Draft letters of intent, draft and negotiate a wide variety of contracts for the purchase, sale and development of commercial and multi-family properties. Draft and negotiate ancillary documentation and side agreements. Responsible for analyzing and reporting on due diligence pertaining to lease, financial, title, survey, UCC, engineering and environmental aspects of the foregoing. Oversee and supervise junior associates in all of the above.

Condominium/Cooperatives:

Represent cooperative and condominium boards and individual shareholders/unit owners. Review multi-building cooperative conversion offering plan for Investor of Unsold Shares. Draft modifications to cooperative offering plans and amendments to Offering Plans.

Commercial Financing:

Represent lenders and borrowers in numerous transactions. Negotiate and draft all operative agreements and underlying documents such as term sheets, SNDAs, opinion letters and estoppel certificates. Prepare borrower certificates and ancillary documents. Supervise junior associates and deal teams in all of the above.

Business Development and Client Relationships:

Build profile as an expert in sustainable building law matters. Develop productive relationships with business leaders, organizations and local government, with some of those relationships leading to new business generation. Formulate practice group strategy, draft and produce proposals, presentations and responses to RFP's and other marketing materials. Participate in pitch presentations. Initiate and organize continuing education programs on behalf of firm and practice group.

IN-HOUSE

OXFORD CAPITAL LLC, NY, NY, General Counsel March 2001 – December 2004

Support a broad range of real estate transactions for developer of residential and commercial properties in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida. Responsible for all phases of due diligence including review of UCC, title, survey, lease, financing, engineering, environmental and other matters relating to acquisitions. Negotiate and close numerous acquisitions, sales, purchase and sale agreements, lease transactions (on behalf of landlord and tenant) and joint-venture agreements. Guide legal strategies and prepare and negotiate underlying documentation for fifteen-year master leases with ExecuStay by Marriott. Draft, negotiate and close lease termination agreements, lease renewals and extensions. Negotiate with adjusters and insurers for multi-million dollar World Trade Center disaster claims and with franchisors on franchise agreements.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

LEXISNEXIS – LEXIS PRACTICE ADVISOR, NY, NY, Product Manager & Law School Liaison January 2016 – Present

Assist creation of new product through author recruitment and real estate document content drafting and editing. Research new products to create through market research, analysis of existing products and possible contributors, creating budgets, make personnel hiring recommendations and suggest alignment of existing personnel. Investigate potential authors and begin recruiting process. Use existing internal and external contacts for the above. Continue to support existing team members in content development and production and continuation of existing licenses. Focus on customer needs to improve products so that they exceed customer expectations and increase NPS scores. Continuing involvement and encouragement of other content teams to support sales and marketing to increase POS and revenue. Recommend new and unique content not found in the competitor’s product in order to maintain key differentiators for our products.

LEXISNEXIS – LEXIS PRACTICE ADVISOR, NY, NY, Group Director February 2014 – December 2016

Manage four high-value financial practice areas module teams including directors, managers, senior legal specialists, legal specialists, outside expert authors, legal editors, contractors and other cross-module team members. Continue to encourage content personnel to engage with sales and marketing teams to increase POS and revenue. Support continuing legal education offerings by directing reports to create and present live and taped programs and to present my own programs for inclusion in the company’s offerings. Continue to promote law school preference by both students and professors through presentations at numerous law schools, education and other conferences. Manage real estate, mergers & acquisitions, securities & capital markets and banking and finance module content team members in their own content creation and the production process including advising them on negotiating for resources, meeting deadlines, keeping within budgets, staying up to date on latest issues, making project trade-off decisions that are important for the entire business unit, encouraging consistency across the modules and content sharing, creating, extending, updating and enhancing content to exceed customer expectations and acting as a support in their succeeding in this endeavor. Encouraging team members to network, publish articles, join lawyer organizations, participate in continuing legal education presentations and other successful methods. Maintain constant evaluation and re-evaluation of product to ensure high NPS scores and to suggest broader initiatives for customer engagement.

LEXISNEXIS – LEXIS PRACTICE ADVISOR, NY, NY, Director May 2012 – February 2014

Using recent practice experience, manage team including a manager, outside expert authors, legal editors, contractors and other cross-module team members to build most profitable practice-specific module. Motivate all stakeholders in the editorial content creation and production process and those involved in continuing legal education creation (for live presentations and webinars), law school adoption promotion, participate in product demonstrations at customer sites, sales, marketing and public relations. Support non-real estate module content team members in their own content creation and production process including advising them on negotiating resources, meeting deadlines, keeping within budgets, keeping up to date on latest issues, making project trade-off decisions that are not only important to their own modules, but also for the entire LPA team, encouraging consistency across the modules and content sharing, creating, extending, updating and enhancing content to exceed customer expectations and acting as a support in their succeeding in this endeavor. Promote content teams to be the Face of LPA by encouraging networking, publishing articles, membership in legal organizations, continuing legal education presentations and other successful methods. Continuing involvement and encouragement of other content teams to interface and work closely with sales and marketing teams and to listen to customer feedback. Strive to include different and unique real estate content not found in the competitor’s product such as AIA forms, state populatable residential forms and sustainability provisions in order to maintain key differentiators for the product. Regular evaluation of competitor’s real estate module. Constant evaluation and re-evaluation of module to ensure customer satisfaction and suggest broader initiatives for customer engagement. Recommend improvement in LPA tools and applications and assist in insuring market strategy is followed and implemented. Participate in corporate parent sustainability efforts.

THE LAW OFFICE OF RICHARD J. SOBELSOHN, ESQ., NY, NY, Owner June 1998 – March 2001

Built general practice with emphasis on real property transactions including financing, leasing, purchases and sales, estates and trusts, labor issues, guardianship and other Article 81 matters, and litigation in various NYS courts. Acted as counsel to real estate brokerages on a myriad of licensing issues.

THE SOBELSOHN SCHOOL, NY, NY, Director June 1982 – June 2000

Director of 1000 student per year professional business school specializing in real estate, insurance, claims adjusting, law, accounting, securities, taxation and other pre-licensure programs. Expanded course offerings seven-fold and materially increased student enrollment. Liaise with seven supervising (federal and state) governmental licensing agencies for licensure of programs, instructors and in other matters.

EDUCATION

LEAN SIX SIGMA YELLOW BELT, Certificate, 2015

HARVARD/REED ELSEVIER MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS PROGRAM, Certificate, 2014

BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL, J.D., 1998 (Licensed in NY, NJ, CT, and DC)

Awards: Judge Edward and Doris A. Thompson Award for Excellence in Professional Skills

COLGATE UNIVERSITY, A.B., cum laude, History, 1982

Honors: Phi Alpha Theta; Dean’s List; Kinosioni Honor Society

TEACHING

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Adjunct Professor of Law 2016 - Present

BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL, Adjunct Professor of Law 2009 - Present

NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL, Adjunct Professor of Law 2010 - Present

AMERICAN LAW INSTITUTE CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION, Faculty Member 2012 - 2015

LAWLINE.COM, Faculty Member 2009 - 2010

PRACTICING LAW INSTITUTE, Faculty Member 2010 - 2011

THE SOBELSOHN SCHOOL, Director and Instructor 1982 - 2000

LEXISNEXIS CONTINUING EDUCATION ETHICS PROGRAM, Speaker 2015 - 2016

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

LEED Accredited Professional, U.S. Green Building Council

Green Globes Professional, Green Building Initiative

Member, American Bar Association

Member, New York State Bar Association

Fellow, Institute of Green Professionals

Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham University Law School

Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School

Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School

Member, National Legal Working Group, U.S. Green Building Council

Member, Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association

Member, Strategic Advisory Committee, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council

Member, Colgate University Alumni Association

Chair, 2014-2016, Economics, Technology & Practice Methods Committee of the American Bar Association's Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section

Group Vice-Chair, Practice Management Group of the American Bar Association's Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section

Member, Fellows of the American Bar Foundation

Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers

PUBLICATIONS

“Trends in Green Leasing,” American Bar Association, Probate & Property, March/April 2016

“Law Firms Adopt Sustainability to Stay Sustainable,” New York Law Journal, December 28, 2015

“Real Estate Documents Turn Green,” American Bar Association, Probate & Property, November/December 2014

“Technology in Law Practice and in the Classroom,” Transactions – The Tennessee Journal of Business Law, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2014

“The Green Shopping Center A Landlord or Tenant Endeavor,” Shopping Center Legal Update, April 2013

“Green Leasing It’s Not Just About Capital Expenditures,” American Bar Association, Probate & Property, March/April 2013

“How Colleges and Universities Can Turn Green Without Some of the Typical Pitfalls,” Brooklyn Law School Practicum Journal, February 2013

“How Legal Education Can Get Practical,” The National Jurist, February 2013

“The Green College and University: A Symbiotic Journey,” University Business Magazine, September 2012

"The Green Shopping Center," Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy, August 2012

"Are You Being Greenwashed?," New York Bar Association Journal, June 2012

"Building Owners: Local Law 84 Penalties Loom," Moses & Singer Client Alert, March 2012

"Greenwashing": Deceptive Business Claims of "Eco-Friendliness," Forbes.com, March 2012

"The Greenwashing Domino Effect," Thomson Reuters News & Insight, February 2012

"Sustainable Healthcare Contracting and Expansion Issues," Medical Tourism, January 2012

"Benefits and Burdens of Incorporating Renewable Energy Technologies in LEED-Certified Buildings," Bloomberg Law Reports, May 2011

"How Attorneys Can Make a Difference When It Comes to the Greening of Buildings," Green Real Estate Summit 2011: What Attorneys, Developers, Regulators, Tenants & Lenders Need to Know, March 2011

"The Real Estate Owner's Perspective: Opportunities and Risks," Legal Handbook For Architects, Engineers & Contractors, West Thompson, October 2010

"Green Lease Issues for Commercial Tenants Set to Grow," Real Estate Weekly, September 2010

"Legal Green: Navigating Sustainable Design Law," Contract Magazine, April 2010

"Legal Issues Relating to Green Building," The Judicial Title Insurance Agency, March 2010

"The Real Estate Owner’s Perspective: Opportunities and Risks," Green Real Estate Summit 2010: What Attorneys, Developers, Regulators, Tenants & Lenders Need to Know, March 2010

"Green Business is Good Business," BLSLawNotes, December 2009

"Green' Lease Issues for Commercial Tenants," Moses & Singer Real Estate Update, December 2009

"Here Come the Lawyers," Part Two, Green & Design, July 2009

"Here Come the Lawyers," Part One, Green & Design, June 2009

PRESENTATIONS

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished - Ethical Challenges for Real Estate Attorneys,” Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, March 2014, June 2016

“Evolving Teaching Tools – What Resources Are Available To Help Us Teach Our Students Practical Skills,” Emory University School of Law Fifth Biennial Conference on Teaching Transactional Law and Skills, June 2016

"Using AIA Tools to Manage Legal Issues on Sustainable Projects,” BuildingsNY Conference – Javits Center – AIA CE Program, March 2014, April 2015, May 2016

"Revolutionizing Transactional Practice Methods: How to Overcome Transactional Attorney Pain Points with Evolving Practice Tools", American Bar Association - Real Property Trust & Estates Spring 2016 Symposia - Boston, MA, May 2016

“Teaching Transactional Practice Skills with On-Line Products,” 15th Annual Transactional Clinical Conference “Tools of Translation”, University of Baltimore School of Law, April 2016

“The State of Real Estate in New York and How Corporate Social Responsibility Affects its Stakeholders,” City & State Awards Breakfast, New York Law School, April 2016

"The Evolving Transactional Attorney Practice Tools," New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting CLE Program, January 2016

“Landlord-Tenant Law - How to Prosper in the New Market,” Sterling Education Services, Inc. CLE Program, November 2015

"Who's The Client? Ethical Issues in Commercial Real Estate Transactions for Inside and Outside Counsel," The American Law Institute/The American College of Real Estate Lawyers CLE Webinar Program, November 2015

"The Evolving Transactional Attorney Practice Tools," 2015 Annual Florida Bar Convention CLE Program, June 2015

“Using AIA Tools to Manage Legal Issues on Sustainable Projects,” The American Institute of Architects National Continuing Education Webinar, September 2014, March 2015

“Teaching Transactional Skills with New Technologies and Tools,” Emory University School of Law Fourth Biennial Conference on Teaching Transactional Law and Skills, June 2014

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished - Ethical Challenges for Real Estate Attorneys,” Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC 2-hour CLE, May 2014

"Identify Your Clients and Work Effectively With Them," American Bar Association - Real Property Trust & Estates Spring 2014 Symposia, May 2014

“Sustainable Building Law & Green Leasing”, Hudson-Bergen Inn of Transactional Counsel CLE, March 2014

"Lease Drafting, Structuring and Negotiating,” Sterling Education Services, Inc., January 2014

“Alternative Energy – A Discussion About Alternative Energy And Business, Our Products and More General Issues About What The Future May Hold For Renewables,” Reed Elsevier Corporate Responsibility Panel Discussion, November 2013

“How Legal Education Can Get Practical,” Education Law Association, November 2013

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished - Ethical Challenges for Real Estate Attorneys,” Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC, November 2013

"New AIA Sustainable Project Documents: The Effect On Acquisition, Design, Construction And Sustainable Projects," American Bar Association - Real Property Trust & Estates Spring 2013 Symposia, May 2013

"Sustainable Building Law: What You Need To Know Now," Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC, March 2013

" Commercial Leases – The Nuts and Bolts," Sterling Education Services, Inc., March 2013

"Sustainable Building Law: What You Need To Know Now," MiaGreen 2013 Expo & Conference: The Green Convention of the Americas, January 2013

"Green Leases: Tools, Tips, and Best Practices for Drafting," The American Law Institute, November 2012

"Sustainable Building Law Update," BuildingsNY Conference, May 2012

"Sustainable Building Law: What You Need To Know Now," Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC, April 2012

"Green Building Law: What You Need to Know Now," Moses & Singer’s In-House Counsel CLE Program, February 2012

"Green Commercial Lease Issues," Sterling Education Services, Inc., January 2012

"Sustainable Building Law Update," MiaGreen 2012 Expo & Conference: The Green Convention of the Americas, January 2012

"The Latest Developments in Sustainable Building Law Update," Webinar, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., December 2011

"The Legal Obstacles and Catalysts in Incorporating Renewable Energy Technologies in LEED-Certified Buildings," The 2nd International Conference on Green & Sustainable Technology, November 2011

"Sustainable Development For Healthcare Facilities", 2nd Healthcare Development Conference, October 2011

"Sustainable Building Law Update," U.S. Green Building Council's GreenBuild International Conference and Expo, October 2011

"Green Buildings and The Legal Environment in Which They Operate," UGL Services – Equis Operations, September 2011

"Latest Trends and Insights Impacting Law Practice in a Turnaround Economy," the Association of the Bar of The City of New York, July 2011

"Green Leasing and Split Incentives," Princeton/Columbia University Club, June 2011

"Energy Efficiency-Consumer Demand," The 16th Annual Tulane Law School Summit on Environmental Law and Policy, April 2011

"LEEDigation: A Green Legal Panel," BuildingsNY/GreenBuildingsNY Conference, March 2011

"Legal Aspects Relating To Sustainable Development," Starwood Hotels & Resorts, March 2011

"How Attorneys Can Make a Difference When It Comes to the Greening of Buildings," Practicing Law Institute (PLI) Green Real Estate Summit 2011, March 2011

"Standard of Care for those providing services in the Green Building World," U.S. Green Building Council's GreenBuild International Conference and Expo, November 2010

"Landlord-Tenant Law - Green Issues," Sterling Education Services, Inc., November 2010

"Legal Aspects Relating to Sustainable Development and the Liabilities Shared by all in the Green Building World," World Green Energy Symposium, October 2010

"Tenant/Corporate Facilities," GRID NY Green Real Estate Investment & Development Conference, October 2010

"Indian Businesses Go Green," Citi-Anchin Indian Initiative, June 2010

"Green Leases: More than Lease Language," Global Strategic Management Institute's Sustainable Buildings Series: Retrofits Conference, May 2010

"Green Buildings Home and Abroad," The Institute of International Social Development and Forum 21, April 2010

"Turning Green and Staying Green: Legal Issues Affecting Sustainable Buildings," The Judicial Title Insurance Agency LLC, March 2010

"What Attorneys, Developers, Regulators, Tenants & Lenders Need to Know," Practicing Law Institute (PLI) Green Real Estate Summit 2010, March 2010

"Legal Issues Affecting Sustainable Development," Project Green America, Green Earth Expo 2010, February 2010

"Legal Issues Relating to Green Buildings," National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE), The New Green Economy, January 2010

"New Responsibilities of Project Teams When Working on a Green Project," New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Video Conference, November 2009

"Seeing Green: Legal Issues You Need to Know Concerning Green Buildings," Hudson Valley Bank & Lawline.com CLE Seminar, November 2009

"Green Buildings and India," FIT Economic Forum on India 2009, October 2009

"Lunch Hour Seminar on Legal Issues Affecting Sustainable Development," Brooklyn Law School, September 2009

"The Green Rules- Legal and Insurance Issues Arising from Green Building Renovations," Urban Green Expo, September 2009

"Green – Ethics,” Advantage Title, 2009 CLE Seminar Series, June 2009

"Legal Issues Affecting Green Buildings,” Alternative Energy & Building Efficiency ’09 Conference & Exhibition, May 2009

"Legal Issues Affecting Green Buildings," Moses & Singer’s In-House Counsel CLE Program, April 2009

PRESS

BLSLawNotes, December 2009, "Green Business is Good Business"

BLSLawNotes, May 2012, “Adjunct Faculty Bring Wealth of Expertise from the Courtroom to the Classroom"

Business Insurance Magazine, July 2012, “Failure to Deliver on Green Promises Creates Big Problems for Owners”

The Guardian, December 19, 2014, “Better Bananas: Chiquita settles lawsuit over green marketing, but the legal battle isn’t over”

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