Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP, a leading full-service law firm based in New York City, has added six new team members in recent months to keep up with the firm's continued growth and demand. David M. Alin and Samuel C. Watkins have joined the firm as Partners, while David B. Augenbaum, S. Yan Sin, Allyson P. Stavis and Matthew Ulmann have joined the firm as Associates.
On May 1, 2020, the firm celebrated its fifth anniversary. Since spinning off from a prior firm and taking 33 attorneys, in the past five years the firm has welcomed an additional 21 attorneys, now having a grand total of 54.
“We are pleased to welcome these extraordinary attorneys to our team,” said Jeffrey M. Schwartz, founding and managing partner at SSRGA. “They bring exceptional talent and experience to our practice groups as we continue to help our clients navigate a shifting landscape.”
“The addition of these six attorneys supports the continued growth of the firm and the expansion of our practice areas,” said Steven D. Sladkus, founding partner at SSRGA. “Our firm and clients will absolutely benefit from their professional capabilities and commitment to superior service.”
Alin, who joins SSRGA as a partner in the firm’s real estate practice group, has extensive experience in many disciplines within commercial real estate, including acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing and lending transactions on behalf of borrowers. Alin’s experience includes representing owners, investors and developers in acquisitions and dispositions of office buildings and other commercial properties such as shopping malls, restaurants, athletic facilities and manufacturing plants. He has negotiated office, retail, commercial, agricultural and solar leases, both from the landlord and tenant side. In addition, Alin has deep experience representing real estate companies, funds and other entities as borrowers in various types of financings, including CMBS loans. Prior to joining the firm, Alin was a partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and previously worked at Proskauer Rose LLP. Alin is admitted to practice law in New York and Illinois (inactive status). He received his Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law.
Watkins, who joins SSRGA as a partner in the firm’s real estate and litigation practice groups, has decades of experience handling complex litigation matters in commercial litigation, securities, products liability, medical malpractice and real estate. He has also argued and tried cases in the state and Federal courts. Prior to joining the firm, Watkins was a partner at Hiscock & Barclay, LLP and a partner at Lewis, Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith., LLP. Watkins previously served as a trial lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice as well as a senior counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He is admitted to practice in the Southern and Eastern Districts, as well as all New York State courts. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, Master of Art from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Juris Doctor from Fordham Law School. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1988.
Augenbaum joins SSRGA as an associate in the firm's trusts and estates practice group. Augenbaum is a seasoned trusts and estates attorney who has extensive experience assisting individuals and families in the preservation and transfer of wealth by establishing estate plans that provide for, and protect, families, securing their wealth for future generations, and advising them regarding the administration of estates and trusts.. He prepares a broad range of estate planning documents including wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, living wills and health care proxies. In addition to tax planning, he tailors each client’s estate plan for their specific needs, including planning for couples who are in a second marriage, for minor children and for family businesses. Augenbaum earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland University College, and his law degree from Fordham University School of Law. Augenbaum is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association and Nassau County Bar Association.
Sin joins SSRGA as an associate in the firm’s matrimonial, family and reproductive law practice group. Before joining the firm, she focused her practice on family law litigation, representing clients on all types of family law matters including divorce, custody and support. Sin has successfully argued before the Supreme Court and Family Court. Prior to entering private practice, Sin clerked for the Hon. Ellen F. Gesmer of the New York State Supreme Court. Sin serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Women’s Bar Association (NYWBA) where she is also co-chair of the Judiciary Committee and was a panelist on the Democratic Party Independent Judicial Screening Panel. Sin is also co-chair of the Immigration Committee of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Sin is an active member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, where she is launching the Family and Elder Law Committee. Sin earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, and her law degree from New York Law School. She is admitted to practice before the Courts of the State of New York and New Jersey.
Stavis joins SSRGA as an associate in the firm’s commercial and real estate litigation practice groups. She has deep experience representing clients in disputes in both the commercial and residential real estate spheres, with a particular focus on cooperatives and condominiums and landlord/tenant litigation. Stavis earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her law degree from Brooklyn Law School. She is admitted to practice law before the Courts of the State of New York and New Jersey, as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the District of New Jersey. She has successfully argued before the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, in a reported decision.
Ulmann joins SSRGA as an associate in the firm’s real estate litigation practice. Prior to joining the firm, he represented multiple real estate holding companies at a large, international law firm. He subsequently served as a law clerk for the Honorable Anil C. Singh in the New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division and New York State Appellate Division, First Judicial Department. Ulmann earned his undergraduate degree from the University at Buffalo, and his law degree, magna cum laude, from New York Law School. He is admitted to practice law before the State Court of New York, as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
About SSRGA
Based in New York City, SSRGA is a full-service law firm with practice areas including real estate, real estate development, cooperative and condominium board representation, real estate-related and commercial litigation, health care, matrimonial, family and reproductive law, trusts and estates, not-for-profit, corporate, landlord/tenant, financing, intellectual property, and insurance.
