Moerdler hits pay dirt in real estate's details: Jeff Moerdler, New York Office Section Head, Real Estate & Communications, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC

Real Estate Weekly,  Oct 17, 2007  by Linda O'Flanagan

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

When it comes to the fine print, few in the real estate industry would disagree that attorney Jeff Moerdler knows exactly which T's should be crossed and I's dotted.

A self confessed transactional law junkie, Moerdler has been involved in some of the city's most legally complex deals, become an accomplished lecturer on the real estate circuit and built a niche for his team at Mintz Levin in the arena of high-tech communications leasing.

Moerdler is first to admit, though, that his job is "not exactly front page news," so it came as something of a shock when he found himself at the center of a media feeding frenzy that made headlines in every major newspaper in the tri-state area earlier this year.

For while Moerdler is a well-known authority on real estate and communications issues within the confines of the industry's ranks, few realize that he also represents many major property owners, not least among whom is Bernard Spitzer, father of New York's governor, Eliot.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

During the summer, Moerdler was propelled into the role of point man in a scandal alleging a Republican strategist had left an obscenity-laced phone message threatening Bernard Spitzer.

While the subject matter was light years from Moerdler's usual business dealings, his adroit handling of what was indeed a very delicate and legally explosive situation is indicative of the deft hand he has displayed over 25 years of practicing real estate law in all of its forms, a talent which has earned him numerous accolades, including the crown of New York Super Lawyer bestowed upon him in 2006 and 2007 by the New York Times.

Yet Moerdler much prefers to be known as a good, old fashioned dirt lawyer, the kind whose brain gets its best work-out from a definition of premises clause in a lease agreement, or weeks-long negotiation over a partnership dissolution.

"What I do is an art, not a science," said Moerdler. "It is the art of negotiation and every negotiation is different.

"The goal is usually to reach a compromise that all parties in a dispute can live with. To do that, you have to know how to deal with different people and different circumstances and move towards your client's goal while allowing the other side to feel that they, too, got what they needed. Everyone has to feel that they won to some degree."

Bom and raised in the Bronx, Moerdler started out as a paralegal before attending Columbia College for his BA and New York University School of Law for his JD.

He accepted a clerkship with US District Judge Charles Brieant, later chief judge for the Southern District of New York, that he said became a graduate legal education on how to avoid or stall litigation. He was drawn to the type of tag team real estate litigation where he would work with other lawyers to convince clients of the alternatives to going to court.

During the past 13 years, he has also developed a unique specialty and today leads the largest practice in the country in the intersection of real estate and communications issues. Moerdler has extensive experience representing landlords, tenants and communications service providers in the leasing, purchase, sale and financing of rooftop antennas, switch facilities and data centers and fiber optic transactions, as well as the wiring of buildings for broadband communications access. He has negotiated literally thousands of rooftop antenna leases, inside wiring agreements, antenna tower leases and switch facility leases throughout the country coveting over one billion square feet of space. And he has devoted a considerable portion of his practice to power and energy issues related to real estate and other technology matters.

"The matters I work on may not be on the front page every day," Moerdler joked, "but each case is individually interesting and challenging. Every one is a unique experience and I learn something new every day. I love what I do and look forward to coming to work and doing deals every day."

Moerdler has also successfully translated that passion for his chosen profession into the role of lecturer and educator and has authored numerous articles on communications and real estate subjects.

"I enjoy writing articles and doing lecturing and I encourage questions and interruptions so that the discussion turns to real world experiences that bring the issues to life," said the lawyer whose services have become very much in demand in an industry that has acknowledged continuing education is a key to employee retention.

"Brokerage firms, real estate companies and law firms are now much more receptive to doing internal and external continuing education both for young people coming up through the ranks and for seasoned pros keeping abreast of the latest developments. More and more, these firms are looking to bring in outside experts who can provide real-world experience of factors that could ultimately make or break a deal."