NYSBA Commercial Leasing Committee Welcomes New Co-Chair Deborah Goldman

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Apr 21, 2016) - Deborah Goldman, of counsel with Joshua Stein PLLC, has been appointed as a downstate co-chair of the New York State Bar Association's Commercial Leasing Committee effective as of June 1. Working with upstate co-chair Sujata Yalamanchili and additional downstate co-chair Robert J. Shansky, Goldman will help coordinate the committee's quarterly meetings and special projects.

Goldman brings to her new post almost 25 years of experience in commercial real estate law -- with an emphasis on leasing -- as well as an MBA in real estate finance. After graduating cum laude from New York University Law School in 1992, she began her career at Shea and Gould and worked at several large law firms, and in the development department of a hotel company, before joining Joshua Stein PLLC in November 2010.

"Debbie has been an active member of the leasing committee for years," said Leon Sawyko, chair of the State Bar's Real Property Law Section, who appointed Goldman. "She seems to live and breathe leasing, and I think she's going to be a terrific co-chair," he said.

Robert J. Shansky, who has served as downstate committee co-chair for several years and will continue to serve with Goldman, said, "I'm looking forward to working with Debbie. I've known her for many years and she always asks good questions and knows how to get things done."

The Commercial Leasing Committee aims to identify and address key issues in commercial leasing in New York State. It holds several meetings a year, with presentations on leasing issues by experts. Meetings usually last two hours and typically qualify for CLE credit. They draw up to 50 New York real estate lawyers.

The co-chairs of the committee plan and coordinate those presentations and also identify special projects to try to improve and standardize commercial leasing practice in the state. Committee members also prepare reports on proposed legislation that might affect commercial leasing.

"I've always really enjoyed working on leases," said Goldman. "They raise every issue you can possibly think of about operation of a building and the businesses within it. You have to get it right, and the negotiations toward that end can be fascinating. And you always have to keep in mind what lenders are going to want."

Goldman's transactions while at Joshua Stein PLLC have included an array of leases. Soon after arriving at the firm, she started work on a complex lease and sublease for a build-to-suit development project in Long Island City. It was the developer's first project in the New York area, and she has worked on a half dozen more since. She negotiates movie theater leases for a national chain, and has also worked on office leases for landlords and tenants as well as ground leases for development projects in Manhattan.

Beyond leasing, while at Joshua Stein PLLC she also worked on the sale of St. John's Center at 550 Washington Street, loans for the Miami Design District redevelopment project since 2010, loans secured by interests in the Carlyle Hotel and hotel management contracts in Florida and elsewhere.

At previous firms, she worked on the purchase of the Sands Hotel and Casino in Puerto Rico, and retail, office and shopping center leasing in the tristate area for The Mendik Company, The Manhattan Mall, Developers Diversified Realty, Starbucks, JPMorgan Chase, Wachovia N.A., Dunkin' Donuts, T-Mobile, and Bally Sports Clubs, among many others.

Membership in the commercial leasing committee is open to all members of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. For more information on the section, visit www.nysba.org/rpls/. To contact Deborah Goldman, visit www.joshuastein.com.