Strategic move builds on firm Co-Founder Bob Traurig’s legacy as Miami’s original “Dean of Zoning” and the firm’s global reputation for excellence in the real estate industry
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP continues the strategic expansion of its land use and development capabilities on Long Island with the addition of Daniel J. Baker, a distinguished attorney with deep local business, government, and community roots. Baker is joining in Garden City and will serve together with David “Rooney” J. Gilmartin, Jr. of the Bridgehampton office, as co-chairs of the firm’s Long Island Land Use Practice.
Baker comes to Greenberg Traurig with extensive experience in land use and zoning, general real estate transactions, industrial development agency and municipal benefits, environmental matters, tax certiorari and condemnation, corporate law, and civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Baker was a partner at Certilman Balin.
“Adding Dan is the latest step in building on the dominance of our land use and real estate practices in the New York Metropolitan area and around the world. We continue to leverage the synergies among the Long Island, New York City, and South Florida markets and are focused on continued growth in the region. I know Bob Traurig would be more than proud of how the practice he founded in Miami has grown on the global stage, and the character and excellence of our team,” Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum said.
“Having extensive knowledge of local laws and municipal processes is key to providing clients with the best service and value in land use matters. We are thrilled to add someone with Dan’s regional experience and credibility to help grow our land use and development practice on Long Island,” said Brian C. Doyle and John P. McEntee, co-managing shareholders of Greenberg Traurig’s Long Island offices, in a joint statement.
“Long Island is increasingly attracting real estate clients from around the United States in businesses that include last mile delivery, storage, retail, residential, restaurants, and shopping centers,” Baker said. “I am thrilled to join Greenberg Traurig with its outstanding national and global reputation in land use, zoning, and development. In addition, the firm’s collaborative culture and extensive platform will provide a breadth of resources needed to better serve our growing list of clients and their needs as we expand our practice on Long Island.”
Gilmartin added, “As we move into this new chapter, developing our land use practice on Long Island and beyond, I look forward to working with Dan, who brings comprehensive local knowledge and expertise that is invaluable in this industry. Together with the firm’s renowned New York City real estate and land use attorneys, our opportunities to grow our land use practice are limitless.”
Baker serves as the Tenth Judicial District representative to, and a member of the executive committee of, the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association; co-vice chair of the executive board of Touro Law Center’s Institute of Land Use and Sustainable Development Law; a member of the WE CARE advisory board (the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association); and as an appointed member of the State of New York Commission on Quality Care for the Mentally Disabled Surrogate Decision Making Committee Program. He received his J.D. from The Jacob D. Fuchsburg Law Center of Touro College.
A Legacy of Land Use and Development Practice Expansion
“The story of land use and zoning is really the story of Greenberg Traurig’s history; it began 55 years ago with firm co-founder, the inimitable Bob Traurig. Dubbed the ‘Dean of Zoning’ of Miami, Bob helped transform what was mainly a landscape of aging hotels and acres of farmland into the city’s modern skyline, framing a thriving metropolis of residential and commercial buildings, suburban communities, and premiere vacation destination properties,” Rosenbaum said. “We continue as the premier real estate and land use firm in Miami, New York, Chicago, California, and around the world. Following the business and finding opportunities wherever they exist is what led us to expand our land use practice on Long Island. Bob’s legacy lives on in this strategic move.”
Long Island has a growing business market and is a location where many private equity, banking, real estate, technology, health care, and other business leaders own homes and increasingly have offices.
“With a substantial presence on Long Island - the only global firm to establish one – along with our expanding locations in Manhattan, Westchester County, and New Jersey – we have the needs of the New York Metropolitan area covered like no other firm. Many prominent business decision-makers frequently jet between New York, Miami and around the world. Wherever they are, our attorneys are there to provide immediate and unmatched flexibility of service and value,” Rosenbaum added.
Greenberg Traurig’s Long Island real estate and land use attorneys are complemented by a team of more than 300 attorneys in the New York metropolitan area and more than 650 real estate focused attorneys in key markets worldwide.
“In each market we serve around the world, our attorneys have a thorough understanding of the regulatory issues affecting the use of a property and of the opportunities available to enhance a site’s development potential. We can guide clients through the requisite legal processes needed to achieve those entitlements because of our knowledge of local conditions and long-standing working relationships with local regulators,” said Kerri L. Barsh, co-chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Environmental Practice and Jay A. Segal, co-chair of the Land Use Practice, in a joint statement. Barsh served as one of Bob Traurig’s Miami based mentees for many years and Segal has led the New York City Land Use Practice for more than 25 years.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2500 attorneys in 43 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021 and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, and NLJ 250. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program certifies that the firm’s U.S. offices are 100% powered by renewable energy. The firm is often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.