HIRSCHEN SINGER & EPSTEIN - Key Persons
Benjamin practices zoning and land use law at Hirschen Singer & Epstein. He advises clients in zoning-related due diligence and transactional matters, and regularly counsels and represents clients before the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, Department of City Planning, Department of Buildings, Landmarks Preservation Commission, as well as the City Planning Commission and City Council. He has experience obtaining a variety of discretionary land use approvals, including variances, special permits, zoning text and map changes, authorizations, certifications, as well as favorable determinations and interpretations from the Department of Buildings. His transactional practice includes the representation of both buyers and sellers of transferable development rights, as well as the preparation and negotiation of land use-related covenants, easements, and other private agreements.
Mr. Stark holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Carolina. He has also completed coursework toward a Master's Degree in City and Regional Planning from the Pratt Institute. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2014, and is a member of the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Education
University of South Carolina, B.A.
Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
Carole Slater specializes in construction permitting, zoning and land use in New York City. She works with lending institutions, developers, contractors, major law firms, and design professionals in the acquisition and development of property. Her projects include the adoption of the City's zoning maps in Midtown Manhattan, issuance of a special permit for a telecommunications tower serving the City's major airports and emergency services, a theatre in the SoHo Historic District, changes to the public space at Olympic Towers, and the acquisition and sale of various hotel properties. Ms. Slater previously served as General Counsel to the New York City Department of Buildings as well as Counsel to the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, the City's zoning board. She is the former Co-Chair of the Land Use and Planning Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and formerly chaired the Committee on Land Use Planning and Zoning of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
A member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers since 1995, Ms. Slater was elected in 1998 to the Commercial Real Estate Women of New York.
Since 2012, Ms. Slater has been annually listed as a New York Super Lawyer for Land Use and Zoning in Super Lawyers Magazine.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Boards of Directors of the New York Housing Conference
Christine A. Coletta practices in all areas of real estate, with an emphasis on mixed-use and multifamily affordable residential development and community-based construction projects in New York City. She advises for-profit and not-for-profit developers, landlords and tenants on all aspects of real estate development, including acquisition, financing and commercial leasing. Christine's practice includes assisting clients in all aspects of affordable housing and community development, with financing provided from sources ranging from tax exempt bonds, federal and state low income housing tax credits, private loans and federal, state and local loan and grant programs. Her expertise in deal structuring, including "no action" condominiums and leasehold condominiums, tax incentives and joint venture relationships allows her clients to best position themselves in a real estate transaction.
Christine regularly advises non-profit organizations on matters related to formation, tax exemption and structuring. She also represents a number of charter schools and developers of charter schools in New York, on all aspects of development, including acquisition and leasing, financing and governance.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Christine was an associate in the real estate department of an international law firm, where she represented real estate developers and joint venture partners in connection with the financing, acquisition and development of commercial properties. She has also held positions with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Fifth Avenue Committee, a not-for-profit community development corporation based in Brooklyn. Christine received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002 from Brown University with honors in the Department of Environmental Studies. She received her law degree from Boston College Law School in 2008, where she graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif and was the topics editor of the Boston College Law Review and a founding member of the Community Economic Development Law Group. She is admitted to practice in New York.
Christine is a member of the boards of directors of the New York Housing Conference, Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) and Big Initiatives, Inc.
Education
Brown University, B.A.
Boston College Law School, J.D.
Connor Blancato practices real estate law with an emphasis on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, he held internships at the New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD), and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). He is the author of QAP OUT; Why the Federal Government Should Require More from How States Allocate Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, 28 J.L. & POL'Y 639 (2020).
Mr. Blancato graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Maryland, where he was a member of the Loyola University Rugby Football Club. He graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and received the Max M. Lome Memorial Award for obtaining the highest grade in Urban Law. Mr. Blancato served as Executive Notes and Comments Editor of the Brooklyn Law School Journal of Law and Policy and was a recipient of the New York State Bar Association Real Property Section's Melvyn Mitzner Scholarship. He is also an Eagle Scout. Mr. Blancato is admitted to practice in New York.
Education
Loyola University Maryland, B.A.
Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
Ms. Feibusch practices in the area of real estate and not-for-profit law with an emphasis on mixed-use and multi-family affordable residential, supportive housing and transitional housing development. Her clients include not-for-profit and for-profit developers involved in the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation and preservation of mixed-use projects that are financed with low-income housing tax credits, municipal bonds and/or private, federal, state and local debt financing. Ms. Feibusch provides counsel on transactional real estate matters including purchase and sales, corporate structuring, commercial financing, government subsidy programs for housing and social services, tax credit equity investment, regulatory regimes, construction and design professional contracts and tax incentives. She has most recently been involved in the development and implementation of the Purpose Built Shelters program created by the NYC Department of Homeless Services which allows not-for-profit organizations to acquire, construct and operate transitional housing projects. Prior to joining HSE, Ms. Feibusch worked at JDF, LLC, a law firm focused on tax credit syndication and development of affordable housing. She was a Legal Fellow at Enterprise Community Partners and a Ginsberg Graduate Fellow at Citizens Housing and Planning Council. Ms. Feibusch also held a position at Local Initiatives Support Corporation as a Community Development Associate. She received her Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Boston University and her law degree with a specialization in the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy from UCLA School of Law, where she participated in the Skid Row Housing Clinic and held internships at Public Counsel and Inner-City Law Center in Los Angeles.
Education
Boston University, B.A.
UCLA School of Law, J.D.
Erin M. Durkin practices in the areas of not-for-profit law and real estate, with an emphasis on mixed-use and multifamily affordable residential development that utilize low-income housing tax credits, municipal bonds and/or private, federal, state and local debt financing. Her practice focuses on the structuring, acquisition, construction and financing of affordable housing transactions, with an emphasis on supportive housing projects.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with distinction in Public Policy Analysis and her Masters of Urban Planning from Hunter College. She received her law degree, along with a Certificate in Real Estate Law, from Brooklyn Law School, where she graduated cum laude, was the recipient of the Samuel Kirschenbaum Prize and the Jack Weprin Real Estate Prize and held internships at New York City Department of Law - Economic Development Division, the Municipal Art Society, the Anchorage office of Alaska Legal Services and the law and planning departments of the City of Asheville, North Carolina. Ms. Durkin is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina.
Education
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, B.A.
Hunter College, M.U.P.
Brooklyn Law School, J.D.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Mr. Benedek worked in New Orleans from 2006-2010 as a programs manager with the Neighborhoods Partnership Network, a not-for-profit formed in response to Hurricane Katrina that facilitates civic engagement and training on urban planning, development and quality-of-life issues.
Mr. Benedek is admitted to practice law in New York. He received his law degree in 2014 from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he graduated cum laude, and was the President of the Real Estate Law Association. Mr. Benedek received a Master's Certificate in Urban Development in 2010 from the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence ("CUREx") as a Rockefeller Fellow, and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2006 from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. Mr. Benedek is a former Voting Member, and presently an Affiliate Member with the Housing and Urban Development Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
Mr. Benedek has been named a Rising Star in the areas of Real Estate and Nonprofit organizations by Super Lawyers magazine since 2017.
Education
University of Massachusetts - Amherst, B.A.
University of Pennsylvania, School of Design - Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence (CUREx) - Masters Certificate
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D.
Jamie Lipman practices real estate law with an emphasis on complex commercial real estate projects, including mixed-use and multifamily affordable residential developments financed by Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity, tax-exempt municipal bonds and private, federal, state and local debt financing.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Mr. Lipman was an associate at a real estate law firm and at a boutique consulting firm. He also served as National Commercial Services Underwriting Counsel for the First American Title Insurance Company.
Mr. Lipman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He earned his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he served as Notes Editor of the Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law. Mr. Lipman is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.
Leah-Berman Gestring practices not-for-profit and real estate law, with an emphasis on community development through the new construction and preservation of mixed-use and multifamily affordable residential developments, supportive housing developments and transitional housing developments through the utilization of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), municipal bonds and/or private, federal, state and local debt financing. Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, she held internships at The Small Business and Community Economic Development Clinic at the George Washington University Law School, Lawyers Alliance for New York, and Settlement Housing Fund, Inc.
Ms. Berman-Gestring graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from The Florida State University, where she was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She received her Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School. During law school she received both the Dean's Recognition for Professional Development and Dean's Commendation for Advanced Professional Development. Ms. Berman-Gestring is admitted to practice in New York.
Marissa S. Liff practices broadly across complex real estate transactions with an emphasis on community development through the new construction, preservation, acquisition, leasing and operation of mixed-use developments and affordable multifamily residential properties. She advises non-profit and for-profit developers on deal structuring and financing: navigating various tax-driven public finance initiatives and securing private debt and equity funding.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Ms. Liff held both public and private sector positions in the practice of real estate; she served as counsel to one of New York State's leading issuers of affordable housing bonds and has also privately represented financial institutions, real estate investors and property managers in secured corporate finance and real estate transactions.
Ms. Liff is admitted to practice in New York. She received her law degree from New York University, where she was an editor for NYU's Moot Court Casebook and a teaching assistant for their legal writing program. She graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University with majors in Literature, Medieval Studies and Classical Studies, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Education
Tulane University, B.A.
University of Wisconsin - Madison, M.A. English Language and Literature
New York University School of Law, J.D.
Melanie Brimmer Samuels is Of Counsel to Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP. Ms. Samuels represents sponsors of condominiums and cooperatives, and she has drafted numerous offering plans for new condominiums and cooperatives in New York. She regularly consults with the New York State Law Department, Real Estate Financing Bureau regarding changes in relevant law and regulations governing condominiums and cooperatives.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Ms. Samuels was a staff attorney for the New York State Law Department, Real Estate Financing Bureau. She has also served as a legal consultant to the New York City Housing Authority
Ms. Samuels is admitted to practice in New York and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She received her law degree from Harvard Law School.
Education
State University of New York at Stony Brook, B.A.
Harvard Law School, J.D.
Oliver G. Chase is a partner in the law firm of Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP. He represents non-profit and for-profit developers and joint ventures in transactions involving the construction, rehabilitation and preservation of multifamily affordable housing, mixed use projects, transitional shelters, and other complex real estate developments, frequently utilizing tax-exempt bond financing, federal and state low-income housing tax credits, new markets tax credits, historic tax credits, brownfields tax credits, and multiple layers of private, federal, state and/or local debt financing. His other main areas of practice include inclusionary housing, structuring and negotiating real estate joint ventures, real property acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, and not-for-profit law.
Prior to joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, Mr. Chase was an attorney at the Legal Aid Society, Community Development Project, first as a Skadden Fellow and later as a Staff Attorney, where his work was focused on representing low-income housing cooperatives, non-profit organizations and small businesses in Harlem and Northern Manhattan on a variety of real estate, corporate and other transactional matters.
Mr. Chase is admitted to practice in New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University with honors in the Department of Public Policy and American Institutions. He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his Masters in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He serves on the board of directors of the Supportive Housing Network of New York and is a frequent lecturer on the topics of supportive and affordable housing development and finance.
Education
Brown University, B.A.
Princeton University, M.P.A.
New York University School of Law, J.D.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Co - Chair of the Committee
- Member of the NYS
Richard C. Singer is a partner at Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP. He has over 25 years of experience in representing clients in the purchase, sale and management of multifamily residential properties. He has served as lead counsel on numerous multifamily transactions financed and/or subsidized through various HUD programs, including Section 202 financing, Section 8 subsidies, and "Mark-to-Market" transactions. He frequently serves as a consultant on issues pertaining to housing companies organized under the Mitchell-Lama program, and has overseen transactions involving the purchase and/or sale of properties within the Mitchell-Lama program.
Mr. Singer has a significant amount of experience in representing sponsors of condominiums and cooperatives. He has represented condominium developers in all stages of development, including acquisition, financing, and construction. He has drafted numerous offering plans for condominiums ranging from small luxury/boutique developments to high-rise developments. Mr. Singer has also served as general counsel to cooperatives located throughout New York City.
Mr. Singer is the co-chair of the Committee on Low-Income and Affordable Housing of the Real Property Law Section and a member of the Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives of the New York State Bar Association and co-chair of its Affordable Housing Subcommittee. He is the former chair of the Housing & Urban Development Committee and is currently a member of the Committee on Real Property Law of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has served as a member of the Downtown Task Force and the Committees on Land Use and Urban Development and Condominiums and Cooperatives of the Association of the Bar. He has lectured on housing and community development topics at Yale University and the New School for Social Research. For three years, he served as a guest lecturer on real estate conveyancing and finance for the Building Owners and Managers Institute. He has lectured on cooperatives and condominium governance at an Annual Meeting of the Federation of New York Housing Cooperatives.
Mr. Singer is a member of the NYS and NYC Joint Bar Associations Task Force that was established to address the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. He spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar Association on January 30, 2020 with respect to "Using Affordable Housing Programs as a Tool" to deal with the new rent regulations.
Mr. Singer is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Yale College. He is an officer and a board member of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council in New York.
Mr. Singer has been named a Super Lawyer in the areas of Real Estate and Nonprofit Organizations by Super Lawyers magazine in 2007 and 2009-2023.
Education
Yale College, B.A.
Columbia Law School, J.D.
Russell A. Kivler is a partner in the law firm of Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP. He joined the firm in 2004 and became a partner in 2010. Mr. Kivler practices in the area of real estate, representing developers, owners and equity investors in connection with acquisitions and dispositions, financings, joint ventures, development and construction and commercial leasing. He has developed extensive experience in commercial and public finance, federal, state and local housing programs and tax incentives. Mr. Kivler regularly represents clients in large scale affordable housing and mixed use development projects that are financed with municipal bonds and tax credit equity.
Mr. Kivler is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey and received his Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in economics and business management, with a concentration in finance, in 1999 from Gettysburg College and his law degree magna cum laude in 2002 from American University, Washington College of Law.
At Hirschen Singer & Epstein, Stefanie practices zoning and land use law, where she represents developers and property owners in obtaining discretionary land use approvals such as rezonings and special permits through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and at the Board of Standards and Appeals. Her practice includes representing clients in the transfer of floor area development rights, zoning due diligence, and zoning interpretations. She regularly represents clients at the New York City Planning Commission, City Council, Department of City Planning, Department of Buildings, Landmarks Preservation Commission, and local community boards, and before elected officials. Prior to joining the firm, Stefanie was a partner at Slater & Beckerman PC, a boutique zoning and land use law firm in New York City. Prior to joining Slater & Beckerman in 2010, she was a William R. Ginsberg Practitioner Fellow at Citizens Housing & Planning Council. She holds a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she was a Paul J. Liacos Scholar and served as Articles Editor for BUSL's Public Interest Law Journal. Prior to law school, Ms. Marazzi received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from New College of Florida. Stefanie was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2008. She is a member of the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Education
New College of Florida, B.S.
Boston University School of Law, J.D.
Stuart Beckerman specializes in zoning and land use in New York City. He advises clients on complex zoning, building code and multiple dwelling law issues. He regularly represents clients before the City Planning Commission on applications for zoning map and text changes, special permits, and changes to the City's street map; and the Board of Standards and Appeals on variance and special permit applications, and appeals from decisions of the Department of Buildings. He also represents clients before other City agencies, including the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Department of Buildings. In addition, he represents both buyers and sellers of transferrable development rights in the negotiation of zoning lot development and easement agreements.
Before entering private practice in 1998, Mr. Beckerman served as Deputy Counsel to the Land Use Division of the New York City Council and, prior to that, as Deputy Counsel to the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals, the City's zoning board.
Mr. Beckerman is recognized as a leading zoning and land use attorney in New York City by Chambers Guide USA. He has also been listed as a New York Super Lawyer for Land Use and Zoning and Administrative Law by Super Lawyers since 2013.
He is a Member of the Board of the Citizens Housing Planning Council (CHPC), a nonprofit research and education organization advancing practical public policies to support NYC's housing and neighborhoods.
From 2006 to 2015, he was Co-Chair and Speaker in an annual continuing legal education seminar at the New York City Bar Association on the transfer of development rights.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, B.A.
Cardozo School Law of Yeshiva University, J.D.
Wendell Ramsey focuses his practice on real estate transactions. Before joining Hirschen Singer & Epstein LLP, he worked at several global law firms headquartered in New York City.
Mr. Ramsey graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from the Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York, where he was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and named to the Dean's List. He received his Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School and earned the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar prize for academic performance. Mr. Ramsey is admitted to practice in New York.
Education
Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York, B.A.
Columbia Law School, J.D.