C. Jaye Berger, attorney, reflects on her accomplishments

Name: C. Jaye Berger, Esq. Title: Principal Company/firm: Law Offices C. Jaye Berger Years with company/firm: Founder Years in field: Too long to mention Years in real estate industry: Too long to mention Address: 110 E. 59th St., 22nd Fl., New York, New York 10022 Telephone: 212 753-2080 Real estate organizations/affiliations: BOMA, AREW, CREW, AIA During the last 10 years of your career, which professional accomplishment, honor or achievement was most meaningful to you and why? This year I was honored to be a keynote speaker at a major event for hundreds of contractors, along with the president of one of the largest construction companies and several politicians. I spoke about "10 Things That Can Go Wrong On Construction Projects." It was a large, enthusiastic audience and when I was done and everyone was applauding, he shouted out from his seat that those were the main issues that come up over and over again and that I "nailed" it. I appreciated his comments. Which project, deal or transaction was the 'game changer' in the advancement of your career during the last 10 years? The deal/project that was most significant for me this year was negotiating an access agreement between my client, a small co-op building and the large developer next door. It was a true David and Goliath story. The developer wanted what he wanted when he wanted it and my client wanted to protect the families living in the Co-op. I knew it was important to put together a team of experts that was as good or better than their team, so that when we disagreed with their position, whatever we were saying was the best advice. There were times in our negotiations when we told them their consultants' advice was not accurate and they asked for our advice on a better way to do things. We started off with them saying my client was not entitled to any money and wound up having them agree to pay substantial money to my client for access. C. Jaye Berger is the founder of Law Offices C. Jaye Berger, a law firm in New York City. Berger handles real estate, construction law and litigation. Her clients include owners, developers, contractors, architects, engineers, interior designers, co-ops, insurance carriers, and property managers.