Two Lawyers Walk Into a Bar

In this episode of "Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar" Cooper Knowlton and Lee Bergstein chat with Shaun W. Pappas, a partner at Starr Associates LLP, who practices in the general real estate group with a focus on development and offering plans. During this conversation they chat about why Shaun decided to go to law school, why he started his career in litigation, and how he pivoted from litigation to real estate transactional work. Shaun also shares some valuable advice for aspiring law students, and for anyone interested in working in the world of New York real estate. It's a great conversation and we hope you give it a listen. Mr. Pappas works with developers, lenders and investors in the acquisition, sale, and financing of complex commercial, mixed-use, and luxury residential properties in New York. Mr. Pappas assists clients in all aspects of project development, including the preparation of offering plans, drafting declarations, the condominium creation process, negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, and the closing of title. In addition, Mr. Pappas collaborates with the project’s development team, including sales and marketing, architects and engineers, managing agents, and other general counsel to expeditiously move projects from inception through approval and ultimately to the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements as well as closings. 

Tom Hanley is a partner at Glaser Weil in Los Angeles, where he leads a transactional real estate practice advising investors, joint venture partners, lenders and developers in all aspects of purchases, sales, financings, lease agreements and joint ventures. In this episode, he chats with Lee and Cooper about his path to law school, his early struggles with ADD, his transition from litigation to transactional work, and growing a real estate practice in Los Angeles. Tom also discusses how he ended up serving as a peace negotiator for the conflict in Bosnia, and negotiating one of the most successful cease-fires of the war, and shares how this experience affected his legal career and what it took to build back up a practice after a leave of absence. Tom is a fascinating individual and hope you take some time to hear his story!

Lee Bergstein and Cooper Knowlton chat with election law attorney Jerry Goldfeder about the inflection points in his storied career. The conversation also serves as a history lesson for anyone interested in New York City politics, and a roadmap for any lawyers considering entering the field of election law. (You can also tune in for a rare story involving Representative Jerry Nadler without a shirt and tie.) It's a great talk, and we hope you give it a listen. 

Maria Sanez is an immigration attorney who represents clients throughout the United States in all types of immigration matters. During this call she discusses how her cases are being affected by the shutdowns and how she is advising clients during this time. Maria also discusses how she is managing to run her practice in the virtual world. You can learn more about Maria and her practice here: https://www.mariasaenzlaw.com/

New York based personal injury attorney Matthew Salimbene discusses what is happening in New York Civil Courts and discusses how his cases are being affected by the current state of the world. To learn more about Matthew and his practice visit: https://www.salimbenelaw.com/.

Lawyer, mediator, and educator Damali Peterman shares thoughts on how she is helping clients adapt during this time and discusses how she is being forced to adapt as a business owner herself.You can learn more about Damali here: https://damalilaw.com/

Joel Cohen is a former Skadden Arps attorney who founded TalksOnLaw, an online platform where legal experts share cutting edge ideas, and deliver CLEs through captivating and informative video content. During this conversation Joel discusses why he decided to get an LLM, what it was like starting his career at Skadden, and the moment he realized the world of big law was not for him. Joel also talks about the path that led him to TalksOnLaw, and shares some valuable insights for any lawyers out there who are interested in entrepreneurship. 

Adam Safir is the head of Safir Intelligence & Security where he uses his diverse career experiences in law, finance, M&A, security, forensics and data management to help clients reduce, navigate and respond to a full spectrum of security and integrity risks. In this episode Adam shares stories about his early years at the University of Virginia, selling cars in Queens, working at the New York Stock Exchange, and his love of music. He also talks about starting his career at Sony, transiting to Wall Street, and ending up working for the family business.