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| Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law
Spring 2019 Newsletter
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Welcome to the first edition of the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law newsletter. Through this newsletter, we hope to keep students, colleagues and friends apprised of developments at the Mattone Institute as we continue to train aspiring real estate attorneys for practice through extraordinary special events, career development opportunities, and academic programs.
Fall 2018 was an amazing semester, marked by several notable milestones and accomplishments. Our events calendar included our inaugural conference, The Transformation of East Midtown, as well as several student and alumni events. We welcomed our first 1L Real Estate Honors Scholar to campus. As of today, there are ten Fellows (2Ls and 3Ls) participating in our Real Estate Law Fellowship Program. Our Advisory Board has grown to include 21 leading real estate practitioners and industry executives. In addition, with the faculty’s approval of another advanced real estate course earlier this month (Real Estate Finance: Commercial), we continue to assemble a real estate curriculum that is second to none.
As I reflect on the past semester we enter the second half of the academic year. I cannot help but be grateful to the Mattone Family, our Advisory Board, and other dedicated alumni, for their contributions and guidance, without which none of this would have been possible.
On behalf of our many students interested in real estate, I thank you.
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Our students interested in real estate law participated in a number of exciting events during the fall semester of 2018 and first weeks of January 2019. SBA Fall Fest
Along with the Real Property Law Society, we maintained a table at the Student Bar Association’s Fall Fest event on August 23rd, enabling us to provide information about
our programs and real estate law to 1Ls during their first few days on campus.
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| Summer Networking Event
On August 28th, we held a summer networking event for recent graduates working in the field
of real estate law and students at the New York Athletic Club.
Student Information Session
Our first major event after the start of classes was an information session on September 10th. Rob Sein briefed students on the Law School’s real estate law programs and professional pathways in real estate law.
Transformation of East Midtown Conference
Our inaugural conference, The Transformation of East Midtown, was held on October 4th. A brief summary of the event is included in this newsletter (please see below).
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Third Semiannual Recent Alumni Perspectives Event.
On October 24th, alumni Maria Castiglie ‘15 (associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP), Kelly Dantuono ‘15 (owner of the Law Office of Kelly Dantuono), Max Rayetsky ‘14 (associate at Goldstein Hall PLLC), Julian Rodriguez ‘15 (associate at Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman LLP), and Erik Snipas ‘14 (associate at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP), returned to campus for networking and a roundtable discussion with students. Panelists discussed their personal career paths and professional development pointers. This event was co-sponsored by the N.Y. Real Property Law Journal.
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| CMP Commercial Lease Negotiations Course
On October 27th, Rob Sein and Real Estate Fellows Mikhail Stoliarov ‘19 and Nataniel Arabov ‘19 taught a class on Commercial Lease Negotiations at the Chinatown Manpower Project (CMP) in Manhattan. The course was part of 10-week “Small Business Bootcamp” for small business owners and entrepreneurs sponsored by CMP and the New York State Entrepreneurial Assistance Program.
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| Ladder Capital Site Visit
Students visited Ladder’s offices in Manhattan on November 9th. Ladder executives including alumni Kelly Porcella ‘07 (General Counsel), Michael D’Orio ‘02 (Executive Director of Transaction Management), and Stephanie Lin ‘15 (attorney with the Legal Department), treated the students to lunch and briefed them on some recent deals and the world of commercial real estate finance.
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| Advisory Board Meeting
Our Advisory Board met for the second time on November 13 at Ladder Capital’s offices in Manhattan.
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| Guest Lecture on CMBS. On January 14, Michael Mazzei ‘88, Ladder Capital Corp board member and former president, and one of the pioneers of CMBS financing, guest lectured at our Securitization, Structured Finance and Capital Markets course. This amazing lecture provided the students, a mix of Bankruptcy LLM and JD students, with
an introduction to the manner in which commercial mortgage-backed securities are originated, structured, sold and serviced.
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| Student Information Session. On January 23, Rob Sein hosted a Spring Information Session attended by about 20 students, mostly 1Ls. This included a presentation on professional pathways in real estate law and our real estate law programs.
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We are planning several exciting events this spring semester. Please save the date for the following:
Saturday & Sunday, Feb 9-10th
Bridge the Gap CLE “The Nuts and Bolts of Real Estate Closings” at the Law School. Please register by way of this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-2019-cle-weekend-registration-53829006006
Tuesday, February 26th, 6:30-8:00 PM
Practice Areas in Focus: Landlord-Tenant Law, with the Hon. John S. Lansden, Supervising Judge, New York City Housing Court, Kings County. Location TBA.
Wednesday, February 27th, 2:30 - 4:00 PM
Hudson Yards Site Visit sponsored by The Related Companies. Richard O'Toole '81, General Counsel has invited a group of students to a behind-the-scenes tour of Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center.
Wednesday, March 27th, 3:00-4:00 PM
Intellectual Property Law Center (IPLC) Lecture by Prof. Angela Fernandez, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. Prof. Fernandez will discuss her book Pierson v. Post: The Hunt for the Fox, recently published by Cambridge University Press. The Mattone Institute is also sponsoring this lecture. Location TBA. Wednesday, April 3rd, 1:00-3:00 PM
Fourth Semiannual Recent Alumni Perspectives Event. Event co-sponsored with the N.Y. Real Property Law Journal. Location: Private Dining Room.
Please stay tuned for additional events, including an anniversary networking event! Students who are members of the Real Property Law Society TWEN group will be notified of events by e-mail.
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Transformation of East Midtown Conference
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| On October 4, 2018, we held our inaugural conference, The Transformation of East Midtown, in the heart of East Midtown at the offices of Paul Hastings LLP at 200 Park Avenue. Industry leaders participated in two panel discussions which explored opportunities and challenges in the district for owners, developers, tenants and investors now and in the years ahead.
The first panel discussion, “Redevelopment Opportunities and Challenges”, was moderated by Bruce DePaola ‘91, a partner with the Real Estate practice group of Paul Hastings. In addition to Mr. DePaola, the panel included Alfred C. Cerullo, III ‘86, the President and CEO of Grand Central Partnership; Daniel Garodnick, the President and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy; Howard Raber, Director of Investment Sales at Ariel Property Advisors; and Robert Schiffer, Managing Director of SL Green Realty Corp. Among other things, the panelists explored the options available to owners in the district seeking to create the office space that many tenants now demand, including ground-up redevelopments like One Vanderbilt and 270 Park, and selective demotions and renovations similar to that performed at 390 Madison.
The second panel discussion, “A Lawyer’s Guide to East Midtown Redevelopment”, was moderated by Thomas G. Maira ‘96, a partner with the Real Estate practice group of DLA Piper LLP, and included two leading New York City land use experts: David Karnovsky, a partner with the Real Estate group at Fried Frank, and Jay A. Segal ‘75, chair of the Land Use practice at Greenberg Traurig LLP. The panelists educated attorneys about what they need to know about the 2017 Zoning Text Amendment when representing clients with interests in the district. Topics discussed included the identification of qualifying sites; eligibility for additional floor area (“FAR”) through transit improvements, landmarks transfers and/or rebuilding legally non-compliant floor area; public accessible space requirements; and restrictions on residential and hotel development. This second panel offered attorney attendees New York State CLE credit.
“Since this rezoning was announced last year, the New York City real estate industry has been excited about the opportunities it presents for owners, developers, lessees, and the general public, in the form of new 21st century office space, enhanced public amenities and the preservation of iconic landmarks,” remarked Robert J. Sein, the Mattone Institute’s Director, following the conference. “Our goal was to bring together some of the key thought leaders and experts in the business community, public sector and bar, to provide attendees with practical insights into the rezoning that they could immediately put to use in their own businesses and law practices. Judging from the positive feedback I’ve received from attendees to date, it was a success, and a harbinger of outstanding Mattone Institute programming to come.”
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| Real Estate Honors Program
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Congratulations to Alexander Aminov ‘21, our first Real Estate Honors Scholar!
Prior to law school, Alexander worked as a licensed real estate salesperson at Exit Realty, specializing in the areas of residential leases and purchases. His experience includes negotiating contracts and helping resolve real estate disputes alongside attorneys. He graduated magna cum laude from Queens College in 2018 with a BA in Political Science.
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Real Estate Law
Fellowship Program
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This academic year, we have welcomed two new classes of Real Estate Fellows to our Real Estate Law Fellowship Program, bringing the total number of Fellows to ten. In Fall 2018, Norah Alimonos ‘21E, Joe Carlo ‘20, Steven Cecere ‘20 and Kayla Dimatos ‘20, joined the Program. Earlier this month, Mark LoBiondo ‘20 and Alexander Woo ‘20, enrolled. Congratulations to all of our new Fellows, who were selected for the Program from among competitive fields of applicants based on their academic qualifications, and dedication to, and demonstrated interest in, real estate law.
1L and 2L students who have a strong interest in real estate law are encouraged to speak with Rob Sein about the possibility of applying to the Real Estate Law Fellowship Program. The next application cycle will commence on May 1, 2019. More information on the Real Estate Law Fellowship Program is also available on our website.
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Norah Alimonos ‘21E
Norah is the Senior Vice President of Global Sales for a leading provider of Corporate Ground Transportation Logistics Solutions. Providing services to major Fortune 500 companies in the banking, legal and entertainment industries in over 450 cities and 39 countries, Norah is responsible for leading a global sales team and overseeing operational areas related to general Account Management and Quality Assurance. She is fully responsible for tailoring all aspects of the account support infrastructure inclusive of technology customization, reporting enhancements, human resource allocation and development of client cost-savings initiatives. A graduate of Baruch College, Norah is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and received an award for highest G.P.A. in her major of International Marketing. Norah was also the recipient of the Dean's Award for Excellence for Fall 2017, and achieved the Dean's List for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. Intensely passionate about pursuing a career in real estate law, Norah's ultimate goal is to establish a local New York based practice specializing in residential and small commercial real estate.
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| Nataniel Arabov ‘19
Nataniel is a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and serves as a staff member for the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. He received the Dean's List Award for Excellence in Real Estate Finance. For over four years, he worked as a law clerk at a major real estate law firm in Manhattan. He graduated summa cum laude from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2016 with a B.A. in Humanities and Justice. As an undergraduate student at John Jay, Nataniel was awarded the Sidley Austin Pre-Law Scholarship and was selected an America Needs You Fellow. Additionally, he was a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship award. While at John Jay, Nataniel worked as an executive assistant in the leasing department of a major New York City property manager and owner. Nataniel is fluent in Russian. Following graduation, he expects to work at an international law firm as an associate.
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| Joseph Carlo ‘20
Joseph graduated magna cum laude from St. John’s University in 2017, earning a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Finance. He has worked as a law clerk at Marco & Sitaras in Manhattan, handling a multitude of real estate litigation matters such as mortgage defaults, adverse possession, and constructive trusts. He has also externed at Scamardella, Thomson, Gervasi & Kasegrande, P.C. on Staten Island, where his duties have included legal research on real estate matters, title review and contract review and analysis. Joseph serves as a member of the Executive Board of the Real Property Law Society. In 2018, Joseph was awarded a scholarship from American Immobiliare recognizing his academic achievement, service and leadership consistent with the values of Italian-American influencers and innovators in the field of commercial real estate. He is also a recipient of the Dean’s List award for the Spring of 2018. He has written several articles on real estate law topics, covering new housing market developments and affordable housing issues.
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| Steven Cecere ‘20
Steven serves as a staff member for the St. John’s Law Review and is an Executive Officer of the Real Property Society. This fall, he is writing his Law Review Note on the Visual Artists Rights Act, which protects certain recognized public works of art created on another’s property. Steven has also been an active member of the Student Bar Association and Office of Admissions. He can often be found conducting campus tours for prospective students or volunteering at recruitment events. In 2015, after he received his B.S. in finance from University of Delaware, Steven worked in out-of-home advertising before working as a legal assistant with Ahmuty, Demers & McManus. As a legal assistant, he worked in all aspects of civil litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury defense. During his 1L summer, while he continued to work with Ahmuty as a law clerk, Steven worked as an Intern with Fishman, Decea & Feldman, where he assisted attorneys in connection with retail leasing and other commercial real estate transactions. By becoming a Real Estate Fellow, Steven is excited to help further the Institute’s goals through events such as the One Vanderbilt Site Visit hosted by S.L. Green and Grand Central Partnerships. In addition, he looks forward to coordinating events that bring together both alumni and students with a passion for real estate and help grow the Law School's presence in the industry. This spring semester, Steven will be externing at Grand Central Partnership. He will work as a summer associate at Cullen & Dykman LLP in the summer of 2019.
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| Kayla Rae DiMatos ‘20
In 2017, Kayla graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University with a B.A. in political science and minor in urban and regional planning. While at Binghamton, Kayla interned at the Broome County District Attorney’s Office and worked with the Broome County Department of Planning and Economic Development. Prior to coming to law school, Kayla assisted a banking attorney that introduced her to transactional practice. She was a law clerk at Ahmuty, Demers & McManus during the summer of 2018. In the spring of 2019, she will work as a law clerk at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP in their real estate group. At St. John’s Law, Kayla is a staff member on the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, Vice President of the Women’s Law Society, and Executive Officer of the Real Property Law Society. Kayla was also selected as a student representative for the Nassau County Bar Association’s Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court. Kayla interned with the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic in the fall of 2018. She looks forward to committing her interest in real estate to the continuous development of the Mattone Institute as a Real Estate Fellow.
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| Kayla Laskin ‘19
Kayla has a long-standing involvement in the real estate industry and extensive work experience in real estate law. Currently, Kayla is honing her real estate skills as a law clerk at Belkin, Burden, Wenig & Goldman, LLP. This experience is teaching her to effectively draft agreements, contract provisions, pleadings, motions, discovery documents, opposition papers and memoranda of law for residential and commercial landlord-tenant disputes. Before attending law school, while still an undergraduate student, she worked as a legal intern for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. As a legal intern, she was introduced to real estate litigation, and had the opportunity to assist attorneys in Queens Housing Court. Currently, Kayla is the Associate Managing Editor of the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, an Executive Officer of the Real Property Law Society and the Co-President of the Jewish Law Students Association. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, in political science and a minor in marketing from Syracuse University in 2016, where she was a Founder’s Scholar. By participating and engaging in the wide variety of experiences offered in the Real Estate Law Fellowship Program, Kayla possesses the necessary skills to become a successful real estate attorney.
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| Mark LoBiondo ‘20
Mark is a St. Thomas More Scholar, a staff member on the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review, and a member of the Real Property Law Society. Mark graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University with a double major in History and Politics Philosophy and Law. While in college, Mark worked as a legal secretary for Metcalf & Metcalf, a Manhattan based law firm specializing in criminal defense, civil litigation, and family law. During Mark’s 1L summer, he worked as a judicial intern for Magistrate Judge Tomlinson of the Eastern District of New York, where he researched and drafted a report and recommendation and observed court proceedings, such as arraignments, sentencing hearings, and plea hearings. This past fall, Mark externed at Cuttita LLP, a Manhattan based sports and entertainment law firm, where he performed legal research on various aspects of real estate law related to landlord-tenants disputes. As a Real Estate Fellow, Mark hopes to further grow both his interest in real estate law and St. John’s presence in the field.
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| Sara Moriarty ‘19
Sara is a St. Thomas More scholar, the Editor-in-Chief of the N.Y. Real Property Law Journal, and the recipient of the Dean's List Award in Spring 2018. Sara attended Pace University, Pforzheimer Honors College with a full-tuition Good Counsel Scholarship and graduated magna cum laude in 2015 with a B.A. in History and Communications. Sara developed an interest in real property law as an undergraduate student, when she was a clinician with Pace University's Environmental Policy Clinic. As a clinician, Sara co-wrote a bill and memoranda regarding environmental and energy issues in New York State, including a bill regarding the potential implementation of microgrid technology in the Village of Ossining. Sara is particularly interested in land use and zoning. As a Real Estate Fellow, Sara completed a research project on the evolution of riparian rights in New York State. In the fall of 2018, worked as an intern with the real estate group at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP, working on land use and zoning issues. She plans to work at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office as an Assistant District Attorney following graduation.
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| Mikhail Stoliarov ‘20E
Mikhail is a Certified Valuation Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant at Gibgot Willenbacher & Co. where he specializes in tax projects and certified financial audits for real estate, healthcare and hospitality clients. Mikhail also handles tax matters for high net worth individuals as well as private charitable foundations. He has worked on prime real estate development projects in Manhattan and other boroughs of New York City, which involved ground up construction and conversion projects with budgets ranging from two to five hundred million dollars. Mikhail also operates his own real estate portfolio comprised of multi-family and commercial rental properties located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He served on two boards of condominium associations in Brooklyn where he was involved in negotiating budgets and other matters related to administration of owners’ associations. Prior to enrolling in St. John’s Law, he attended Adelphi University Honors College on the Presidential Scholarship graduating cum laude in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance. Upon graduation from Adelphi University, Mikhail was awarded membership of the Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business for outstanding academic achievements. Mikhail also received a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Fordham University in 2012. During law school Mikhail completed an externship with Peter T. Roach & Associates where he drafted and submitted motions to courts and assisted attorneys with various aspects of the foreclosure process. Mikhail completed teaching assistantship for Real Estate Finance course taught at the law school and completed a judicial internship with The Honorable Vito M. DeStefano at the Commercial Division of the New York Supreme Court. Mikhail is one of the speakers at the annual bono course Commercial Lease Negotiations taught at the Chinatown Manpower Project Business Outreach Center. Mikhail is a recipient of the Annual Alumni Tuition Scholarship at St. John’s University School of Law, the Dean’s List Award for Spring 2017, the Dean’s Award for Excellence for Summer 2017, and Timothy J. Meehan Memorial Fellowship Award. Mikhail is also a Staff Member of both, N.Y. Real Property Law Journal and Commercial Division Online Law Report.
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| Alexander Woo ‘20
At St. John's, Alexander is the Vice President of the Asian American Law Student's Association, Treasurer of the Historical Society for the New York Courts System, an Executive Officer of the Real Property Law Society, and
a staff member of the New York International Law Review. Alexander currently works as a legal intern with the Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic, which is part of the St. Vincent de Paul Legal Program, Inc. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 2014 with a B.A. in History, and worked at the Wesleyan University Office of Admission as a Senior Interviewer. Before coming to St. John's, Alexander worked as a legal assistant at Shearman & Sterling LLP's New York office, and as a legal intern at Covington & Burling LLP's Beijing office. During his 1L summer, Alexander was a judicial intern with the New York City Housing Court with Judge Lydia C. Lai. He is also a recipient of the Dean's Scholarship. As a Real Estate Fellow, Alexander looks forward to helping to expand St. John's role in serving the Queens community.
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| Welcome to the Advisory Board: David Curry '03
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David M. Curry ‘03, a partner in the commercial real estate group of Farrell Fritz, P.C., is the most recent addition to our Advisory Board, having joined the Advisory Board in July. His practice focuses on the representation of large and small developers in sales and acquisitions of all manner of real estate, as well as air rights transactions. He represents landlords and tenants in commercial leasing transactions, as well as lending institutions and borrowers in real estate acquisition and construction financing, both mortgage and mezzanine. David also represents owners in construction contract negotiations, borrowers and purchasers in IDA transactions, and buyers and sellers in residential real estate transactions. Prior to joining Farrell Fritz in 2005, David practiced with the commercial real estate group of Paul Hastings. He earned his B.A. from Binghamton University in 1995, and an MAT in Secondary Education from Towson University in 1997. He is an associate member of the Association for a Better Long Island (ABLI), the Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG), and the Commercial Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island (CIBS). He has been recognized by LIBN in “The Ones to Watch in Construction” and “The Ones to Watch in Commercial and Residential Real Estate”, and with a “Leadership in Law” award. He has also been recognized by the Queens Courier as a “Rising Star” for his outstanding business leadership in Queens.
We welcome Mr. Curry to the Advisory Board, and thank him for all of his contributions to date.
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Our students, and the Mattone Institute, continue to be recognized in the field of real estate law:
In July, Real Estate Fellow Joe Carlo ‘20, was awarded the American Immobiliare Scholarship, recognizing his academic achievement, community service and leadership consistent with the values of Italian-American influencers and innovators in the field of commercial real estate. Also in July, Valerie Hammel ‘19 won second place in the Pacific Legal Foundation Law Student Writing Competition for her paper “Economic Liberty and Judicial Review: The Pursuit of Rational Basis with Bite”, which focuses on issues of economic liberty and property rights.
In September, the Mattone Institute conferred Recognition Awards on Simcha Buff ‘19, John Piontkowski ‘19 and Jared Gordon ‘19, to recognize their contributions to our events and programming in the 2017/18 academic year.
Also in September, Real Estate Fellow Mikhail Stoliarov ‘20E was selected as the inaugural Timothy J. Meehan Fellow, recognizing his high level of academic achievement as a Real Estate Fellow.
In October, Real Estate Fellow Kayla Laskin ‘19 was awarded a best note award at the JCRED annual awards ceremony for her paper, “Is Airbnb Polluting the Big Apple?”. The paper will be published in JCRED.
The fall 2018 issue of St. John’s Business magazine showcases the real estate programs at the Tobin School, including the new real estate MBA programs, and features the Mattone Institute.
The November/December issue of the Mann Report includes a two page spread on the Mattone Institute captioned “St. John’s Law Institute Fosters the Next Generation of Exceptional Real Estate Attorneys”. In January, Kayla Dimatos ‘20, one of our Real Estate Fellows and an ABI Law Review member, published a case note, "Statutory Possessory Rights of New York Loft Law Preempt Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code", on the ABI Bankruptcy Case Blog. The note analyzes In re Bridge Assoc. of Soho, Inc. (Bankr. E.D.N.Y. July 2, 2018), in which the court denied a debtor’s motion to sell an occupied building “free and clear” of the possessory rights of occupants protected under the Loft Law.
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Real Property Law Society
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The Real Property Law Society (RPLS), the Mattone Institute’s student division, provides student members with an opportunity to participate in Mattone Institute events and other real estate law activities.
Congratulations to the inaugural Executive Committee members, selected this fall:
Simcha Buff ‘19, Joe Carlo ‘20, Steven Cecere ‘20, Kayla Dimatos ‘20, Michael Gherardi ‘19, Joshua Lahijani ‘19, Kayla Laskin ‘19, John Piontkowski ‘19, and Alexander Woo ‘20. Executive Committee members coordinate RPLS programming and serve as student ambassadors for the Mattone Institute and our real estate law programs.
Students interested in real estate law are encouraged to join the RPLS. Please contact any member of the Executive Committee or Rob Sein in order to do so.
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