2020 National Law Journal Trailblazers Real Estate/Construction
The National Law Journal (NLJ) has named Belinda Schwartz, partner and chair of Herrick's Real Estate Department, to the inaugural list of Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazers. Through the various Trailblazers special supplements, the NLJ recognizes practitioners who are truly agents of change in their industry.
With only twenty-four professionals named to this list, Belinda was asked about her "Pioneer Spirit" and how she originally got into real estate saying, "I thought that between my love of architecture and doing deals with tangible, visible proof of what you've accomplished – that [real estate] would be the right field for me. And I do love what I do."
In discussing the many components of her varied career and client base, Belinda spoke of working with developers, institutional funds, foreign investors, lenders and many of the most prominent family-held real estate organizations in New York. "I work with them on their overall vision for their company and what they are looking to achieve, especially for closely held family businesses." When NLJ asked about the development of neighborhoods with great potential, she talked about her work on Empire Stores in Brooklyn adding, "I have learned a lot about how these types of deals get done and how neighborhoods can get fully transformed."
While this interview was given just before the COVID-19 epidemic truly hit New York City, in looking to the future, Belinda believes there will be substantial changes being pushed by high net worth families forming family offices, "Whether single- or multiple-family offices, they will become more dominant in the real estate arena." She also comments on how, "Amazon, Google, and Facebook are all looking to expand and change neighborhoods in the process. And there's a lot of money coming into the U.S. from foreign investors. That will continue."