Congratulations to Meredith Miller on Being Elected as President of the Network of Bar Leaders

AABANY congratulates Meredith Miller, member of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York , and Founder of Miller Law, PLLC, on her election as President of the Network of Bar Leaders for the upcoming year. Many congratulations for the rest of the elected leadership as well. AABANY is a proud member of the Network of Bar Leaders, and we are pleased to recognize Margaret Ling, AABANY’s Director of Development, as a member of the Network of Bar Leaders’ Executive Council.

Congratulations to Bridgette Ahn, Immediate Past President of the Network of Bar Leaders, for a spectacular year as President. We are proud to count her as an AABANY member!

President
Meredith R. Miller
Member Organization: LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York  

First Vice President
Yacine Barry-Wun 
Member Organization: New York Women’s Bar Association

Second Vice President
Eve GuillerganMember Organization: Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York

Treasurer
Michael Kohan 
Member Organization:  Queens County Bar Association

Recording Secretary
Edwina F. Martin 
Member Organization: Staten Island Women’s Bar Association

Corresponding Secretary
Denisse Mira  Organization: Hispanic National Bar Association 

Executive Council
Gloribelle Perez, Dominican Bar Association 
William F. Dahill, Federal Bar Association
Domenick Napoletano, Brooklyn Bar Association
Ron Katter, Jewish Lawyers Guild
Margaret Ling, Asian American Bar Association of New York 
Jason Clark, Metropolitan Black Bar Association Hon. Jeffrey Levin, New Rochelle Bar Association  
Tanya Blocker, Association of Black Women Attorneys   
Bridgette Y. Ahn, Immediate Past President (Mandatory Position)

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Trends in Long Island Real Estate Development – IDA Zoning and Land Use

On April 11, 2019, the AABANY Real Estate Committee successfully presented a CLE and networking event entitled “Trends in Long Island Real Estate Development – IDA Zoning and Land Use.” Over 60 attorneys and real estate professionals were in attendance. The event was held at the Omni Building in Uniondale and was co-sponsored by AABANY, KALAGNY, Forchelli Deegan Terrana, Flushing Bank, and Big Apple Abstract Corp.

The panelists were:

  • Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director and Real Estate Committee Co-Chair
  • Daniel Deegan, Partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana
  • Kathleen Deegan Dickson, Partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana
  • Rose Liu, Director of Finance & Research at Colliers International
  • Herbert Agin, CEO of Colliers International

The speakers led an insightful discussion on the following topics: title insurance, the key facets of Industrial Development Agencies (IDA) in Nassau and Suffolk County, zoning, variances, and municipal regulations in Long Island and how they have a significant impact on the success of real estate projects.

In addition, Rose Liu discussed the latest statistics involving real estate development projects in Long Island and Herbert Agin shared the latest updates on the Lesso Holdings development project in Westbury, Long Island.

The key takeaway of the event was that there are a lot of real estate development opportunities for investors in Long Island, but for the project to be successful, you need to have the right people on your team to navigate the rules and regulations surrounding real estate developments.

AABANY CLE: Selling and Purchasing Real Property from an Estate

On Wednesday, April 3, 2019, Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director and Real Estate Committee Co-Chair, and Pauline Yeung-Ha, Pro Bono Committee Co-Chair, presented a CLE and networking event entitled “Selling and Purchasing Real Property from an Estate.” The event was hosted by Flushing Bank at their Astoria branch and was co-sponsored by AABANY, KALAGNY, and Big Apple Abstract Corp.

Margaret and Pauline discussed the importance of doing your due diligence when selling or purchasing real property from an estate. They shared horror stories of clients trying to cut corners and scam the system. One story involved a separated husband and wife, where the wife claimed that the husband had passed away and tried to rush the closing on the sale of their house. After some investigation, it was discovered that the husband was alive and well in Greece. The moral of the story was that as real estate attorneys it is imperative to not blindly trust surrogates and extremely important to demand proof of death to prevent future liability and to protect your license.

Margaret and Pauline also discussed the tax implications and other liabilities that accompany the different types of estate structures, which included Joint Tenancy, Tenants in Common, Tenants by the Entirety, Life Estates, and Trusts. They advised that practitioners can save themselves a lot of trouble by taking the time to do their due diligence and by speaking to title companies.

We thank Flushing Bank and its staff for hosting the CLE panel for the evening. Thanks also to the speakers and everyone that attended. One CLE credit in the area of professional practice was awarded to attendees. To learn more about the Real Estate Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/120.

AABANY CLE: Real Estate Fraud – Red Flags and War Stories

On March 6, 2019, Margaret Ling, AABANY Co-Chair of the Real Estate Committee, presented the CLE entitled “Real Estate Fraud – Red Flags and War Stories” The CLE networking event took place at Knights of Columbus in Brooklyn and was co-sponsored by AABANY, KALAGNY, Northfield Bank and the Brooklyn Real Estate Board. 

Pictured here from left to right: Debbie Lemma, Margaret Ling, Joanne Valerio, Geri Giancola, and Francis Chin of AABANY

Thanks to Margaret Ling for the write-up and photo for this post.

AABANY Attends Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State Presentation

On Friday, March 1, 2019, Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director and Co-Chair of the AABANY Real Estate Committee, attended Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s State of the State 2019 NYC Region Presentation. The meeting was by invitation only and was in collaboration with the Network of Bar Leaders. Margaret is on the Network of Bar Leaders Executive Council and is the AABANY representative on that Council. The meeting was presented by Alphonso David, Counsel to the Governor and past AABANY Annual Dinner Honoree. Alphonso spoke about the specifics of the Governor’s upcoming 2020 New York State Budget and the priorities of education, housing, health and hospital, and environmental issues.

Thanks to Margaret Ling for the write-up and photos for this post.

Don Liu featured as the Keynote Speaker at the Fourth Annual Alumni of Color Event of Columbia Law School

On Thursday, January 24, 2019, Don Liu was featured as the Keynote Speaker at the Fourth Annual Alumni of Color Event of Columbia Law School. The event took place at the Intercontinental Barclay Hotel in Manhattan and was attended by over 200 Columbia Law School Alumnae.

Don spoke of the challenges of being an APA Attorney and In House General Counsel. He praised all of the pioneering efforts of NAPABA and AABANY to support and encourage the future careers of many APA law students and attorneys.

Of greater importance was how he inspired the audience with what Diversity and Inclusion meant to him and how important it was to embrace it.

We thank Margaret Ling, AABANY’s Director of Development and Co-Chair of AABANY’s Real Estate Committee, for providing the photos and write up for this post.