Raymond A. Sanseverino Is Named Chair of Loeb & Loeb’s New York Real Estate Department

NEW YORK - Loeb & Loeb LLP announced today that Raymond A. Sanseverino, current chair of the firm’s national commercial real estate leasing practice, will also assume the role of chair of the firm’s New York Real Estate Department.

As chair of the New York Real Estate Department, Sanseverino will oversee practice development, new business initiatives, client relations, practice group policies and work flow. Sanseverino, a seasoned real estate industry negotiator, joined Loeb & Loeb in August 2006, with five other real estate industry attorneys, including partners Richard A. Nardi, Kenneth W. Sold and subsequently, Mark A. Shapiro.

“Ray is a natural leader,” said Michael Beck, Co-Chairman of Loeb & Loeb. “His many years of experience and his work with executives at the very highest levels in the industry, provide him with a unique perspective to guide individuals, influence new business development and steer the practice.”

Sanseverino commented, “I am honored to have been chosen to lead the group of professionals in our department, who are among the best and most dedicated attorneys in the real estate industry. Meeting client demand on a 24/7 basis has been and will continue to be our mantra.”

Sanseverino concentrates his practice on commercial real estate law, with an emphasis in leasing, brokerage and conveyancing transactions. He represents both landlords and tenants in the leasing of all types of real estate, including office and retail space. He also represents sellers and purchasers of all types of real estate, and real estate brokers and owners in connection with commission and agency agreements, and commission claims.

Currently, Sanseverino is landlord's counsel at sixteen office buildings around Manhattan, including those at 375 Park Avenue (The Seagram Building, New York, NY), 390 Park Avenue (Lever House, New York, NY), One World Financial Center (New York, NY), 1114 Avenue of the Americas (the Grace Building, New York, NY), 17 State Street (New York, NY), 400 Park Avenue, (New York, NY), 345 Park Avenue South, (New York, NY) 875 Third Avenue (New York, NY) and Harborside Financial Center (Jersey City, NJ). He also represents such companies as Mellon Financial Group, Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company and The Thomson Corporation, as tenants.

Representative tenant matters in 2006 include:

• Representation of Aon Corporation, which had occupied 400,000 square feet in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and returned to Lower Manhattan to lease 199 Water Street. The lease Sanseverino negotiated for Aon was one of Downtown’s largest in five years.
• Representation of PRIMEDIA, the publisher of trade publications including Motor Trend and Guns & Ammo, for their lease of 135,000 square feet of space at 261 Madison Avenue for its New York City headquarters (a consolidation of six different locations throughout New York).
• Representation of Mellon Financial Corporation for a 100,000 square foot lease in San Francisco. For the same client (two years ago), Sanseverino completed the lease negotiations for 1,500,000 square feet of office space for its headquarters in Pittsburgh, believed to be the largest lease in the U.S. at the time.

One of his most recent clients, Philip Schwalb, the Founder and CEO of The National Sports Museum, had this to say about Sanseverino: “The National Sports Museum's successful securing of $95 million in public and private financing would simply not have been possible without the extensive and superior counsel of Ray Sanseverino on a wide variety of Real Estate matters. We quickly came to expect from Ray the sort of representation a client hopes for, but rarely receives -- an unusual level of responsiveness, attention to details large and small, and unparalleled tenacity on our behalf. With specific regard to commercial leasing, Ray took on the challenges inherent in our 30 year, $120 million leasing transaction, as if they were his own. We would highly recommend his services to any company confronting leasing issues in particular, or real estate issues in general.”

Sanseverino is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the American Bar Association (member, Real Property Law Section). He is included in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America and in Chambers USA-America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and was named a New York Super Lawyer in Real Estate.

Sanseverino is President of the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association and is a member of its Board of Directors and executive committee. He is also an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees of the College. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law (1972) Articles Editor, Fordham Law Review, 1971-1972, and his A.B. from Franklin & Marshall College (1968).

Loeb & Loeb’s real estate practice involves commercial, multifamily, office, industrial, hospitality and residential properties throughout the country and abroad. A bicoastal team of more than 20 attorneys handles all manner of real estate transactions.

About Loeb & Loeb LLP: Loeb & Loeb LLP is a multiservice national law firm with 250 attorneys and offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Nashville. The firm is recognized as a leading law firm in the areas of corporate and securities matters; litigation; entertainment and media law; finance; real estate; intellectual property; private equity; employment; advertising and promotions, and tax and wealth services. Its clients include some of the world’s largest financial institutions, major media and entertainment companies, advertising groups, real estate companies, and Big Four accounting firms, as well as many high net worth individuals.