Goldstein Hall Newsletter________________..FALL | 2020
INDUSTRY NEWS & UPDATES
Grunin Prize Recognizes That, In Impact Investing, Lawyers Are Innovative, Too
In the world of impact enterprise and investing, lawyers don’t get a lot of love. But, in fact, they’re important behind-the-scenes players, building crucial structures, mechanisms and models that help make impact happen.
Called the 2020 Grunin Prize for Law and Social Entrepreneurship, it was awarded to a legal team at Goldstein Hall, a law firm in New York City that devised a way for community development corporations to band together, the better to develop affordable multifamily housing in the Big Apple.
Senior Associate, Jason Labate to be presented with the New York State Council of Churches Community Development Award
On December 2, 2020, the New York State Council of Churches will present Jason Labate with the Community Development Award for his hard work and dedication involving Faith Based institutions and their communities. For a glimpse into Jason’s work within the Faith Based community, feel free to check out the recording from our recent event with HAND discussing Developing Affordable Housing and Community Facilities in Partnership with Faith Communities.
We are proud to announce that Goldstein Hall has officially been recertified as a B Corporation. As one of the only three law firms who are certified B Corporations in New York State, Goldstein Hall has reconfirmed its commitment to diversity, charitable giving, pro bono legal work and hands-on service while also creating a material positive impact on society and the environment.
Goldstein Hall client, Lemle & Wolff Companies is partnering with Avante Contracting Corpto develop a 100 percent affordable homeownership housing development at NYCHA’s Soundview campus. The closing marks the most recent phase of real estate projects the Authority has helped facilitate in Soundview, starting with a 120-unit multifamily development and 86-unit senior building in the area that were completed in 2016. The development also includes construction of a new 25-space parking lot for NYCHA residents.
The East Harlem El Barrio Community Land Trust (CLT) and developer partners Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association and Community Assisted Tenant-Controlled Housing recently closed on their first preservation project to convert four city-owned multi-family buildings in East and Central Harlem into permanently affordable, community-controlled housing. The closing represents a significant milestone for New York City’s growing CLT movement.
Aisha Johnsonconcentrates her practice on real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, banking, cooperative and condominium law, and real estate finance. She has nearly twenty years of experience practicing as a real estate attorney with an emphasis on representing lenders, purchasers, sellers, and investors in both residential and commercial transactions. Aisha advises clients from contract through closing and has closed thousands of deals.
Samori Touré concentrates his practice in real estate and commercial litigation. While in law school, Samori participated in CUNY School of Law Mediation Clinic, where he mediated civil claims between parties in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens Civil Courts. During this time, he acquired the ability to identify a range of legal and non-normative issues to effectively create a framework to incorporate into his practice.
