2022 Year in Review: Shari Laskowitz, Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti, LLP

What person, project, transaction or market trend had the greatest impact on your industry this year? With the courts scheduling more in-person court appearance, the intersection between virtual and in-person court appearances is one trend that has made a significant impact on lawyers, particularly those of us that practice in landlord-tenant court. While both methods come with unique trials and tribulations, striking a balance between the time saving benefits of virtual appearances and the interpersonal nature of in-person interactions with litigants, attorneys, court personnel and judges, has certainly impacted how I practice law on day-to-day basis.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2022? My most notable legal endeavor of 2022 has been assisting my clients through the uncharted territory that is the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). This program has presented a plethora of novel circumstances for residential landlords to navigate. The constantly changing legal landscape has been both challenging and rewarding. A particularly notable, and often cited example, is a  case we argued against a terminated building employee whose occupancy of an apartment was incidental to his employment. Our firm successfully argued for the lifting of the ERAP stay, on the basis that a former employee was not an intended beneficiary of ERAP because he was not a tenant or occupant covered or defined by ERAP and there was never a landlord-tenant relationship between the parties.