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Christopher H. Palmer is the firm’s managing partner and the chair of the firm’s banking department. He represents commercial banks and financial institutions in structuring and negotiating a wide array of financing transactions, and he has broad experience in handling commercial mortgages, as well as construction, leasehold, mezzanine, and bridge financing transactions. He has drafted numerous sets of loan document packages for local, regional and national lenders, as his practice is focused on commercial real estate finance, where he represents financial institutions and real estate funds in connection with single-lender and agented, multi-lender transactions. Additionally, Chris is skilled at representing various lenders in the origination of CMBS, portfolio, construction, mezzanine and syndicated loans secured by real estate.

Areas of Concentration:

  • Complex structured finance issues and commercial loan documentation
  • All areas of lending diligence including reviews of contracts, purchase agreements, leases, environmental reports, and property conditions reports
  • Drafting Master Loan Purchase Agreements in regard to bulk loan and asset sales
  • Loan Recovery, Workout and Restructuring matters involving creditors' rights, lender liability, loan defaults, commercial foreclosure proceedings, and the enforceability of security interests under the loan documents
  • Land use issues and environmental due diligence matters involving the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act ("SEQRA") specializing in local law zoning and planning issues

Practice Areas

Banking and Financial Services Banking and Financial Services Litigation Real Estate Purchase and Sales Transactions Commercial Real Estate Finance Commercial Foreclosures/ Total Debt Restructuring Financial Regulatory and Compliance Loan Workout

Industries

Admissions

  • New York
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Education

  • J.D., St. John’s University School of Law, 1994
  • B.A., Binghamton University, 1991
  • Chaminade High School, 1987

Representative Experience

  • Represented Village of Rockville Centre Board of Zoning Appeals as Lead Counsel.

Professional and Community Activities

  • Professor, St. John’s University School of Law – “Commercial Real Estate Workouts and Bankruptcy” Course
  • Committee Member, Judicial Foreclosure Task Force, as formed and organized by New York State Chief Administrative Judge in conjunction with New York Bankers Association (NYBA)
  • CLE lecturer on topics such as, “Representing the Commercial Mortgage Lender” and “Cutting Edge Issues in Real Property Law”
  • Presenter for educational seminars for banks on topics such as, “Property and Liability Insurance – What Every Lender Must Know”
  • Member, Mortgage Bankers Association of New York (MBANY)
  • Member, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA)
  • Member, Community Bankers’ Mortgage Forum (CBMF)
  • Member, New York Bankers Association (NYBA)
  • Member, New Jersey Bankers Association (NJBA)
  • Member, Nassau County Bar Association
  • Member, Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation, Inc
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Catholic Charities of Long Island
  • Member, Cardinal’s Committee for Charity, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
  • Member, Chaminade High School Parent’s Board (former), and Golf and Tennis Open Committee (currently)
  • Co-Chair and Former Honoree, Seminary of the Immaculate Conception Golf Committee

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