2021 Ones to Watch: Trevor Adler, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan

Name: Trevor Adler

Title: Partner

Company Name: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan

Real estate associations or organizations that you are currently a member of:

Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers

Board of Advisors, Commercial Lease Law Insider

Board of Directors, Broadway Housing Communities, Inc.

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of leading several of the most important NYC real estate deals to have occurred during the pandemic. These included representing Edward J. Minskoff Equities in FTI Consulting’s 120,000 s/f lease at the 1166 Sixth Ave. during the summer of 2020, and leading a hybrid real estate and financial restructuring team of Stroock attorneys in one of the first transactions to involve a commercial tenant in New York City declaring bankruptcy in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, having its lease terminated by rejection in bankruptcy court, and having the space re-let to a new retail tenant, CycleBar, in a coordinated deal for Edward J. Minskoff Equities at the prestigious 51 Astor Place in early 2021.

Who was/is your mentor and how did s/he influence/help you in your career?

I was fortunate to receive a great assignment as a summer associate at Stroock to be staffed on a Bed Bath and Beyond lease in TriBeca. The lead attorney was Jack Bart, a leasing expert. I learned a lot during the course of that deal, but more importantly, gained a mentor. Jack taught me the ins and outs of commercial leasing for more than 10 years. He taught me how to draft, how to negotiate, and how to close deals – with plenty of humor along the way.

How do you contribute to your community or your profession?

I am fortunate to have the opportunity through pro bono initiatives to assist small business owners who lack the financial means to afford an attorney in negotiating commercial leases. Through workshops designed for small businesses entering into their first leases and direct representation of these owners, I have been able to use my expertise to assist those who need it most. I conducted COVID-19 small business commercial leasing panels and provided guidance to owners in the early months of the pandemic, am a member of the board of directors of a non-profit affordable housing provider in Manhattan (Broadway Housing Communities), and for the past decade have been the lead pro bono counsel to IMPACCT Brooklyn (an advocate, educator and catalyst helping residents build flourishing communities).

What led you to your current profession?

Before graduating from law school, I was the operations-security manager at real estate firm Koeppel Companies LLC, where I planned and supervised security systems and operations at 575 Lexington Ave. and 26 Broadway in Manhattan. I gained both an appreciation of, and a fascination with, the real estate industry through this experience, and I continue to use the knowledge of building operations, access control and security systems that I gained while working for Koeppel Companies LLC to assist my clients. Real estate is also in my blood, as my father and his side of my family have been involved in New York City real estate for generations.

As a partner in Stroock’s national real estate group, Trevor Adler advises clients in commercial real estate matters, with a particular emphasis on complex leasing transactions. He has expertise in negotiating leases, subleases, licenses, construction contracts and acquisition agreements for office, retail, co-working, non-profit and educational space in New York City and nationally on behalf of major landlords, tenants, purchasers, sellers, managers and principals. Recent representative transactions include leases for Spotify’s offices in Miami and Los Angeles, a New York City leasehold condominium transaction valued at well over $1 billion over the 30-year term, and numerous other nine-figure leasing and leasehold condominium deals for clients such as Edward Minskoff Equities, Boston Properties, Vornado, Mutual of America, Scholastic, George Comfort & Sons, 21^st Century Fox, Barnard College, Broadridge Financial Solutions, City University of New York, Guggenheim Museum and Saks & Co.