Stroock’s Real Estate Group Moves to Hogan Lovells
In the wake of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan’s dissolution, the law firm’s real estate group has moved en masse to Hogan Lovells.
Hogan Lovells announced the arrival of 28 partners and four senior counsels from Stroock. The 32 attorneys, among them four New York attorneys who arrived after the initial wave, are based around the country in markets including Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C.
About half of the incoming employees handle commercial real estate, representing developers, investors, sovereign wealth funds, real estate investment trusts and other clients.
Hogan Lovells also brought in litigation, corporate and tax lawyers from Stroock in an effort to grow in strategic markets and specific practice areas, according to CEO Miguel Zaldivar.
The firm, which leased 206,000 square feet at L&L Holding Company’s 390 Madison Avenue in 2016, did not rank in the Top 40 of New York real estate law firms by deal volume.
In a prepared statement, former Stroock real estate co-chair Jeff Keitelman said the group chose Hogan “because of its top-ranked REITs practice,” adding that it was a “great place to grow our multidimensional real estate practice.”
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Stroock’s demise was reported at the beginning of the month, hastened by an exodus of staff members that started a year ago when more than 40 bankruptcy lawyers left for Paul Hastings. Stroock attempted to merge with other law firms, but no negotiations came to fruition.
The Real Deal ranked Stroock as one of the top real estate law firms in New York City by deal volume. Stroock recorded a modest 26 deals from last August to this July, but the transactions totaled $726 million, placing the law firm at No. 8 in the ranking.
The Real Estate Board of New York had Stroock on retainer. A partner of the firm judged the trade group’s Retail Deal of the Year Awards in 2022, while another partner represented REBNY in a dispute with Compass over recruiting.
