INFORMATION ABOUT OUR FIRM:
The firm, which has existed for nearly sixty years, consists of five attorneys, two of whom, Willa I. Lewis and Richard A. Steinberg, were formerly members of the Tax Certiorari Division of the New York City Law Department. Ms. Lewis was a Deputy Division Chief, before leaving the City to join our firm. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Tax Review Bar Association. Mr. Steinberg is president of the Real Estate Tax Review Bar Association and a former Chair of the Committee on Condemnation and Tax Certiorari of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Hubert J. Brandt was a member of the New York State Temporary Commission on the Real Property Tax for its entire 12 year existence, a past President of the Real Estate Tax Review Bar Association, and holds memberships in various other bar association assessment law committees, as well as in the Institute for Professionals in Taxation. He is a member of the Committee on Property Taxation of the Real Estate Board of New York, having served as a lecturer for the Board in its brokers’ continuing education program.
Our expertise is augmented by Mr. Patrick Burke, who was formerly an assessor in the City of New York and Director of the Appraisal Division of the New York City Tax Commission. While Mr. Burke is not an attorney, his appraisal expertise gained through many years of experience is a valuable asset to our office.
Our practice is limited to real estate valuation matters, most of which involve review of property assessments. We additionally represent condemnees in eminent domain proceedings as well as applicants for tax exemption and/or abatements for both commercial (e.g. ICIP) and residential (J-51, RPTL 421a, etc.) properties. Although concentrated in New York City, we maintain substantial representation of properties outside the City limits and in many instances outside the State of New York. We have personally appeared in assessment review matters in the States of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Our portfolio has also included assessment review matters in the State of Massachusetts.
In the City of New York, we represent thousands of properties of every size and description.
Our professional skills and extensive experience are substantially augmented by our computer system and the database maintained therein. We possess physical and economic profiles of tens of thousands of properties throughout the City and its suburbs and utilize this data in our representation of clients before administrative bodies and the Courts.
As we are attorneys, our representation of clients in tax review matters extends not only to assessors and administrative reviewing boards but also to Court litigation, including the recent personal conduct of valuation trials. These trials, as required, serve as the ultimate forum for correction in valuation matters.
Our fees are contingent upon success at a percentage to be mutually agreed upon.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.