Inside R&E Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.

On this episode of Inside R&E, Dave Lorenzo interviews R&E’s William Byers, a Member of the Firm and seasoned transactional attorney, who demystifies the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). The CTA, enacted to combat money laundering and other illicit activities, mandates the disclosure of beneficial owners and controllers of companies.
Byers expertly navigates the nuances of this NEW AND challenging area of legislation and sheds light on its implications for business owners, explaining several aspects of the CTA’s provisions, including reporting requirements and exemptions. Byers also clarifies the complexities surrounding beneficial ownership, outlining the parameters for identifying beneficial owners and those with substantial control. Through real-world scenarios and meticulous analysis, this episode demonstrates the CTA’s impact on various business structures, from LLCs to partnerships.
With fines and penalties looming for non-compliance, Byers emphasizes the importance of timely and accurate reporting, while offering practical strategies for navigating the filing process, from securing FinCEN identifiers to updating information promptly. This episode also addresses privacy concerns, assuring listeners of the confidentiality of disclosed information.
As the deadline for compliance approaches, Byers equips listeners with the knowledge and resources to navigate this evolving regulatory landscape. By demystifying the Corporate Transparency Act, the episode empowers business owners to uphold transparency while safeguarding their interests in an ever-changing legal environment.

In this episode of Inside R&E, Michael A. Pensabene, an R&E litigation attorney with over two decades of experience, delves into the complexities of navigating insurance claims, particularly in the aftermath of a multitude of catastrophes across the country. Joined by Philip Maltaghati, Co-CEO of United Public Adjusters, they shed light on the crucial role that public adjusters play in ensuring fair settlements for policyholders, providing valuable insights into maximizing insurance claims and ultimately empowering policyholders to navigate challenging situations and secure rightful compensation for their losses.
Over the course of their discussion, Pensabene and Maltaghati delve into the various ways in which public adjusters advocate for policyholders throughout the claims process. Maltaghati shares knowledge on the intricate process of assessing damages, interpreting policies, and advocating for fair compensation, emphasizing the proactive approach taken by public adjusters in identifying damages, navigating policy complexities, and engaging with insurance companies to ensure fair treatment for clients. With real-life examples, Maltaghati illustrates the significant impact of their involvement in securing substantial settlements for clients, enabling them to rebuild and renovate properties effectively.
Michael A. Pensabene’s practice spans all areas of commercial litigation, with a focus on joint venture and partnership disputes, contract and lease disputes, landlord/tenant litigation, construction issues and condo/coop disputes, as well as board representation of co-ops and condos. His experience affords him the judgment to evaluate the interests of the parties, and to know how and when to assert clients’ rights to achieve their objectives.
Philip Maltaghati started his career in the real estate and insurance industry over 10 years ago. Handling over $100 million in large complex residential and commercial claims throughout his years at United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, Inc. (UPA), he has an unmatched dedication and understanding focusing on commercial and business owner claims, high-net worth clients, and waterfront properties. Maltaghati’s vast knowledge of the insurance process, interpretation of complex insurance policy language, construction cost estimating, personal property inventory/valuations, negotiations, and disaster recovery allows him to settle claims efficiently and quickly. 
For any questions related to this episode, contact Michael A. Pensabene at mpensabene@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551-8406. With Offices in Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Upstate NY, and California, contact Philip Maltaghati for claims assistance at 1-800-718-5677 (LOSS) or Philip@UnitedPublicAdjusters.com. 

In this episode of Inside R&E, Michael A. Pensabene, R&E Litigation Member, invites Tina Larsson, Co-Founder & CEO of The Folson Group, for a comprehensive discussion of the structural, financial and operational issues facing New York City condominiums and cooperatives, including their struggle to meet the evolving NYC Local Laws (such as the recently-enacted LL 97, as well as LL 152, LL 126 and LL 11) which have aggressively tightened climate and safety regulations.
Their conversation provides advice to co-op and condo boards of aging buildings on ways to proactively approach building infrastructure and compliance with the new regulations, and even ways to reduce fines when compliance is not possible before deadlines. Michael and Tina stress the importance of being proactive concerning compliance with LL 97 (the Climate Mobilization Act), which imposes fines starting as early as 2024 that increase dramatically by 2030.
Michael and Tina also address LL 152, highlighting the complications building owners and managers will face when - for example - periodic inspections result in gas shutdowns, exposing the building to imposed abatements. When addressing compliance with any of these Local Laws, ultimately, Tina says, the longer you wait, the more costly it will be.
Michael A. Pensabene’s practice spans all areas of commercial litigation, with a focus on joint venture and partnership disputes, contract and lease disputes, landlord/tenant litigation, construction issues and condo/coop disputes, as well as board representation of co-ops and condos. His experience affords him the judgment to evaluate the interests of the parties, and to know how and when to assert clients' rights to achieve their objectives.
Tina Larsson is the powerhouse behind The Folson Group, New York City’s leading coop and condo consultant. Tina leveraged her analytical skills in the financial industry and was able to save her coop $340,000, leading to the creation of The Folson Group. Tina holds a LEED Green Associate designation, is the author of Living the High Life, and is passionate about supporting boards to make their buildings safer, more sustainable and more affordable.
For any questions related to this episode, contact Michael A. Pensabene at mpensabene@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551-8406. Tina Larsson can be reached by email at tina@thefolsongroup.com, or on LinkedIn, Instagram (@folsongrp) and YouTube (@folsongrp).
About Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.
Founded in 1975, Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. is widely recognized as one of New York City’s pre-eminent real estate law firms. R&E provides full-service representation and advice in every aspect of real estate, from performing due diligence and evaluating financing, to handling joint ventures, acquisitions and leasing, construction and design team agreements, property tax exemptions and abatements, land use and zoning matters, Real Property Income & Expense (RPIE) filings, co-op and condo offering plan filings, distressed situations and bankruptcies, trust and estate planning, as well as the litigations and negotiations which sometimes ensue when deal-making. R&E’s wealth of experience in New York real estate makes it the ideal thought partner for owners, developers, not-for-profit corporations, educational institutions, sponsors, equity investors and lenders in both real estate transactions and in all court venues.
This is published by the law firm Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. It is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion. Such advice may only be given when related to specific fact situations that Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. has accepted an engagement as counsel to address. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. ©2023 Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. | ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

In this episode of Inside R&E, Adam Lindenbaum and Harris W. Davidson, attorneys with the firm’s Litigation Department, discuss the changing legal landscape and new challenges - from the perspective of commercial building owners and landlords - surrounding the unlicensed sale of cannabis products by thousands of New York City smoke shops. Together they discuss the statutory history and the various recently-enacted New York State and City laws (Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act of March 2021, RPAPL 715-A of May 2023, Cannabis Law 16-A of May 2023 and New York City Local Law 107 of July 2023) which first decriminalized cannabis sales, and shortly thereafter re-criminalized unlicensed cannabis sales for purposes of landlord-tenant law. At the same time, these newest statutes aim to hold commercial landlords accountable for knowingly leasing to unlicensed cannabis dispensaries. Adam and Harris also detail ways in which NYC landlords can mitigate liability and proactively insulate themselves from legal consequences as the numerous authorized State and City agencies continue to tighten regulations within the marijuana market. This episode follows Adam and Harris’ recent article published in The Real Deal: Up in Smoke: Retail Leases With Unlicensed Cannabis Dispensaries Laced With New Legal Risks.  
Adam Lindenbaum is a Member with Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.’s Litigation Department. He is licensed in New York and New Jersey, and his practice is focused on representing real estate firms, developers, managing agents, cooperatives and condominiums in connection with their use, management, and operation of commercial real estate. Contact Adam at alindenbaum@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551-8405. Harris Davidson is an Associate in Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.’s Litigation Department. He is licensed in New York and Florida, where he was previously a prosecutor, and he represents a wide range of real estate entities, including landlords, fee simple owners, co-op boards, ground lessees, commercial development companies, and joint venturers. Contact Harris at hdavidson@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551-8403. 

In this episode of Inside R&E, Adam R. Sanders, Member in R&E’s Transactional Department, discusses the ins and outs of property management with Michael P. Feldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Choice New York Management. Together they share ways in which building management across New York has changed since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, perhaps most notably the transition of board meetings to virtual platforms like Zoom, Google Meets and Microsoft Teams. One of today’s leading challenges, Michael says, is the conflict between technological development - like the implementation of AI - against customer service. As property managers continue to strive for efficiency with an increased use of tech, there remains the struggle to meet consumer expectation (like more building amenities, etc.), which, since the pandemic, has grown in the face higher-than-ever rent rates.
Choice New York Companies, Choice NY Property Management, LLC, Goldin Choice Property Management, Staffing By Choice and Home By Choice Real Estate Brokerage companies provide an array of 3rd Party Real Estate Services such as Property Management, Building Staffing and Residential Brokerage on medium and large-scale buildings in New York City. Michael focuses on large business prospective client procurement, business acquisitions, providing leadership and directly training the organizations ~300 full time professionals and is the chief liaison with Choice New York Managements’ Parent Company, Associa Corp. out of Dallas, TX.
Adam’s practice focuses on representing clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate and business transactions and matters, including acquisitions and sales, financing, leasing, construction, portfolio structuring, cooperative and condominium boards representation, Local Law 97 compliance, 1031 transactions and general corporate representation in the real estate, entertainment and web/technology industries. Adam is the firm’s go-to expert for all matters concerning Opportunity Zones. Investors and real estate developers exclusively rely on him for program updates and comprehensive legal analyses, keeping them on the cutting edge of the program even before regulations are released.
For any questions related to this episode, please contact Adam R. Sanders at asanders@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551- 1275. Michael P. Feldman can be reached at Michael.Feldman@choicenewyork.com (https://choicenewyork.com/).

In this episode of Inside R&E, Adam R. Sanders, Member in R&E’s Transactional Department, welcomes two of his clients, Lindsay Weiss and Alyssa Golub, who share the history and inspiration behind Pine & Polk, Hudson Square’s premier destination for artisanal provisions and hand-crafted cocktails. Lindsay and Alyssa co-founded Pine & Polk in 2020, shortly after relocating from San Francisco to New York City. The two became best friends over 10 years ago while living on intersecting streets in SF (one lived on Pine and the other on Polk). Located at 300 Spring Street, Pine & Polk boasts two concepts: a food-focused retail shop with products made by female and minority-owned brands, along with a secret speakeasy bar that has been dubbed “PS” for “Pacific Standard.” Throughout this episode, Adam, Lindsay and Alyssa discuss current trends in the hospitality industry, ways to engage target communities with social media and event pop-ups, as well as the steps needed to bring business concepts to life amid uncertain post-pandemic market conditions.
During her 20-plus years in event marketing, Lindsay has managed experiential programming, marketing strategy, and a wide range of events for both large corporate clients and smaller niche brands. She spent much of her career planning culinary events and programming for American Express, followed by time as a consultant for clients such as The James Beard Foundation, The New York Times, Auberge Resorts, CookUnity, lululemon, and more.
For the past 7 years, Alyssa’s career has been focused in the areas of business development, sales and customer experience, working directly with owners and operators of restaurant groups and hotels. With a passion for wine starting during her time as an F&B Manager for the Four Seasons Wailea in Maui, Alyssa soon began to manage within the Michael Mina restaurant group in San Francisco, where she ultimately became a Certified Sommelier. Her interests in technology and its impact on the hospitality industry led her into the startup space (specifically SaaS/B2B).
Adam’s practice focuses on representing clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate and business transactions and matters, including acquisitions and sales, financing, leasing, construction, portfolio structuring, cooperative and condominium boards representation, Local Law 97 compliance, New Markets Tax Credits, 1031 transactions and general corporate representation in the real estate, entertainment and web/technology industries. Adam is the firm’s go-to expert for all matters concerning Opportunity Zones. Investors and real estate developers exclusively rely on him for program updates and comprehensive legal analyses, keeping them on the cutting edge of the program even before regulations are released.
For any questions related to this episode, please contact Adam R. Sanders at asanders@rosenbergestis.com or (212) 551- 1275. Inside R&E listeners are invited to visit Pine & Polk with a 10% discount on cocktails and products.