Nicholas Kujawa
Former Paul, Weiss Associate, Real Estate
New York University School of Law, 2004
“One of the great things about the Paul, Weiss Real Estate Department is that you really get to see the deal through from the initial idea to the actual brick and mortar.
When I first moved to New York, I lived in the East Village. I would often walk by an enormous vacant lot on Houston Street, which was completely overgrown with weeds. Each time I walked by, I would wonder why such a desirable piece of land was just sitting there empty. As it turned out, this lot and three others nearby were part of an urban renewal area from the 1970s, and for the last 30 years, they’d been vacant because no one could agree on how to develop them. And that’s when Paul, Weiss got involved.
Our client, AvalonBay Communities, decided that the first site was the perfect location for its foray into Manhattan. We helped them craft a development proposal that met the demands of all the stakeholders. As a summer associate, I assisted in the negotiation of the land disposition agreement for all four lots and the purchase of the first. When I returned as a first-year associate, I was able to attend the topping off of the first building, and since then I’ve been intimately involved with the development of the remaining lots. AvalonBay is now converting the first building into a condominium for which I drafted the entire condominium agreement.
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Real Estate
WHY PAUL, WEISS REAL ESTATE?
Do you aspire to work in an independent, full-service real estate practice — a practice that does more than assist in corporate deals? Do you want to be directly engaged in ground-breaking work – work that matters, for clients whom you know and work with closely?
From investment agreements and development projects to debt restructuring and joint venture disputes, Paul Weiss's real estate practice works on the cutting edge of every facet of the real estate industry. An extraordinary range of clients seek us out because we are real estate business advisers, offering our clients hybrid business and legal solutions. And because we counsel many different types of clients, from large financial institutions to private equity investors, these solutions demand considerable skill, flexibility and creativity from our lawyers.
Our Real Estate Department is the perfect forum for enterprising lawyers who welcome the opportunity to manage their own work and want the opportunity to deal directly with clients. Our department relies on tight-knit, collaborative approaches that fully involve associates in the details of each transaction.
Our Real Estate Department values creativity, independence and drive. There’s no better place to learn your craft and develop your skills.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Sophisticated/Complex Transactions: Our clients are well known in national/international real estate and business communities, and involve us in their most complex, high-profile transactions, including major acquisitions, sales, developments and financings of large-scale projects throughout the United States and overseas. These multifaceted projects allow us to serve a diverse group of clients, some of which include Allied Partners, Apollo Real Estate Advisors, AvalonBay Communities Inc., GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Lincoln Center Theater, MeriStar Hotel Corporation, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Murray Hill Properties, Muss Development Company, Oaktree Capital, Rockefeller Group Development Corporation and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Local Community Impact: The projects we undertake truly improve and revitalize the New York City landscape and surrounding regions. Our projects facilitate growth and expansion, often stimulating economic activity.
Broad International Practice: We take pride in an extensive real estate practice representing American and European investors in overseas ownership and development joint ventures, and international investors in U.S. properties. Our practice is supported by our offices in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, and an extensive international network of “relationship” firms.
Well-Rounded Experience: Sophisticated and complex projects demand a breadth of experience from each of our team members. Our real estate associates are actively engaged in a variety of transactions and deals at any given time.
Assignments: Our low associate-to-partner ratio gives our associates the ability to work one-on-one with partners and senior lawyers; we’re a tight-knit group that works together as a team.
Pro Bono: Our real estate lawyers represent a vast array of nonprofit organizations in innovative projects that strive to improve and assist New York City communities. We work with community organizations throughout the city in developing thousands of units of affordable and special needs housing. We represent nonprofit cultural organizations in the theater, dance, visual arts and poetry communities as they locate and develop space for their activities and events. We represent established and start-up nonprofit institutions in creating New York headquarters and in assisting their advocacy activities on behalf of open space, environmental, landmarks and community development issues.
Headline Projects
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Representing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in connection with the sale of the air rights for development over its West Side railyards.
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Representing GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation in its $320-million construction loan in the joint venture developing the new headquarters building for The New York Times. The joint venture consists of affiliates of The New York Times Company and Forest City Ratner.
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Advising GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation on its construction financing and subsequent restructuring of Time Warner Center in New York City, a $2-billion mixed-use development.
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Representing Las Vegas Sands Inc., the owner and operator of the Venetian Casino and Resort and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, in connection with a $250-million construction loan facility.
Industry Recognition
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Two of our real estate partners were recognized among the 50 most influential members of the real estate industry by Real Estate Weekly.
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Our partners are recognized as leading real estate lawyers in New York City and the United States in Chambers USA and other peer review publications.
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