Biography

Joann Berardo Birle concentrates her practice on commercial real estate law, with a particular emphasis in retail, office, school, industrial and warehouse leases for landlords and tenants.

Joann's tenant-side experience includes the representation of national retail and office tenants as well as warehouse users expanding their brands or presence throughout the country. Most recently, Joann represented Convene in the leasing of its flagship location with more than 70,000 square feet of retail/event/office space at Brookfield Place in downtown Manhattan. Joann also regularly represents a top-five U.S. bank in branch leases throughout New York and New Jersey, Manhattan headquarter locations for various finance and securities firms, warehouse leases for a national electronic moped provider and various charter schools throughout New York City. On the landlord-side, Joann’s experience includes the representation of a prominent New York City landlord’s two million square foot office building, a receiver in the leasing of a large mall in New Jersey, and the leasing of a large office complex in New Jersey. Joann’s diverse leasing experience truly runs the gamut and, as such, allows her to effectively and efficiently negotiate any lease issue for the benefit of her clients.

Her other areas of her practice include acquisitions, dispositions and financings of retail, office and residential properties; institutional secured lending; and the negotiation of construction, consultant, vendor and architectural services agreements.

Joann also has an active pro bono practice. In 2017, the Lawyers Alliance for New York honored Joann with its Cornerstone Award for outstanding service to nonprofits that improve the quality of life for low-income New Yorkers. During that year, Joann negotiated leases for nonprofits that provide senior services, leadership training, early childhood Head Start programs, and support for women with HIV. 

During law school, Joann was awarded NYU's D. George Levine Memorial Award for the highest grade in real property law, as well as the Professor Robert R. Rosenthal Award for excellence in New York practice. 

Prior to joining Herrick, Joann was counsel at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe (formerly Werbel & Carnelutti, PC).