Michael E. Lefkowitz

Michael E. Lefkowitz is Managing Member & General Counsel of Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. and a Leader of the firm’s Transactional Department. Over the past 35 years, Lefkowitz has been involved in many aspects of the firm’s activities, including litigation, appeals and administrative law.

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 on all levels of the capital stack, and workouts of loans on troubled assets. Since joining Rosenberg & Estis, he has greatly expanded the firm’s expertise in this sector.

Lefkowitz also represents commercial property owners and investors, providing his legal expertise in all other aspects of real estate including leasing, purchase and sale transactions and structuring complex joint ventures. Since 9/11, he has worked with the insurance market assisting many insurance companies in assessing the measure of damage and loss due to a casualty. On large complex property losses, the insurance industry has called Lefkowitz to assess the valuation of assets, soft cost claims, rental value losses and time element claims.

Lefkowitz is also an active principal in a family owned real estate business. The company owns more than one million square feet of retail, office, industrial property and self storage throughout the U.S. 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.

Lefkowitz received his bachelor’s degree in policy studies from Syracuse University and his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in New York and Connecticut. He is a member of the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Advisory Board.

Notable Work

United States: Representing a national shopping center investor in the purchase and sale of retail properties across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Missouri, etc.

Manhattan, NY: Represented a debtor in bankruptcy as Special Real Estate Counsel in obtaining debtor in possession financing and the ultimate $65 million sale of 95 Madison Avenue, NY, NY.

Manhattan, NY: Represented a private equity firm in the $905 million acquisition and subsequent disposition of 711 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY.

Manhattan, NY: Represented the Senior Lender in a $22.8 million first mortgage loan refinancing and Mezzanine Lender in a $10 million mezzanine loan refinancing on a condominium conversion project in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan.

Queens, NY: R&E served as legal counsel to The Durst Organization on the acquisition, financing and refinancing of the development site of Queens Plaza Park in New York City. The project is a 77-story residential tower in the Long Island City submarket of Queens.

Greenville, South Carolina: Represented Garrison Investment Group on the sale of 201 and 651 Brookfield Parkway, Greenville, South Carolina for a total purchase price of $25,000,000.

United States: Represented a major NYC based private equity fund on the sale of 4 senior living facilities located in Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Alabama for a total sale price of $180,000,000. The transaction included the assignment to purchaser of $100,000,000 in mortgage indebtedness.

Manhattan, NY: Represented a major developer in the $125 million acquisition of apartment buildings in downtown Manhattan.

Manhattan, NY: Represented the purchaser of two Manhattan apartment properties located at 85 th E. 10 th St. and 112-120 E. 11 th St., containing 151 units for $122.5 million.

Manhattan, NY: Served as legal counsel to the Durst Organization in connection with various transactions relating to the acquisition of the East Harlem development site at 1800 Park Avenue (located between 124th and 125th Streets).

$485M sale of two upper east side apartment buildings

Sale of Highline area development site for record price per square foot

Representative Insurance Adjustment/Consultant Assignments (retained by insurers)

Silverstein, 9/11 claim

Deutsche Bank, 9/11 claim

Federal Realty, Santana Row, San Jose, CA, Fire Loss

Related Company, AOL/TW Center, Fire Loss

Macklowe Properties, 501 Madison Avenue, Fire Loss

Hurricane Sandy World Trade Center and South Street Sea Port Claims

Classes / Seminars

“Multifamily Lending: Debt Outlook,” Bisnow’s Tri-State Multifamily Annual Conference, Moderator, March 2022

Lender Seminars, Speaker, January 2020

“Complex CAT Claim - Mixed Use, Mixed Owners, Mixed Policies,” PLRB’s Large Loss Conference 2019, Speaker, November 2019

“Real Estate Investment Structures Providing the Best Returns,” iGlobal’s 2018 Global Leaders in Real Estate Summit: East, Moderator, October 2018

“Doing Business in NYC-A Regulatory and Political Roadmap to Investing in Multifamily in NYC and the Suburbs Panel,” New York Real Estate Private Equity & Capital Markets Forum, Moderator, March 2018

IMN’s Real Estate Mezzanine Financing & High-Yield Debt Forum, (Non-Bank Lending), November 8, 2017

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

Published Works

Rosenberg & Estis Leaders On Once-Unsexy NYC Real Estate

Published on October 9, 2024 in: Law360

2022 Industry Leaders: Michael Lefkowitz, Rosenberg & Estis

Published on September 27, 2022 in: New York Real Estate Journal

Professional Business Associations

IR Global Real Estate Committee Member, and East Coast Committee Representative

Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Board of Advisors, Member