Real Estate Mock Transaction

(L to R Joseph Beguiristain, David Jessup, Jr., Hannah Lidicker, Danielle Hall and Martin Schwartz)
(L to R Joseph Beguiristain, David Jessup, Jr., Hannah Lidicker, Danielle Hall and Martin Schwartz)

Concisely: life looks different for all of us in 2021. As past blog posts by my peers have illustrated, Bilzin Sumberg has adapted. Saron Musa noted in her recent post that the firm’s Women’s Book Club found its way to Zoom, and summer social events, from mojito making to terrarium building, have followed. At a time when employers are announcing “back-to-office” plans and headlines are reporting these decisions with gusto, I found myself engaged in something akin to yesteryear’s watercooler conversation.

On the heels of the mock real estate transaction*, I knew I wanted to learn more about Bilzin Sumberg’s Real Estate Practice Area. After a lunch meeting with Partner Martin (Marty) Schwartz and Mid-Level Associate Hannah Lidicker, I was invited to join a client call. Side note: if you’re a Miami Law student, word on the street is that Marty will add “Professor” to his nameplate this fall. If you’re interested in real estate law, you don’t want to miss this chance to learn from a leader in the field. Back to that client call, Marty and Hannah also extended invitations to Joe Beguiristain and Danielle Hall. The three of us dialed in, listened, and took notes. While I cannot speak for Joe or Danielle, I can tell you that I ended the call with more questions than answers.
Continue Reading Watercooler Conversations in 2021

Closing the Deal! (L to R Phillip Sosnow, Tim DeKeyser, Lucas Pizzutti, Danielle Hall, Nathifa Parker, Joseph Beguiristain, John Trach, Saron Musa, David Jessup, Jr. and Jessica Buchsbaum)
(L to R Phillip Sosnow, Tim DeKeyser, Lucas Pizzutti, Danielle Hall, Nathifa Parker, Joseph Beguiristain, John Trach, Saron Musa, David Jessup, Jr. and Jessica Buchsbaum)

My computer chimed shortly after two o’clock. It was an email notification from Jessica announcing that it was time to schedule our end-of-summer reviews. During our

On June 23, 2021, Bilzin Sumberg summer associates gathered on Zoom and watched a recorded message from Mary Fitzgerald of Netflix’s trending reality show, “Selling Sunset.” We also received a digital binder with a hypothetical scenario that blends the drama of the luxe life of real estate brokers at The Oppenheim Group with facts that would catch the attention of any issue spotting law student. The real fun started when the summer associates were split into two different groups and tasked with representing either the buyer or seller of a prime slice of real estate in Miami’s Brickell community.

Under the direction of Alexandra Lehson, a Partner in Bilzin Sumberg’s Real Estate Practice Area, John Trach, Saron Musa, and I are representing Nathifa Parker (Selling Sunset, LLC), the buyer. Danielle Hall and Joseph Beguiristain are representing Lucas Pizzutti (This Isn’t Us, LLC), the seller, with support from Partner Sara Herald. Thus far, we’ve attended two of three seminars aimed at providing us with an overview of each step in the real estate transaction process. Led by Partners Timothy DeKeyser and Phillip Sosnow, the seminars provide us with substantive and technical guidance for the immediate next steps in the process: negotiating terms and drafting agreements.
Continue Reading Learning by Doing: “Selling Sunset” Style

The summer program has been filled with professional development courses through PowerSummer, jigsaw puzzles, coffee breaks with attorneys, negotiation sessions, attorney spotlights, and so much more! As we wrapped up our last week of the summer associate program, we were tasked with closing the deal for the Mock Real Estate Transaction, keeping a