While some condos and co-ops are lucky enough to have lawyers serve as members of their board, the majority of boards don’t have an in-house legal expert. They often reach out to their attorney to answer questions, vet documents and sen…
Category: Law & Legislation
The New York State legislative season is here again, and bills of all kinds are being considered, including housing. Some of these bills directly impact co-op and condo board members, managers and residents. Housing is also on the agend…
Fires devastated Breezy Point; areas of Staten Island were destroyed with lives lost; thousands of residents in Lower Manhattan were plunged into darkness after an electrical transformer exploded on the East River. These events were amo…
A recent federal appeals court decision on the subject of income tax law stands to be of great benefit to cooperative corporations around the city, particularly in light of damage suffered in many buildings from Hurricane Sandy. Alphon…
One of our clients recently asked us to investigate the accuracy of their building’s square footage as listed on New York City’s Notice of Property Value. In order to contest the gross building area of a parcel, the city requires an eng…
New Yorkers are a resourceful bunch—we pride ourselves on being able to snag a cab during rush hour, get from the Upper West Side to Greenpoint in less than three subway transfers, and show no fear as we battle the crowd at a hot design…
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.” Certain…
New York's co-ops and condos are both governed by a multitude of laws and rules. For co-ops, the primary governing documents are the bylaws and the proprietary lease. For condos, they are the condominium declaration and, once again, the…
Recently, the Appellate Division First Department, in Fletcher v. Dakota, Inc., involving a shareholder in The Dakota, a historic luxury co-op on the Upper West Side, held that the business judgment rule does not protect individual con…
In today’s economy, co-ops and condos are looking for ways to cut costs wherever they can, and many are turning to examining their legal bills. The problem is two-fold: first off, you don’t want to compromise your relationship with your…