About

Paul M. Schwartz joined the Firm in 2009 and is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group.

Mr. Schwartz has expertise in many complex areas of commercial real estate law, focusing on joint venture agreements (representing both money partners and operating partners), acquisitions, dispositions, financings (representing both borrowers and lenders), restructurings and development relating to all asset classes of commercial real estate.

Mr. Schwartz also counsels and represents landlords and tenants in a wide range of large-scale commercial real estate transactions, including office, retail, shopping center, industrial and ground lease transactions.

Mr. Schwartz has a reputation as a skilled attorney who is a “business lawyer”, and has a creative and practical approach in order to help his clients achieve their business goals.  Beyond providing legal counsel, clients value the business introductions that Mr. Schwartz regularly makes between clients and prospective deals or business partners, made with the goal of helping grow a client’s business.

Mr. Schwartz graduated from Brooklyn Law School cum laude and is admitted to practice in New York.

Representative Transactions:

  • Three separate acquisitions of a portfolio of manufactured housing sites located across fourteen States, valued at over $2 billion, in the aggregate and the eventual disposition of same.

  • The acquisition, financing and joint venture structuring of a ground lessee interest in real property located at 680 Madison Avenue, New York, New York and the improvements thereon.  Subsequently represented the joint venture in the redevelopment and $200 million multi-lender construction financing for a luxury Manhattan residential development on behalf of the joint venture (which was later upsized to $350 million dollars) and the eventual disposition of the ground leasehold interest subject to a partial leaseback.

  • The acquisition of a $245 million six property multi-family portfolio containing 2,200 units on behalf of a joint venture of a major real estate investment fund and residential landlord from another large investment fund, including the concurrent assumption of existing indebtedness, the negotiation and documentation of additional indebtedness and sale of a portion of the portfolio.

  • Counseled a nationally recognized private equity fund in the acquisition of a destressed urban shopping mall involving purchase of a defaulted loan from a lender in bankruptcy, settlement of ongoing litigation among multiple stakeholders, negotiation of a joint venture with a nationally recognized investment partner, and closing of an institutional financing and a subsequent refinancing.

  • Representation of an operating partner in connection with the recapitalization and refinancing of a joint venture with respect to the development of a mixed use development in New York City.

  • The acquisition, financing and joint venture structuring of a ground lessee interest in real property located at 67-70 Charlton Street, New York, New York, and the subsequent construction financing of such property in connection with the proposed development of a high-end residential cooperative thereon.

  • The acquisition of a portfolio of seven office buildings located in San Diego, California and the assumption of each individual mortgage encumbering each property.

  • The acquisition and financing of a portfolio of grocery stores located throughout New England.

  • The acquisition, restructuring, financing and eventual sale of a portfolio of self-storage centers located across the State of Florida and valued at approximately $50 million.

  • The acquisition of multiple loans held by an investment banking institution, which encumbered more than 20 hotels located in 9 states and, simultaneously with such acquisition, the negotiation of deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure from the more than 20 separate borrowers that owned those hotels.

  • The acquisition of partially entitled and raw land in Florida.

  • The preferred equity investment in two shopping centers located in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Recognitions:

  • Super Lawyers: New York Metro Rising Star: 2014, 2020 - 2023