NEW YORK CITY—BakerHostetler has added two partners to its real estate practice, with both attorneys coming from Herrick, Feinstein. A third attorney, also from Herrick, has been hired as an associate.
Dennis Russo and Gina Mavica have joined BakerHostetler's New York office as partners. Russo, who will serve as head of the New York office real estate practice, is known for representing some of the nation's largest funds, private banks, lenders, and real estate companies. Mavica's practice includes representing some of the most prominent sites in New York City.
Russo has more than 27 years of experience representing institutional real estate clients and large developers. His practice focuses on sophisticated real estate financings, workouts, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, and development projects. Russo also has worked for many high-profile hospitality industry clients—providing counsel to hotel owners, operators, and developers in connection with acquisitions, developments, investments, and operational matters, such as franchise, management, and technical services agreements. For his corporate clients, he handles the sale and acquisition of companies, formation of funds, joint ventures, shareholder rights issues, buyout situations, and day-to-day business issues.
Recently, Russo advised Sherwood Equities in the $167 million sale of a Hudson Yards development site, he represented Gemini Real Estate Asset Management and Hersha Hospitality Trust in the acquisition of several sites for hotel development—including the development and related financing of the Hyatt Union Square for Hersha.
He has advised clients in multimillion-dollar property transactions across the US, including major deals in Manhattan, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas. Prior to his time in the law firm environment, Russo served as a principal in a real estate development and operating company, where he was responsible for the acquisition and management of commercial and multi-family projects.
In her real estate practice, Mavica represents lenders, borrowers, sellers, purchasers, and investors in acquisitions, dispositions, and financings. In particular, Mavica's practice includes handling of the transfer of air rights in connection with development deals. In larger transactions, she works with lenders in their capacities as administrative agents and syndicate members. Her recent transactions have involved hotels, office buildings, mixed-use properties, and development sites, including work for Sherwood Equities and major financial institutions.
Also joining the firm from Herrick, Feinstein is associate Nick Melillo.
“Dennis' experience, reputation, and demonstrated practice leadership, along with Gina's broad range of experience and client relationships, will prove to be a great asset to the firm's real estate capabilities and our New York office,” says George Stamboulidis, managing partner of BakerHostetler's New York office. “As a former developer, Dennis has unique insights into our clients' needs on both the legal and business side of a deal.”
“We are excited to be a part of BakerHostetler's real estate group,” adds Russo. “Our clients will certainly benefit from the breadth of the legal services offered by the firm as well as the wealth of local knowledge and experience from each of Baker's 14 offices.”
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
