Manhattan, NY Herman Katz, LLP (the firm) was founded in 2005 with the merger of the law practices of Jay M. Herman and Robert S. Katz, two well-known and very experienced property valuation litigation attorneys (Tax Certiorari, Eminent Domain, etc.), with three employees.
Bob and Jay first met while working together when they served as assistant corporation counsels at the Law Department of the City of New York handling property tax matters. Jay also served in the same capacity in the office of the Nassau County attorney. Both brought very extensive and sophisticated experience from their private practices, Bob with his NYC and national practice, and Jay with his substantial trial experience throughout New York State.
The practice grew substantially, not only in terms of the number of attorneys and staff (25), but the number of new clients they were able to generate, as well.
The New York Real Estate Journal played a part in the firm’s growth through the firm’s articles of interest, feature articles on their attorneys, and of course, advertising in the Journal.
With the assistance of partners Jennifer Hower, Warren Dubitsky and Jacquelyn Mascetti, some of whom have been featured in the New York Real Estate Journal, along with former partner and current counsel Andrew Cangemi, the firm has been in the forefront of valuation litigation. This has resulted in a number of very favorable decisions of first impression that benefit not only the firm’s clients, but taxpayers generally.
In addition to assessment and condemnation litigation throughout New York State, the firm has an extensive practice in advising current clients, developers, purchasers and sellers by providing “due diligence” analyses for redevelopment projects, as well as potential sales or purchases.
Recently, the firm advised a client and their potential tenants on a possible site redevelopment. The firm provided a projection of future taxes for each of the proposed tenants, all with different uses. The opinion included a recommendation on subdivision lot lines, all while working very closely with the client’s general real estate counsel. Providing this type of advice has become a greater portion of the firm’s practice.
In our NYC office, beside extensive assessment valuation challenges, the firm manages Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP) applications on behalf of large, prominent New York City property owners.
The firm oversees and has successfully litigated and/or favorably settled every real estate property type including, but not limited to, golf and country clubs, storage facilities, nursing homes, major malls and shopping centers, as well as office and industrial properties.
The firm has challenged both Nassau County’s ASIE law requiring commercial property owners to file statements regarding income, expenses, etc., as well as Nassau County’s original Disputed Assessment Fund (“DAF”) law. DAF burdened some commercial taxpayers with substantial, excess tax payments over and above their requisite payments to their various taxing jurisdictions, i.e., school districts, towns and Nassau County. The lower courts found favorably on behalf of commercial taxpayers.
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