Richard E. Strauss

Richard E. Strauss has been a partner with Moses & Singer since 1979 and is Co-Chair of its Real Estate practice. Richard’s practice covers a broad range of real estate transactions, with an emphasis on representation of financial institutions in their internal real estate transactions.

Noteworthy leasing transactions include the lease up of a number of major office buildings in Manhattan on behalf of their institutional owners. These included an anchor tenant lease for 400,000 square feet with complex expansion options and the takeover of a 200,000 square foot lease obligation, and disposition through sublet and surrender. Tenant representations range from 200,000+ square feet of new construction to be anchored or for exclusive occupancy; specialty leases, such as a data center (which expanded to over 300,000 square feet of office space in the project); disaster recovery centers and retail space for banks and other financial institutions.

Sale and purchase transactions include the acquisition of a 1,600,000 square foot Wall Street office tower, followed by a sale leaseback (which represented the largest single building sale in Lower Manhattan history); the buy-out of the other partners and the sale by the general partner of a 30-story multi-tenant office tower in the Rockefeller Center area in New York City; the assemblage of ownership interests in a major Park Avenue office building, including the exercise of purchase options, and arbitration to determine its fair market value, and the ultimate disposition of the building in a tax-free exchange; and the sale (in lieu of eminent domain) of an environmentally compromised, 40-story office building.

Richard’s real estate background also includes financing transactions. Some major projects include the construction financing for the World Financial Center office complex in lower Manhattan and the permanent refinancing of the multi-tenanted portion of a new Times Square office building developed as a commercial condominium for the headquarters for a major newspaper publisher. He has also represented lenders in sports and entertainment facilities and hotel financings across the country. In addition, Richard has represented developers and lenders in rated, securitized financings backed by credit leases and tax exempt bond financings for industrial facilities, housing projects, and other public purpose projects.

He represents lenders in the renegotiation and workout of, or the foreclosure or taking of title to, numerous projects in default. These include commercial and mixed-use projects in development and hotel properties.

Richard has lectured and published on such subjects as real estate workouts, lending to REITs, corporate real estate disaster contingency planning, construction loans and lease issues. He was honored by Law & Politics in their listing of New York Super Lawyers® and rated AV Preeminent® in his field by Martindale-Hubbell™.

Related News

• Moses & Singer LLP Attorneys Achieve Super Lawyer 2021 Status October 18, 2021
• Moses & Singer LLP Attorneys Achieve Super Lawyer 2020 Status October 28, 2020
• Richard Strauss Article on Lease Assignment Published in The Counselors of Real Estate October 22, 2014
• Super Lawyers Honors 36 Moses & Singer Attorneys in 2014 New York Metro Edition September 23, 2014
• Family Offices Advised on Real Estate Investment Strategies at Major Firm Event July 1, 2014
• Martindale-Hubbell Announces List of Top Rated Lawyers In New York October 17, 2013
• Super Lawyers Announces List of Winning Moses & Singer Attorneys September 23, 2013
• Moses & Singer LLP Real Estate Attorney Richard Strauss Tackles Mechanics Liens – What Should Property Owners Do When A Contractor Files a Claim? July 24, 2013
• Moses & Singer LLP Contributes to Lexis Practice Advisor, a LexisNexis Product for Attorneys Handling Transactional Matters January 31, 2013
• New York Super Lawyers® Lists Moses & Singer Lawyers October 18, 2012

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