Michael Lefkowitz joined the New York City law firm of Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. in 1989. He is a member with the firm. Over the past 20 years, Mr. Lefkowitz has been involved in many aspects of the firm's activities, including litigation, appeals and administrative law.
Mr. Lefkowitz specializes in representing clients in commercial real estate transactions. His focus for many years has been representing lenders and borrowers in completing financing transactions, and workouts of loans on troubled assets. Since joining Rosenberg & Estis, he has greatly expanded the firm's expertise in this sector. He handled nearly 200 loan transactions totaling almost $1 billion over a recent two-year period. Mr. Lefkowitz has been working closely with lenders and borrowers on creative solutions to restructure loans and rework the debt on troubled real estate assets, often avoiding the lengthy and costly foreclosure and bankruptcy process.
Mr. Lefkowitz also represents commercial property owners, providing his legal expertise in all other aspects of real estate including leasing and purchase and sale transactions. He worked with the insurance market following the events of September 11, 2001 assisting many insurance companies in assessing the loss measure of many downtown buildings including the World Trade Center Complex. He continues to represent insurers in connection with complex real estate valuations, soft cost claims and rental value losses.
He is also an active principal in a family owned real estate business. The company owns more than one million square feet of retail, office and industrial real estate throughout the U.S. Mr. Lefkowitz's experience with managing and developing his own properties has given him an understanding of all the issues concerning commercial real estate from a number of different perspectives. His broad skill set provides him with the knowledge of the numbers behind a deal, the real value of a project, and whether a transaction truly makes sense.
Mr. Lefkowitz received his bachelor's degree in Policy Studies from Syracuse University and his juris doctorate from Cardozo Law School. He is licensed to practice law in New York and Connecticut. He is a member of the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management, Real Estate Advisory Board.
Selected Cases and Representations
- Representative Insurance Adjustment/Consultant Assignments (retained by insurers)
- Silverstein, 9/11 claim
- Deustche Bank, 9/11 claim
- Federal Realty, Santana Row, San Jose, CA, Fire Loss
- Gotham Construction, 1010 Sixth Avenue, Water Tower Failure
- Related Company, AOL/TW Center, Fire Loss
- Macklowe Properties, 501 Madison Avenue, Fire Loss
Recent (2010-2011) Representative Matters
- 100M+ note purchase and subsequent fee title purchase of Sixth Avenue development site
- 140M sale of fee and leasehold title for class A office building in Manhattan
- Acquisition and joint venture formation with institutional fund in connection with purchase of mid-west regional shopping center
- Represented The Durst Organization in connection with its negotiations with The Port Authority concerning a joint venture with regard to One World Trade Center
- Mortgage loan and mezzanine financing of seven mix-use/multi-family properties in Manhattan
- Representing purchaser in connection with purchasing and financing a retail/multi-family property on West Side of Manhattan
Year Joined Firm
- 1989
Classes/Seminars
- IMN-2nd Annual Real Estate General Counsel's Forum (Property Management, Leases & Lease Restructuring), September 10-11, 2012
- Law and the Financial Crisis Economic Regulation During Turbulent Times (Speaker), Syracuse University College of Law, Law Review Symposium
Honors and Awards
- Selected for inclusion in New York Super Lawyers, 2012 — 2013
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
