New York, NY, June 22, 2011 – Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP announced today that leading real estate attorneys Wallace L. Schwartz and Adam M. Endick have joined the firm in New York as partners to launch the firm’s transactional real estate practice. Both were formerly with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where Mr. Schwartz served as global head of Skadden’s Real Estate Group.
The Kasowitz firm’s real estate practice is being launched in response to demand from clients in the real estate industry, including developers, real estate funds, and other real estate investors, for which the firm provides litigation and restructuring services.
“While we are and have always been predominantly a litigation firm, establishing a real estate practice is a natural fit for us, especially given repeated requests for such services from our existing litigation clients,” said Marc E. Kasowitz, Kasowitz’s managing partner. “Wally is a terrific real estate lawyer who we have historically turned to for our own major new lease work. We’ve had tremendous growth and success in our litigation practice during the past 18 years. We are confident that Wally and Adam -- who is a rising star in his own right -- will have similar success in building a top tier real estate practice.”
Mr. Schwartz has more than 30 years of experience in real estate development, acquisitions, leasing, partnerships and joint ventures, financing, real estate funds, and public and private offerings of real estate securities. His broad range of representations includes lenders, owners and developers in connection with loan workouts and restructurings relating to mixed-use properties, as well as banks and issuers in connection with REITs, rated securitized debt and acquisition funds. International work has included representing U.S. and foreign clients in their acquisition and development of hotels, shopping centers, ski resorts, office buildings and residential projects in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and throughout the U.S. Prominent clients recently represented by Mr. Schwartz include Boston Properties, Tishman Speyer Properties, ING Clarion, Silverstein Properties, Forest City Ratner, Penn National Gaming and BlackRock Realty. He earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School and his B.A. from Harvard University.
“Adam and I look forward to the opportunity to build Kasowitz’s new real estate practice,” said Mr. Schwartz. “Kasowitz is a great success story and we are thrilled to be joining them.”
Mr. Endick joined Skadden’s Real Estate Group in 1997, directly after law school. He has represented clients in commercial leasing, joint ventures, financings, acquisitions, dispositions, loan workouts and developments. Mr. Endick earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Cornell University.
About Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP
Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP is a national law firm specializing in complex, highly sophisticated litigation numbering more than 350 lawyers. The firm has offices in New York, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Miami and Newark, and plans to open a Silicon Valley office in 2011. For more information, visit www.kasowitz.com.