Julie Schechter is a partner in the Finance and Real Estate Services Practice group. She has broad real estate experience, primarily focusing on the representation of boards of cooperative corporations and condominium buildings.

As general counsel for cooperatives and condominiums, Julie handles a range of complex issues including construction defects, admissions and leasing policies, unauthorized occupants, ownership of apartments by trust and other entities, fiduciary obligations of Board members, Board elections, disputes between and among shareholders/unit owners and Sponsors, and issues with neighboring buildings. She also regularly provides legal advice and guidance on quality of life issues, alterations, collections and municipal matters, and has significant experience representing Mitchell Lama and HDFC cooperatives in the operation of their properties and relationships with their supervising agencies.

Julie frequently advises cooperative and condominium boards in various corporate governance matters, including drafting and reviewing proprietary leases, by-laws and house rules, and assists boards in enforcing these documents. She also has significant experience representing newly formed boards in new construction and newly converted cooperative and condominium buildings and helps these boards transition from sponsor to unit owner/shareholder control.

Julie often negotiates with architects, engineers, contractors and vendors providing goods and services to the cooperative and condominium associations. She has significant experience handling a myriad of construction-related claims including construction defects and RPAPL §881 proceedings.

Julie’s extensive experience in the real estate industry also includes representing sellers, purchasers, borrowers and financial institutions in various real estate and loan transactions and both landlords and tenants in commercial and residential leasing transactions.

A frequent speaker, Julie has lectured at a number of symposia on cooperative and condominium law, as well as other real estate-related matters including at the annual Housing Conference of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums and at seminars hosted by both the New York City Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. She has also been quoted in a number of industry publications including the New York Times, The Cooperator and Habitat Magazine.