Andrew R. Berman

Professor of Law
Director, Center for Real Estate Studies

An expert on various aspects of real estate law including real estate finance, sales and purchase contracts, real estate development, and commercial leasing, Professor Andrew Berman is often interviewed by national press and called upon to be an expert witness and consultant on major litigation cases and transactions. He is the Founding Director of the Law School’s Center for Real Estate Studies, which is one of the leading academic research centers devoted to the study of both the private practice and public regulation of real estate.

Formerly a partner at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood’s New York Real Estate Group, Professor Berman spent nearly fifteen years in private practice prior to joining the faculty at New York Law School in 2002. While at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, he represented clients in all aspects of commercial real estate finance, including complex financing transactions such as mezzanine loans, preferred equity, and financings intended for securitization markets. Professor Berman also has extensive experience in real estate development projects, the sale and acquisition of real property and mortgage loan portfolios, and complex commercial leasing, including Times Square signage and telecommunication transactions.

A native of New York City, Professor Berman is a 1984 graduate of Princeton University (A.B., Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) and holds a J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law. Immediately following law school, he joined the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell as a Corporate/Real Estate Associate (1988–1991) and then moved to Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz as a Real Estate Associate (1991–1995). In 1995, Professor Berman joined the Real Estate Group at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood and became a partner in 1998.

Professor Berman’s previous academic experience includes teaching Real Estate Transactions at City University of New York School of Law as well as Lawyering at New York University School of Law. His recent law review publications have focused on non-traditional real estate financing techniques and include: “Risks and Realities of Mezzanine Loans,” 72 Missouri Law Review 993 (Fall 2007) and “‘Once a Mortgage, Always a Mortgage’—The Use (and Misuse) of Mezzanine Loans and Preferred Equity Investments,” 11 Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance 76 (2005). Professor Berman is currently working on an article called “Capital Markets and Real Estate Finance Strategies for Sustainable Development.” He has also been Editor of Metes & Bounds, a newsletter published by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and will begin publishing a quarterly newsletter devoted to recent developments in the practice of real estate law.

Professor Berman has recently announced a new partnership between the Center for Real Estate Studies and the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI), the region’s first academic institute for real estate studies. This new partnership will jointly develop executive education courses and graduate law programs, as well as explore collaborative research initiatives. Professor Berman will travel to Dubai in June 2009 to offer the first week-long course, Navigating the United Sates Real Estate Market: Legal, Business, & Regulatory Issues.

At New York Law School, Professor Berman regularly teaches Real Estate Transactions & Finance, first year Property, and Sustainable Real Estate Development. He is also actively involved with the Real Property Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Urban Land Institute.