Counsel to Counsel - March 2009 - (Page 2) profiles in partnership Forest City Ratner Companies and Duane Morris LLP By Steven Andersen Building on Trust T he New York Times Building is a marriage of form and function. Towering over Eighth Avenue, the skyscraper’s bold façade of projecting horizontal rails suggests columns of text. Inside the public lobby a hardwood floor, intended to wear and age over time, recalls the warm vitality of an old newsroom. In contrast, the walls of the central corridor are lined with 560 small digital screens that randomly cull and display text from the current edition of The Times. It’s a fusion of past and potential, of legacy and currency, and a fitting home for the “paper of record.” Designed by the renowned architect Renzo Piano, the Times Building is a testament to partnership. The building is co-owned by The New York Times Company and developer Forest City Ratner Companies, which managed its design and construction. The project was realized with the help of another partnership: the longstanding relationship between Forest City Ratner and a group of attorneys at Duane Morris LLP led by Partner Allen J. , Ross. “Allen and his team have an unbelievable wealth of experience, and they’re connected to almost everyone in the industry,” says David Berliner, Forest City Ratner’s general counsel and executive vice president. “Every time we have an issue that we need their help with, they always know the person, or know someone who knows them. They use their relationships to solve problems. It The company first engaged Ross in 1993. At the time, Ross was a principal in his own law firm, Ross & Cohen, LLP. Despite the fact that the group has changed firms several times as a result of a series of mergers, the client relationship remains strong, and Frederick Cohen joined Duane Morris with Ross and 18 other colleagues late last year. Berliner says Forest City Ratner uses the Duane Morris attorneys for all facets of the construction process. On the front end, they provide counsel on structuring the various contractor relationships, then negotiating and documenting contracts with architects, engineers and the dozens of consultants and contractors that work on a large project. Once the building is in progress, the outside counsel provide advice on claims avoidance and contract interpretation. Finally, they deal with the construction Linda Chiarelli, Forest City Ratner Companies; disputes that inevitably arise. Allen J. Ross, Duane Morris LLP always helps to have someone who is known in the industry and trusted.” “Litigation is obviously the most drastic aspect, but there are many others,” Berliner explains. “We’ve done mediation with them, or just flatout negotiation to reach a settlement, and they are extremely good at that.” For his part, Ross is understated about his group’s service to Forest City Ratner. “It’s mainly a level of confidence that has evolved over time,” he says. “I think they see us as problem solvers. We try to be economic about how we get them through a litigation.” Photography by Greg Weiner Confidence and Respect A wholly owned subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., Brooklyn-based Forest City Ratner focuses on real estate development projects in New York City and the surrounding area. With 10 in-house lawyers, the company manages some of the largest development projects in the nation’s most demanding real estate market. 02 LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®
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