2017 Women in Professional Services: Mary Mongioi of Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana, LLP

Name: Mary Mongioi

Title: Partner

Company Name: Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana, LLP 

Years in real estate: 33

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? Former chair and present member of the Real Estate Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? I always keep my eye on the prize – the result I want to achieve for my client, and use every resource I can muster to get us there. I reach out to people in the industry for their insight and assistance and I find that 100% of the time, they are willing to offer their advice and share their knowledge. The most important ways I navigate, however are to work as hard as necessary and then work some more – and I try never to lose my sense of humor and common sense – sometimes they are the most important weapons you have in your arsenal.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? I’m a people person and try always to be empathetic, and that is a tremendous strength that people appreciate. It helps to think things through from not only my client’s perspective – but also from the point of view of the other side of the deal, and that helps solve problems. I also have the ability to remain calm in a crisis – something I learned from my grandfather at a very young age. If you can keep your wits about you while everyone else is agitated, you will most likely prevail even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year? The market is active – at all ends of the spectrum. I’m dealing with optimistic purchasers who are ready to invest in all different types of real estate. I am also involved with many prospective sellers who see a rising market as the perfect time to divest themselves of properties which would have been sold at a loss not that long ago. It is an exciting time to be involved in the world of real estate.

What do you do for fun? I love exploring the North Fork of Long Island, the beaches of Fire Island, and the theatre and restaurants of NYC.

Mary Mongioi, (Hofstra University School of Law, 1983) joined the firm in 2004. Mongioi presently concentrates her practice in the tax, trusts and estates department, where she offers clients years of experience in the handling of litigated estate matters as well as in civil litigation, appellate practice and real estate.

In addition to estate matters, Mongioi has significant experience handling the foreclosure of mortgages and other liens held by major financial institutions, mid-sized and small investors, and commercial enterprises, on both residential and commercial real property. She has represented several financial institutions in connection with loan transactions and drafting complex commercial loan documents for the restructure of non-performing loans, with emphasis on co-operative loans. 

She is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, where she is vice chair of the real property committee and also a member of the community relations committee. Mongioi was an adjunct professor of law at Touro College (2001-2005), where she taught business law and real estate. She has authored numerous articles for the New York Law Journal on varying estate litigation issues including “Obligation to Account” (2007), “Interplay of Family, Inheritance and Trust Principles” (2008), “The Estate Tax Apportionment Clause: Friend or Foe?” (2009) “John D.: Appointing Monitor Not in Keeping With Legislative Intent of Article 81” (2010), To the Holder of Antiquity Go the Spoils or Do They?” (2010), “Your Money and Your Life” (2011), “Look Before You Leap – Balancing the Roles of Attorney and Executor or Trustee of an Estate” (2011), “Draft Once, Proofread Twice” (2012), “To Move For Summary Judgment or Not – That is the Question!” (2013). She was honored by the Long Island Business News with its ‘Leadership in Law’ Award and by Hofstra University with the “Outstanding Women in Law’ award. Most recently, she was recognized as a New York SuperLawyer (2016).