Hope K. Plasha, Partner

Hope K. Plasha has a national real estate practice that encompasses the full spectrum of property types and includes leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, construction and design contracts, complex commercial financings, development, management, and easement agreements, joint ventures, and general legal and business advice relating to strategic real estate transactions.  In 2019, Ms. Plasha was elected a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and in 2020 she was appointed to the Advisory Board of Georgetown University's Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute. In 2021, Ms. Plasha was named to the National Law Journal’s list of Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazers and in 2022 she was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®.

She has particular experience with international real estate, serving as outside real estate general counsel for a global media company in most of its property matters worldwide (including transactions in over 37 different countries). 

Ms. Plasha also has worked extensively with tax-exempt organizations to address their unique real estate concerns—including a number of NYC’s most renowned cultural, medical, and educational institutions.

Representative Matters

Extensive commercial leasing experience representing landlords and tenants in the negotiation of office, retail, industrial, and warehouse leases, both in the United States and internationally (including a private educational institution in the leasing and development of multiple school campuses throughout the United States and in major financial centers around the globe (including Brazil, China, Qatar, Mexico City, London, and elsewhere), a hospital system in the leasing of a 500,000 sq. ft. office, a landlord in the leasing of 150,000 sq. ft. to a major law firm, a professional school in the net leasing of 60,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space, an international company in the leasing of a Hong Kong warehouse for product distribution, the net lease of 200,000 sq. ft. of incubator space to a technology company in Cairo, and a fashion retailer in the negotiation of numerous store leases (including flagship locations in New York, Tokyo, Honolulu, and Palm Beach)).

Representing owners, investors, and developers in the acquisition, disposition, and development of property and in the structuring of joint ventures (including the sale of a high-profile development site near the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, the development of a complicated site in Midtown Manhattan (including acquisition, financing, and the negotiation of management agreements), and the acquisition and development of various commercial properties throughout the United States for an international insurance company and its local partners)).

Negotiating various design and construction contracts on behalf of owners and developers, including “Green Building” projects (e.g., the construction of a build-to-suit U.S. headquarters for a Japanese medical research company, the build-out of 80,000 sq. ft. of office space for a law firm, the construction of an underground facility for an entity subject to complex regulatory restrictions, the construction of a LEED-certified international conference center for a private foundation, and the installation of the largest solar panel array in the Northeastern United States for a corporate client).

Representing borrowers and financial institutions (including international lenders) in connection with over $1,000,000,000 of loans, with a special emphasis on complex construction, permanent, mezzanine and preferred equity financings (including tax-advantaged bond financing and public-private joint ventures, Patriot Act concerns, and the unique issues presented by Islamic financing structures).

Pro Bono
Serve on the Board of Directors of Queens Community House, the Board of Advisors of West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT), and as a clinical supervisor in the Community Economic Development Clinic of a local law school.