ssheeber@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2682

SAMANTHA SHEEBER is the managing partner at Starr Associates LLP.  Ms. Sheeber practices in the development and offering plan group. She specializes in the registration of offering plans for both new construction condominiums and conversions of existing rental properties, including, mixed-use, residential and commercial properties. Ms. Sheeber works closely with New York’s leading developers to provide counsel and advice from the earliest stages of the development process through the final stages of creating the project from acquisition and construction through contract drafting, negotiation and closing of individual units. She is well versed in navigating the complex registration requirements of the New York State Department of Law, for both in state and out of state projects. Ms. Sheeber has been recognized in the real estate community (by developers and brokers as well as other attorneys) as a top deal maker in the creation of condominiums and the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements. Ms. Sheeber has quarterbacked many of Manhattan’s condominium projects of all sizes and complexities, which also include some of the most prestigious condominium projects, namely, One Wall Street, 111 West 57^th Street, 150 East 78^th Street, Essex Crossing, 53 West 53rd Street, 520 Park Avenue, Fifteen Central Park West and Walker Tower. Ms. Sheeber also provides general counsel to numerous cooperative and condominium boards.  Bar Admissions: New York and New Jersey. Education: State University of New York at Buffalo; Cardozo School of Law.  Member: Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives); Member: Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. Charitable Affiliations: founder of and board chairperson of the Kellner Family Pediatric Liver Foundation.

spappas@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2684

SHAUN W. PAPPAS practices in the general real estate group with a focus on real estate development and commercial leasing.  Mr. Pappas works with developers, lenders and investors in the acquisition, sale, and financing of complex commercial, mixed-use, and luxury residential properties in New York. Mr. Pappas assists clients in all aspects of project development, including the preparation of offering plans, drafting declarations, the condominium creation process, negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, and the closing of title.  In addition, Mr. Pappas collaborates with the project’s development team, including sales and marketing, architects and engineers, managing agents, and other general counsel to expeditiously move projects from inception through approval and ultimately to the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements as well as closings.  Mr. Pappas handles many of the Firm’s Part 23 conversions from rental to condominium or cooperative ownership and is always informed of the latest updates in this complex area. Mr. Pappas is also the lead partner in charge of the Firm’s leasing department, with a focus on commercial leases.  He has worked with owners and tenants on complicated office, retail, restaurant, warehouse, and ground leases throughout New York as well as other jurisdictions, including New Jersey, Washington D.C. and West Virginia.  In addition to his work on real estate transactions, Mr. Pappas has significant experience in commercial litigation, including real property disputes, RPAPL § 881 hearings, defense of construction defects claims, mortgage and timeshare foreclosures and various employment and corporate controversies. He also represents condominium and cooperative boards throughout Manhattan.  This dual practice focus allows him to see each particular deal from different angles, which translates into efficient and strategic representation for the Firm’s clients. He previously served as a legal assistant in the Southern District of New York for Judge Harold Baer, Jr. and was an associate at a large law firm in Manhattan. Bar Admissions: New York and New Jersey; U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Education: Binghamton University (B.S., cum laude, 2005); Cardozo Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2008). Boards: The New York Neo-Futurists.

astarr@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2686

ALLAN STARR is the founder of Starr Associates LLP. Mr. Starr specializes in the registration of offering plans for newly-constructed, rehabilitated and vacant buildings, residential rental conversions, hotels, timeshares and fractional vacation clubs for a diverse group of clients and has extensive experience creating commercial condominium regimes pursuant to “no-action” letters. Mr. Starr also advises institutional and mezzanine lenders who provide financing to developers of offering plan projects to ensure that they have appropriate protections in their loan documents and has handled the workout of troubled projects. He represents owners of major hotel franchises and independent developers throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Middle East, whose vacation ownership projects are registered by the Firm in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mr. Starr served with distinction as an Assistant Attorney General, the last two years as Executive Assistant to New York State Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz. Mr. Starr entered private practice in 1979, and since that time, he has participated in the registration of approximately 650,000 units, having an aggregate purchase price exceeding $50 billion. Mr. Starr is an acknowledged leader in condominium offerings as well as timeshare and fractional ownership structures, and is the pioneer of the world’s largest urban timeshare project and a “first” in New York at The Manhattan Club located in the Park Central Hotel. Mr. Starr also created fractional regimes at the St. Regis Hotel and Wyndham’s Midtown 45. Mr. Starr taught in Fordham Law School’s continuing legal education program. Bar Admissions: New York bar, U.S. District Courts, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.  Education:  Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (B.A., 1968); Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 1973). Prior Professional Experience: Assistant Attorney General, State of New York, Real Estate Financing Bureau, Cooperative and Condominium Section, 1974-1976; Executive Assistant to the New York State Attorney General, 1976-1978; Partner, Olnick, Boxer, Blumberg, Lane & Troy; Co-Managing Partner, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan’s real estate department; Managing Partner, Greenstein Starr Gerstein Rinaldi LLP. Member: New York State Bar Association (Real Property Law Section, Committee on Cooperatives and Condominiums; Attorney General Liaison Subcommittee); Association of  the Bar of  the City of New York; The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc.; American Resort Development Association (Trustee; Member, State Legislative Issues and Federal Issues Committees); Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. Boards: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 1998 – 2011.

aroschelle@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2681

ANDREA L. ROSCHELLE is the partner in charge of litigation at Starr Associates LLP and specializes in cooperative and condominium law, real estate law and real estate, corporate and commercial litigation.  She counsels property owners, condominium and cooperative boards, managing agents, owners of unsold shares and owners of blocks of condominium units in all aspects of condominium and cooperative law. Ms. Roschelle drafts commercial leases and contracts and has redrafted many outdated cooperative governing documents to bring them into compliance with law and the realities of contemporary life.  Ms. Roschelle acts as lead counsel in complex litigations involving construction defects and varied real estate, commercial and corporate issues. She has extensive experience handling all varieties of commercial disputes, real estate controversies and employment claims and represents both property owners and tenants in land valuation proceedings. Ms. Roschelle participates in a broad range of actions and proceedings in the state and federal courts on the trial and appellate levels, handles arbitrations, mediations and represents clients before governmental and administrative agencies, including the New York State Department of Law. Formerly Assistant Chief of the New York City Law Department, Commercial/Real Estate Litigation Division where Ms. Roschelle acquired expertise in all phases of housing policy matters. A faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, she has led trial practice clinics at Yale University and Fordham and Cardozo Law Schools. Bar Admissions: New York, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Education: Hunter College (B.A. 1977); Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1984). Honors: Order of the Barristers. Member: National Institute of Trial Advocacy; Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. Boards: Jericho Project.

akriegstein@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2675

Adam Kriegstein practices in the general real estate group with a focus on development and offering plans as well as the acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing and development of various property types.  With respect to offering plans, Mr. Kriegstein’s work on behalf of clients spans the many phases of the condominium and cooperative formation process, including the promulgation of condominium and cooperative governing documents, the preparation and filing of condominium and cooperative offering plans (or applications for no-action letters) with the New York State Department of Law, and the sale of individual residential and commercial condominium and cooperative units. With nearly 15 years of experience representing sellers and purchasers in the acquisition, sale, and lease of high-end co-op and condominium units, townhouses and residential homes, Mr. Kriegstein provides clients with comprehensive services, including pre-contract due diligence review of properties, contract preparation and negotiation, title and lien search review and guidance through all aspects of a residential closing transaction. Being that such a large portion of Mr. Kriegstein’s practice is focused on representing developers and drafting condominium and cooperative documents, clients purchasing under an offering plan gain invaluable insight about the transaction which translates into more information, better protection  and unparalleled counsel. Bar Admissions: New York; Education: University of South Florida (B.S. Major in Criminal Justice, Minor in Political Science, 1996); Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center (J.D., cum laude, Goodwin Fellow, 2001).

jwachter@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2697

JULIA L. WACHTER is a partner at Starr Associates.  Ms.  Wachter represents major developers and other property owners, borrowers and real estate investors in the acquisition, ownership, development, sale and financing of complex commercial, mixed-use and luxury residential projects, with a particular emphasis on condominiums and cooperatives. Ms.  Wachter advises clients on the planning, structuring and implementation of sophisticated co-ownership regimes, as well as on applicable legal and regulatory requirements, in order to facilitate public offerings and commercial sales, leases, acquisitions, financing and tax exemptions. She has worked on a number of complex projects, both within and outside New York.  Ms. Wachter has played an integral role in structuring creative condominium solutions that have enabled clients to improve the value of their assets and structure their property ownership in accordance with their specific needs. She routinely advises not-for-profit clients that are leasing commercial space across New York State in creating unique leasehold condominium structures which enable them to qualify for exemption from real property taxes.  In recent years, her work in this area has facilitated tax exemptions for not-for-profit clients across a myriad of industries, including, healthcare, education and the arts. Ms. Wachter has extensive experience in the area of public offerings including representation of some of the country’s most notable developers and property owners.  Her work has included preparing offering statements for new construction and gut rehabilitation projects, residential condominium and cooperative conversions and commercial (retail, office and medical) condominium offerings. Prior to joining Starr Associates, Ms. Wachter was Special Counsel at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP for nearly a decade.  Bar Admissions: New York.  Education: Syracuse University (B.S. from The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, magna cum laude); Cardozo School of Law. Member: Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives).

bsiegel@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2677

BENJAMIN P. SIEGEL practices in the general real estate group with a focus on development and offering plans. Mr. Siegel works with institutional developers, investors, and lenders in connection with the creation and governance of residential, commercial, and mixed-use condominiums and cooperatives, and the acquisition, disposition, financing, and leasing of commercial and luxury residential properties. Mr. Siegel also has extensive experience in commercial litigation and assists clients in the evaluation, litigation, and resolution of real property disputes.

Prior to joining Starr Associates LLP, Mr. Siegel practiced high-stakes commercial litigation at a nationally-recognized firm with an emphasis on business and environmental disputes involving substantial financial or business exposure. Mr. Siegel graduated from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, magna cum laude, in 2014 with the Business Honors concentration. Mr. Siegel served as an Associate Editor on the Hofstra Law Review.

Bar Admission: New York

Education: Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (J.D., magna cum laude, 2014); University of Delaware (B.A., 2010).

slevi@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2678

SALLIE SCHLAM LEVI is senior counsel at Starr Associates LLP concentrating her practice on condominium, cooperative, and timeshare registrations and compliance with the New York State Attorney General’s regulations. Ms. Levi’s expertise runs the gamut from offering plans for conversions and ground-up new construction to “no-action” filings in residential, mixed-use, and commercial projects. Projects have included complex underlying qualified leaseholds, affordable housing, and high-end luxury developments. Additional practice areas include leasing, financing and real estate acquisitions. Ms. Levi provides guidance and due diligence support to lenders, principals, and transactional counsel where underlying issues require a thorough and practical understanding of condominium law. Bar Admissions: New York and New Jersey. Education: Queens College, C.U.N.Y. (B.A., 1982); Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1985). Member: American Bar Association; New York Bar Association; Teaneck, New Jersey Bar Association. Foreign Language:  Hebrew

bcrosby@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2690

Brian D. Crosby represents leading developers and investors in complex mixed-use, commercial and luxury residential projects, with a particular focus on condominiums and cooperatives. Mr. Crosby navigates clients through all phases of the planning, structuring and implementation of sophisticated real estate ownership and operation regimes, as well as the registration, marketing and sale of residential and mixed-use condominium and cooperative public and nonpublic offerings. His work includes drafting condominium and cooperative governing documentation, preparing and filing offering plans, and drafting and filing for no-action applications with the New York State Department of Law, as well drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements. Mr. Crosby has worked on a number of sophisticated and complex projects, both within and outside New York. Prior to joining Starr Associates LLP, he was an associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP in the firm’s condominium and cooperative practice. Bar Admissions: New York; United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Education: New York University; Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2009).

rfoley@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2699

Ryan Foley is Senior Litigation Counsel at Starr Associates LLP, where he focuses on condominium and cooperative disputes, construction defect claims, and real estate litigation on behalf of sponsors, developers, boards, unit owners, and shareholders. He advises clients from pre-dispute risk assessment through trial and appeal, working in close collaboration with the firm’s transactional and offering plan practice to provide integrated counsel across the full development lifecycle.

Ryan’s practice encompasses offering plan and sponsor obligation disputes, construction defect and design professional claims, turnover and board transition litigation, governance conflicts, RPAPL § 881 access proceedings, and contract and guaranty enforcement. He regularly drafts dispositive motions, appellate briefs, and complex pleadings, and manages all aspects of discovery, including e-discovery strategy, document review and production, witness preparation, and discovery-related motion practice.

Before joining Starr Associates, Ryan practiced in the New York offices of multiple multinational law firms, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he represented corporate clients in complex commercial litigation and insurance coverage disputes. He began his legal career as an appellate prosecutor. During law school, Ryan served as a judicial intern to the Hon. LaShann DeArcy Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and as a judicial extern to the Hon. Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York.

Prior to his legal career, Ryan spent nearly a decade in investment banking and private equity at UBS, Citi, Stone Point Capital, and Argo Group. That background informs how he approaches real estate disputes: with an understanding of what developers and investors are actually trying to protect, how litigation affects capital structures and project timelines, and what resolution means to a client’s business, not just their legal position.

dzelefsky@starr-lawfirm.com
Tel (212) 620 2689

Daniella Zelefsky is Senior Counsel in the firm’s general real estate group, where she concentrates on condominium and cooperative law. With more than twenty years of experience guiding developers through the New York State Department of Law’s regulatory process, she supports clients from early market testing through the sale of units and shares. Ms. Zelefsky has particular depth in drafting offering plans, no-action applications, and complex amendments involving bulk purchases of unsold cooperative shares and condominium units. She has worked on a wide range of mixed-use developments and advises newer developers as they navigate their first projects. She also represents parties in sophisticated leasing transactions and counsels clients on complex real estate acquisitions. Before joining Starr Associates, Ms. Zelefsky practiced at Braverman Greenspun P.C., Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer LLP, and Rosenman & Colin (now Katten Muchin Rosenman). Bar Admissions: New York; New Jersey; Education: Brooklyn College, C.U.N.Y. (B.S., 1997); New York University School of Law (J.D., 2001).

stanen@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2672

STEVEN TANEN practices in the real estate acquisition and sales group with a focus on the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate. Mr. Tanen works with developers, owners, purchasers, lenders, and investors in all aspects of the purchase, sale, and financing of luxury residential and commercial properties in New York City, Westchester County, and the Hamptons. Mr. Tanen’s work includes all due diligence review of properties, contract preparation and negotiations, comprehensive title and lien search review, and more, in order to guide clients through all aspects of a real estate closing. He is a dealmaker who collaborates with real estate brokers, title insurance underwriters, and managing agents to efficiently handle the most complicated and unique transactions. Bar Admissions: New York; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; Education: McDaniel College (B.A., 2016); Hofstra University School of Law (J.D., 2019).

lgrossman@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2691

LOGAN GROSSMAN practices in the general real estate group with a focus on commercial and residential acquisitions and dispositions as well as development and offering plans. Mr. Grossman drafts and negotiates commercial acquisition agreements, residential purchase agreements, performs all related due diligence, and works with buyers and sellers to close on their transactions. He also provides advice and counsel to developers and works collaboratively with their consultants, lenders, and investors throughout all phases of the offering plan process to ensure timely and compliant submission. Mr. Grossman has facilitated hundreds of real estate transactions involving all types of real property in New York and has represented a diverse clientele, ranging from high-net-worth individuals, investment groups, REO lenders, cooperative holders of unsold shares, down to first time homebuyers. He also brings experience in handling a variety of retail and office commercial leasing matters for both landlords and tenants. Bar Admissions: New York; Education: University of Maryland (B.A., 2017); Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (J.D., 2020).

psausaitis@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 597 9172

Pamela Tougher Sausaitis practices in the general real estate group with a focus on offering plan drafting, contract drafting and negotiation, and due diligence for complex real estate transactions. Before entering practice, Ms. Sausaitis spent a decade as a real estate paralegal, developing extensive practical experience in lender financing, residential real estate transactions, and sponsor sales. Bar Admissions: New York; Education: Fordham University (B.A., 2010); New York Law School (J.D., 2024).

estarr@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2674

ERICA STARR is the director of the Firm’s financial operations as well as the Firm’s escrow department. Ms. Starr and her team oversee and monitor multi-million dollar escrow accounts for both commercial and residential real estate transactions and manage the complex processes required to maintain the funds held on behalf of the Firm’s clients. With over ten years of experience in the industry, Ms. Starr works closely with New York’s leading escrow banks ensuring compliance with governing regulations. Additionally, Ms. Starr serves as the Firm’s financial controller in charge of accounts receivable and payable and all other internal accounting functions.  Education: Executive M.B.A. with honors from Baruch College; Bachelor of Science degree from Johnson & Wales University.

jrodriguez@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2685

JOHN RODRIGUEZ is the director of the Firm’s closing department. He is in charge of coordinating unit closings with the Firm’s developer clients and their sales and marketing professionals and interfaces with the developers’ construction lenders and title companies retained by purchasers. Mr. Rodriguez prepares all closing statements, supervises actual closings and implements the disbursement of escrow and other funds. Mr. Rodriguez is highly regarded in the real estate industry for his attention to detail, ability to handle complex matters, and coordinate diverse and competing interests in order to close transactions timely and efficiently.

lostrover@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2695

LORI OSTROVER is a paralegal and integral part of the Firm’s closing department. She handles all aspects of the closing process, including preparation of closing statements, closing coordination with developers, lenders, purchasers and title companies. Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Indiana University; Paralegal Certificate, New York University.

jmartinez@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2687

JOSELYN MARTINEZ is a paralegal in the Firm’s closing department and has been closing residential and real estate transactions for well over a decade. She handles all aspects of the closing process, including preparation of closing statements, closing coordination with developers, lenders, sellers, purchasers, and title companies. Education: Bachelor of Arts, John Jay College Criminal Justice, New York, New York.

dballone@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2679

DANIEL BALLONE is the lead paralegal in the Firm’s development and
offering plan group. He is in charge of streamlining the offering plan creation
process as well as maintaining the Firm’s extensive database of offering plan amendments to ensure that projects are timely amended prior to expiration. Mr. Ballone works closely with each of the Firm’s attorneys from the inception of the offering plan, through and beyond the completion of the project. While the Firm currently handles over 175 active buildings, Mr. Ballone is responsible for preparing and tracking all amendments through the Attorney General’s office. His attention to detail and commitment to accuracy is paramount to his role in the Firm’s development group. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Ballone gained invaluable experience working as a paralegal in several New York law firms. Education: Berkley College, White Plains, New York, Bachelor in Business Administration – Management.

jmusumeci@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620 2673

JUSTIN MUSUMECI is a paralegal in the Firm’s residential real estate resale department. Throughout the fifteen years he has been assisting buyers and sellers, Justin is responsible for over 1,200 real estate transactions totaling more than $2bil in property transferred. Justin handles all aspects of residential real estate transactions, but his expertise is most apparent at the closing phase, specifically with closing logistics, preparing closing statements and transfer documents, and guiding clients at the closing table. Justin is proud to be a lifelong New Yorker and resident of Manhattan. Education: Bachelor of Arts, American University, Washington, DC.

cborg@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2693

Christopher Borg has been with the Firm since it was founded and has worked in many paralegal capacities. He has served as the Administrative Supervisor since 2015.  Specializing in the transactional aspect of the practice, he has forged trusting relationships over the years with clients, sales agents and attorneys for purchasers, which has helped to streamline the sales process.  He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Utah and as the team leader for the support staff, he combines his passion for language and communication with a compulsion for organization and building efficient systems

kabreu@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2696

KIMBERLY ABREU is a legal assistant in the Firm’s escrow department and finance department. She works closely with the Firm’s Director of Financial Operations to ensure transactions are processed and funded in an efficient and expedited manner. She has over a decade of experience in office/law firm management and financial operations.

bburnett@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2698

Barbara Burnett has over 15 years of real estate transactional and paralegal experience, and has been a member of the Starr team since 2014. Barbara serves dual roles at Starr – – she assists our attorneys on the development side, from offering plan drafting through contract drafting and closing and also supports our attorneys in the litigation department.  Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Pace University and is a graduate of the Queens College Paralegal program.

iegger@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2688

Ingrid Egger joined the firm in May 2015 with years of experience as a legal assistant.  With Starr Associates, she assists in cooperative and condominium real estate transactions.  She interacts with attorneys, sponsors and sales professionals to bring transactions from the contract negotiation stage through to closing.

sparker@starr-lawfirm.com
212-620-2692

Shelecia Parker has been working with Samantha Sheeber and Allan Starr for over 20 years and has been with Starr Associates since it was founded. She is extremely proficient in navigating the offering plan process and working with the Attorney General’s office.  She is also well-versed in real estate transactions, assisting the Firm’s attorneys in all facets of the negotiation and drafting of purchase and sale agreements.  She has a reputation for being “on top” of all the deals she works on in order to efficiently manage each project and ensure that deals are executed in a timely fashion.

ecalcano@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2671

Emely Calcano works as a legal assistant and focuses on contract negotiations. She is involved in residential sales for cooperative and condominium real estate transactions and works closely with the Firm’s developer clients and their sales professionals.

dmeans@starr-lawfirm.com
(212) 620-2635