Katten

Real Estate

Benzion Westreich has helped bring to life some of the most complex real estate developments of recent years, including the construction of two multi-billion-dollar sports arena mixed-use complexes. In a business where events rarely unfold as planned, he anticipates potential problems and makes appropriate adjustments so that clients don't meet with unwelcome surprises. He counsels clients on all sides of transactions, including lenders and borrowers, developers and equity partners, buyers and sellers and landlords and tenants.

Benny takes on a role for clients that goes well beyond just executing transactions and performing legal review. He keeps his eye open for opportunities, sensing the ones that will fit his clients' business goals. When high-profile problems arise, he advises clients on crisis management strategies. He views his role as a counselor in addition to being a lawyer. One of Benny's clients, in Chambers USA, described him as "…what I consider a business lawyer should be; he understands that it is key to find a compromise and not just be right." Private equity firms, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and individuals are among the investors that regularly turn to Benny for transactions involving all types of commercial and residential properties.

In a complex real estate project, such as the financing and construction of mixed-use facilities, Benny knows how to coordinate interlocking deal pieces involving multiple properties and uses, keeping an eye out for the long-term prospects, including ownership restructurings and bifurcations, refinancing and exit strategies. His work has also included public-private financings, which require careful attention to public relations as well as legal issues.

JD, Columbia Law School, 1978; BS, The City College of The City University of New York, 1974