Lina Telese, partner of Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, has been honored by the Association of Real Estate Women (AREW) as a 2014 Founders’ Award recipient. The Founders’ Award, AREW’s highest honor, is given to AREW members who have made outstanding contributions to the association. Telese, a past president of AREW, was presented with the award, along with fellow recipient Jennifer Carey of JLC Environmental Consultants, at AREW’s recent Members Only luncheon. Telese was acknowledged for the tremendous success of AREW’s 35th Anniversary Gala which was held in her presidential year. The proceeds raised as a result of that gala funded AREW Charitable Fund scholarships for the next five years. Under Telese’s leadership membership in the association also increased by 20%. Debra Cole of HLW International, also a past president of AREW, who served as 35th Anniversary Gala chair, presented Telese with the Founders’ Award. Telese has more than 20 years of construction law experience with a targeted focus on construction contract drafting and negotiations for sophisticated building projects. She regularly counsels clients on general business matters, risk management, professional licensing, corporate organization and ownership transition, and insurance issues. Her clients include owners and developers, design professionals, contractors and consultants in all aspects of the construction process, including commercial litigation and insurance related matters. She has represented clients on national and international projects including commercial, residential, mixed-use, hotel, infrastructure, healthcare, education, gaming and financial projects. Some of the notable projects on which she represented clients include: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NYU’s Kimmel Pavilion, Hudson Yards, World Trade Center, Barclays Center, Tappan Zee Bridge, Javits Center, Goldman Sachs headquarters, Vassar College, and The Dream Hotel in NYC. Telese is past president of AREW. She is active in the national Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network and is on the organization’s 2014 Nominating Committee. Telese is also currently the Co-General Counsel of the Women Builders Council (WBC) and in 2014 was recognized with WBC’s “Outstanding Women in the Building Industry” Award. She is also an Honorary Member of AIA New York State.