Biography
Robert Chester focuses his practice on litigating real estate matters related to landlord-tenant, commercial lease, and governance disputes.
Robert’s clients include cooperative and condominium boards as well as both commercial tenants and landlords. He has experience representing buyers, sellers, and investors in commercial real estate acquisition, sale, leasing, and finance transactions, including negotiating loan documents for acquisition, bridge, mezzanine, preferred equity, and construction lending.
Experience
- Represented a joint venture partner in connection with a disputed exercise of a buy-out option and alleged mismanagement by the defendant managing member.
- Represented a cooperative shareholder in an action seeking reformation of a ground lease.
- Represented a franchise owner and its principal in multiple litigations in state courts in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and D.C., in connection with breach of lease claims against various franchises and two enforcement actions for alleged violations of consumer protection statutes.
- Successfully briefed and argued an appeal upholding a client’s award of attorneys’ fees against a defendant housing cooperative in connection with a mold damage lawsuit.
News & Views
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Case
Blank Rome Successfully Assists Historic Brooklyn Church in Evicting Squatters
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Case
Blank Rome Prevails on Dispositive Motion, Further Developing Law on the Propriety of Predicate Notices Required to Terminate Commercial Tenancies
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Deal
Blank Rome Wins Summary Judgment Motion for Property Owner, Developing Law on “Time of the Essence” Closings
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Article
Yellowstone Expansion Post-Covid
American Bar Association -
Press Release
Blank Rome Adds Leading Group of Litigators in New York
Lisa M. Coyle, Massimo F. D'Angelo, Reena Jain, Craig Weiner, Robert Chester, Eamon O'Kelly
Recognitions
2024, New York Metro “Rising Star” in Real Estate Law, listed in Super Lawyers
Credentials
Admissions
- New York
Education
- Oberlin College, BA
- Florida State University College of Law, JD
