Meet Dirt Lawyers

Every few years, a ragtag bunch of real estate attorneys emerge from behind their computers (having stayed in touch via e-mail, closings, and chance meetings), for a scheduled cocktail party. This time, the NYCDirtLawyers (yes, that’s their real name) were spotted Monday evening at O’Neill’s on Third Ave, and we happened to have our camera.
These gents were no doubt engaged in a spirited discussion on mortgage recording tax implications of commodity hedging agreements (in layman’s terms: Yankees game). Holland & Knight’s Marty Miner, Latham & Watkins’ Jamie Hisiger, Fried Frank’s Jon Mechanic Patterson Belknap’s Bob Safron (an event co-host), Moody’s Dan Rubock, and Latham’s Joshua Stein (also co-hosting). About 60 lawyers crowded the restaurant to talk shop, with an emphasis on talking anything but shop.
Mintz Levin’s Jeff Moerdler (yet another co-host), Stroock’s Jack Bart, Joshua Stein, and Patterson Belknap’s Andy Herz. Since Joshua managed to squeeze into a second photo, we put him on the spot for news: Though he’s getting ready to start work on his first new construction loan in over a year, he still sees a frozen market, partly because no one can estimate values; everyone would rather wait and see than do anything:“For the major part of a decade, we all forgot that markets go down as well as up, and now we’re all forgetting that markets go up as well as down.” That’s so zen.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

Texas Flips Blue, Putting Data Center Boom On Notice

Hynes Vows To Bring Property Tax Stability As New Cook County Assessor

Donalds Makes History With Win For Florida Governor, Voters OK Property Tax Amendment

Supertall Assemblage Comes Together At Long-Vacant Midtown Site: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Rewrite Underwriting Standards For NYC's Rent Freeze

Banks Are Manhattan's Latest Hot Retail Tenant

The Geo Group To Reopen 2,329-Bed Immigration Facility In Texas

What's At Stake For CRE In Tuesday's U.S. Midterm

RXR Marketing Executive Lauren Maturo Dies At 32

From Pandemic Darling To Cautionary Tale: Pickleball Clubs Face A Reckoning After Betting Big On Retail Space

Weil Gotshal Wind-Down Leaves 830K SF Hole In America's Office Market

Meet Bisnow's 2026 New York Power Women Honorees