By Adam Leitman Bailey and John M. Desiderio Since biblical Abraham’s purchase of his wife Sarah’s burial plot in Hebron from Ephron the Hittite, the transfer of land has been creative, predictable and repetitive.1 Despite the familiarity of such transactions, land transfers have been the subject of an inordinate amount of litigation. Of course, the Full Article…
About Adam Leitman Bailey
Actively at the helm of the law firm he built from scratch, Adam Leitman Bailey, Esq. practices residential and commercial real estate law. Among New York’s most successful and prominent real estate attorneys, Mr. Bailey is one of two attorneys from a law firm with less than 30 attorneys that has been ranked in Chambers & Partners, honored with a Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Preeminent rating, rated by Best Lawyers for himself and his law firm, and selected by Super Lawyers as one of New York’s “Top 100” attorneys, a list that included only five real estate law firms’ attorneys that year.
One New York State Judge wrote that Adam Leitman Bailey “was the best trial lawyer I saw in my nine years as a Judge in New York City” while another stated that he had known Bailey for fifteen years and “that he is a brilliant lawyer and innovative who always worked zealously on behalf of his clients.” The Commercial Observer named him as one of New York’s Most Powerful Real Estate Attorneys. Real Estate Weekly recognized him as “one of the most respected commercial real estate attorneys in not only New York City, but arguably the country.”
The New York Times referred to his legal strategy and legislation proposed in one case as “novel,” in addition to remarking on another case in which “Adam Leitman Bailey fought on…grinding through excruciating detail and obscure Perry Mason moments.” After Mr. Bailey’s firm used a forgotten statute to prevail in a landmark case, the Wall Street Journal quoted a prominent New York developer’s attorney who called the holding a “game changer” affecting real estate nationwide. Dateline NBC referred to Mr. Bailey as “aggressive, tenacious and smart” in asking him to share his negotiating secrets on its nationally syndicated television program. Mr. Bailey’s advocacy has prevailed in numerous important trials and cases before various courts and trial venues, including Housing, Civil, and New York State Supreme and Federal Courts, as well as various New York Appellate tribunals.
Adam Leitman Bailey has successfully defended a number of leading title companies and lenders in the nation and prevailed in numerous trials and settlements involving commercial and residential building owners, tenants, real estate developers, real estate brokerages, insurance companies and cooperative and condominium boards. In addition, Mr. Bailey has favorably represented a number of tenant and homeowner associations as well as commercial and residential tenants, garnering millions of dollars in compensation and rent abatements for these associations and individuals. For clients facing landlords who leave buildings in disrepair, Mr. Bailey has an unusually successful track record of getting those residential towers, apartments, and stores repaired and all services restored.
Adam Leitman Bailey has also applied his expertise in closing various real estate deals and commercial leases. He has been named to the Board of Editors for Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy and has a regular real estate column in the New York Law Journal. Bailey’s lease-drafting skills received national attention when BlumbergExcelsior, the nation’s leading form distributor, responsible for over 70 percent of the residential leases signed in the United States, tapped Bailey to draft a new set of residential and office leases for purchase nationwide. BlumbergExcelsior’s principal remarked that Bailey’s lease drafting skills were “remarkable.”
His success as cooperative and condominium general counsel earned Adam Leitman Bailey recognition in “Who’s Who in Real Estate” by Habitat Magazine. Mr. Bailey authored his first book, Finding the Uncommon Deal: A Top New York Lawyer Explains How to Buy a Home for the Lowest Possible Price (Wiley, 2011). This guide through the purchasing process for first-time home buyers became a New York Times bestseller and is available for purchase worldwide. Mr. Bailey has also been elected a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), where he serves on the Insurance and Title Insurance committees, and is a former member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA).
Adam Leitman Bailey’s Personal Website
Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. Youtube
The Most Influential Commercial Lease Cases in the Last Century that Every Drafter and Litigator Must Know, New York Real Property Law Journal
By Adam Leitman Bailey & Dov Treiman For almost two years, attorneys at Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. have been compiling a list of the greatest commercial lease cases of all time. The authors have always been fans “greatest” lists—there being something special about choosing the best among so many great people, entertainers, athletes, composers, or, Full Article…
What You Must Know When Negotiating a Rooftop Antenna Contract, The Cooperator
By Adam Leitman Bailey and Dov Treiman As the trilogy of real estate values rising, building usage changing, and cellphone and Internet communications became universal, wireless telecommunications companies became popular defendants in the Commercial Part of New York’s Civil Court. Owners began examining their rooftop antenna agreements to determine means to terminate them. Many of Full Article…
Keeping Window Guard Notices, New York Apartment Law Insider
By Adam Leitman Bailey Q. I know that the city’s lead-based paint law requires me to keep the lead-based paint notices I get back from tenants for 10 years. But what about the window guard notices returned by tenants. Am I legally required to keep those returned window guard notices and, if so, for how Full Article…
How to Win Eviction Case Against Tenant Who Overcharges Roommate, New York Apartment Law Insider
If you discover that a rent-stabilized tenant is overcharging a roommate, you may be able to win the tenant’s eviction in housing court. But winning these types of eviction cases isn’t easy, says Manhattan attorney Adam Leitman Bailey. You have to prove that the tenant, in fact, has been charging the roommate more than what’s Full Article…
Pitfalls for Buyers: Careful Drafting, Detailed Inquiries Minimize Risk, New York Law Journal
By Adam Leitman Bailey and Dov Treiman Recent case law demonstrates that buyers of residential property with rent-regulated units have been blind-sided by financial risks arising from their attorneys’ ignorance of rent regulatory laws. Although many of these cases go unreported, the recent decision of Newport Partners v. DHCR,1 is typical of the hazards uninformed Full Article…
Use Employee Log to Help Win Nonprimary Residence Case, New York Apartment Law Insider
Suppose you strongly suspect that one of your tenants isn’t a primary resident. After doing a little digging (either by yourself or with the help of a private investigator), you discover that most, if not all, of the time, the tenant isn’t living at the apartment. But you want some extra proof of this fact Full Article…
How to Win A Chronic Nonpayment Case, New York Housing Journal
By Adam Leitman Bailey, Dov Treiman & Carolyn Rualo Owners waste tons of money starting nonpayment cases and paying lawyers to prosecute these cases only to have the tenant pay on the eve of eviction and default again the very next month or months later. Most of the time, the legal fees and court costs Full Article…