NEW YORK – April 10, 2020 – Ed Wallace, co-chair of the New York City office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, was named to City & State’s 2020 “Real Estate Power 100” list. Earlier this year, Wallace was recognized as a City & State Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
City & State profiles Wallace as, “A former New York City councilman and chief of staff to then-Council President Carol Bellamy, few insiders know New York’s political and regulatory terrain better than Edward Wallace. A top land use expert, Wallace has represented academic institutions like Columbia and New York University, as well as major real estate companies. Amazon recently turned to the high-powered lobbyist to try to salvage its plan to build a headquarters in Queens.”
The “Real Estate Power 100” list highlights industry leaders at the intersection of real estate development and public policy, including executives, elected officials, appointees, advocates and others. According to the publication, they “identified the industry leaders who build buildings and political relationships, the lawmakers and administration officials who weigh the needs of residents against developers’ needs to make housing projects profitable, and the trade associations, lobbyists, publicists, academics and activists who all shape New York’s vibrant real estate world in so many ways.”
In 1981, Wallace became the then youngest City Council member in New York City history representing the Borough of Manhattan. Wallace began his career in the Chelsea neighborhood office of the Legal Aid Society. He also served as chief of staff to City Council President Carol Bellamy and later as vice president for finance at Mort Zuckerman’s Boston Properties.
From 2012-2014, Wallace was chair of New Yorkers for Parks and now is a member of the NY4P Board. Wallace serves as vice chair and counsel to the Citizens Budget Commission and is the vice chair of the French American Foundation Board. Professionally he has been listed in multiple editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell.
Wallace serves as a trusted advisor to his clients. He has represented Columbia University, New York University, and Fordham University in their Manhattan expansions. In addition, he has advised Extell, Silverstein, Fetner Properties, and other leading developers and financial and media companies in obtaining government approvals.
Wallace also advises Hornblower, the New York City’s ferry provider, and serves as outside national counsel to JCDecaux, the world’s largest street furniture company.
About Greenberg Traurig's Real Estate Practice: The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firm’s real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 400 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The group’s clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firm’s real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.
About Greenberg Traurig’s New York Government Law & Policy Practice Greenberg Traurig has one of New York City’s leading real estate, land use, and government relations offices in the City. The Government Law & Policy group, which has been consistently ranked among the Top 5 lobbying practices in New York City by the City Clerk’s Office, represents major U.S. companies, leading not-for-profit institutions and major real estate companies in major transactions involving New York City. The attorneys are part of a national practice named “Law Firm of the Year” in the U.S. News-Best Lawyers 2014 edition of “Best Law Firms” for Government Relations.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,200 attorneys in 41 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.