Friehling & Horowitz

Friehling & Horowitz
Name	Friehling & Horowitz
Type	Private
Founded	1970s
Headquarters	New York City
Founders	Marvin Friehling; Samuel Horowitz
Key people	Marvin Friehling; Samuel Horowitz; additional partners
Practice areas	Real estate law; finance; litigation
Notable cases	Co-op and condominium financing; commercial mortgage-backed securities

Friehling & Horowitz

Friehling & Horowitz was a Manhattan-based law firm known for practice in New York City real estate, finance, and civil litigation. The firm operated during a period marked by influential actors such as Rudolph Giuliani, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, and major institutions like Chase Manhattan Bank and Chemical Bank. Its practice intersected with transactions involving entities such as MetLife, Equitable Life Assurance Society, Rockefeller Center, and high-profile developers from Lower Manhattan to Midtown Manhattan.

History

Founded in the late 20th century, the firm emerged amid transformations driven by figures like Nelson Rockefeller, Robert Moses, and corporate players including Pan Am and AT&T. It developed during the same era as law firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Sullivan & Cromwell. The firm’s growth paralleled banking consolidation involving Citibank and Bank of America, and regulatory shifts influenced by statutes like the Community Reinvestment Act and decisions from the New York Court of Appeals. Its client roster connected to developers and financiers who worked with entities such as Tishman Speyer, Vornado Realty Trust, Durst Organization, and insurance underwriters including AIG.

Founders and Key Personnel

The founders, Marvin Friehling and Samuel Horowitz, were contemporary legal professionals with ties to Columbia University and New York University School of Law alumni networks. Their careers intersected with judges from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and attorneys who later joined firms such as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Associates moved between practice areas represented by actors like Michael Bloomberg in private enterprise and public service, and former clients included real estate magnates aligned with Harry Macklowe and Donald Trump.

Architectural and Design Works

Although primarily a legal practice, the firm worked closely with architectural firms and developers tied to projects involving Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Gensler, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and I.M. Pei. The firm provided counsel on transactions affecting properties associated with landmarks such as Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and redevelopments in Battery Park City and Penn Station corridors. Its legal work often referenced preservation issues under the aegis of New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and issues surrounding developments near Central Park and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Business Practices and Notable Projects

The firm specialized in transactional work for cooperative and condominium conversions, mortgage securitizations, and lease negotiations with landlords including SL Green Realty, Macklowe Properties, and Silverstein Properties. It handled financing matters that implicated secondary markets tied to Federal National Mortgage Association and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation instruments. Notable projects involved advising on financing structures for large office towers, retail assemblages near Times Square, and mixed-use developments in neighborhoods impacted by rezoning debates with officials from New York City Department of City Planning and stakeholders connected to One World Trade Center recovery activity.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The firm encountered disputes emblematic of high-stakes real estate law, including litigations involving condominium boards, loan defaults, and foreclosure actions where counterparties included regional banks and institutional lenders like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase. Some matters drew scrutiny similar to cases involving Martha Stewart-era securities litigation or corporate controversies akin to those faced by Lehman Brothers during the financial crisis. The firm’s role in complex mortgage-backed securities and cooperative disputes occasionally led to courtroom proceedings in tribunals influenced by rulings from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Legacy and Influence

Friehling & Horowitz left a mark through alumni who joined firms across Wall Street and academia, contributing to institutions such as Fordham University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and public offices including the New York State Assembly and municipal agencies. Its transactional templates informed precedents used by practitioners at DLA Piper and boutique firms focused on New York property law. The firm’s engagements with developers, financiers, judges, and preservation bodies helped shape dialogues involving eminent domain disputes, conversion practice, and urban redevelopment debates connected to actors like Michael Cohen (lawyer) and planning initiatives championed by figures such as Billionaire philanthropists and civic leaders.

Category:Law firms based in New York City