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Leo V.
Leyva

Member

Office 646.563.8930
Email lleyva@coleschotz.com
Ruth Chave |Legal Practice Assistant
201.489.3000 ext. 5027
rchave@coleschotz.com
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Leo is described by clients as “invaluable to our organization,” a “trusted adviser and advocate” and a “focused and loyal purveyor of sage legal advice” (Chambers USA). 

As co-chair of the Litigation, Real Estate and Real Estate Special Opportunities departments, Leo has an expansive practice that encompasses complex commercial litigation, real estate transactions and corporate reorganizations. He is also a member in our Construction and Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring departments.

 

Experience

Leo regularly represents a wide array of clients including private equity, hedge and real estate opportunity funds, national lending institutions, bridge and convenience lenders, property owners and developers; in matters such as:

  • Acquisition and sale of real property
  • Developments and redevelopments
  • Joint ventures
  • Commercial real estate litigation
  • Construction performance and payment disputes
  • Contract claims
  • Corporate dissolution
  • Shareholder disputes/oppression actions
  • Director and officer liability matters
  • Distressed portfolio and asset sales
  • Distressed commercial loan workouts and restructurings
  • Foreclosures
  • Creditors’ rights and insolvency

 

Representative Matters

Leo has spent his entire career with the firm and has played a leading role in innumerable matters. His select notable experience includes:

  • Represented domestic and international hedge funds in ongoing litigation alleging lender liability against an international banking firm, with claims of $380 million and counterclaims of $1.2 billion.
  • Represented a prominent Wall Street executive and former hedge fund founder in litigation brought by four former partners in various courts and in arbitration seeking millions in damages for a variety of claims, including breach of contract and violation of New York labor laws.
  • Represented the owners/operators of 22 recreational vehicle resorts located throughout the country in a dispute arising out of two loan portfolios, totaling in excess of $100 million in securitized commercial loans, secured by first mortgage liens on various RV resorts, which are the subject of multistate foreclosure and receivership proceedings.
  • Represented the general contractor in connection with construction and contract related claims and causes of action arising from the development of an international airport terminal in New York, NY as well as a casino project in the Northeast.
  • Represented the owner in connection with various construction related claims and causes of action arising from the conversion of a large commercial building to high-end residential condominiums in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Networks & Affiliations

In addition to his appointment to the New Jersey Council of Economic Advisors by Senate Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean, Jr., Leo is actively involved in a host of professional organizations, including the New York and New Jersey Federal Bar Association, the New York and New Jersey State Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Association and the Construction Lawyers Society of America.

Honors & Awards

Leo is renown for his top tier legal practice and has been recognized by both media outlets and rigorous legal ranking publications. Over the past decade, Leo has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA for his litigation practice and has been noted for his “outstanding legal strategy and implementation.” He has been recognized as a “Local Litigation Star” in New York and New Jersey by Benchmark Litigation where clients regard him as a “unique attorney, who possesses a keen business sense along with best-in-class legal advice.” In 2020, Leo was a Dealmaker honoree at New Jersey Law Journal’s Professional Excellence Awards. He has also been featured in New York Metro Super Lawyers, New Jersey Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America.  No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

See Award Methodology.

Areas of focus

    Practices
  • Construction
  • Litigation
  • Appeals
  • Professional Services Litigation
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Acquisitions & Sales
  • Development & Repurposing
  • Financing
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Workouts & Foreclosures
  • Zoning & Land Use
  • Real Estate Special Opportunities
  • Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring

Education

Rutgers Law School - Newark, J.D.
Seton Hall University, B.A.

Bar & Court Admissions

New York
New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers
Chambers USA
Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
Local Litigation Star in New York and New Jersey, Benchmark Litigation
New York Metro Super Lawyers
  • Firm News
  • Webinars + Events
  • Awards + Recognitions

Firm News

  1. 01

    400 Claremont Squeaks Through $160M Refinancing Just Ahead of Rate Hike

    June 23, 2022 | Real Estate Capital USA
  2. 02

    Progress Capital arranges $160M refinance for West Side apartment complex in Jersey City

    June 6, 2022 | ROI-NJ.com
  3. 03

    Cole Schotz Advises on $160m Loan for Resort-Style Residential Complex in Jersey City

    May 11, 2022 | Cole Schotz Press Release
  4. 04

    Cole Schotz Advises Cove Property Group in $1 Billion Sale of Hudson Commons

    December 20, 2021
  5. 05

    Cove, Baupost sell Hudson Commons for $1 billion

    December 20, 2021 | Real Estate Weekly
  6. 06

    L’Occitane’s US Arm Gets Ch. 11 Plan Confirmed In NJ

    August 24, 2021 | Law360
  7. 07

    Brookfield Pockets $128M for Brooklyn Office Condo

    August 17, 2021 | Commercial Property Executive
  8. 08

    60 Guilders Secures $106M Loan for Metrotech Acquisition

    August 16, 2021 | Real Estate Weekly
  9. 09

    Biden’s Stimulus Package: What’s In It for Real Estate?

    March 12, 2021 | Commercial Observer
  10. 10

    G4 Funds $230M Loan to Recap Chetrit, Bistricer Condo

    December 15, 2020 | Real Estate Weekly
News + Insights

Webinars + Events

  1. 01

    Spring Financing CRE Forum

    April 26, 2023 | Commercial Observer
News + Insights

Awards + Recognitions

  1. 01

    Six Cole Schotz Attorneys Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America List

    October 4, 2022
  2. 02

    14 Cole Schotz Attorneys Named 2022 New York Metro Super Lawyers

    September 29, 2022
  3. 03

    Best Lawyers Recognizes 41 Cole Schotz Attorneys on 2023 List

    August 18, 2022
  4. 04

    Chambers USA Recognizes 27 Cole Schotz Attorneys and Eight Firm Departments

    June 1, 2022
  5. 05

    14 Cole Schotz Attorneys Named 2021 New York Metro Super Lawyers

    September 30, 2021
  6. 06

    Best Lawyers Recognizes 33 Cole Schotz Attorneys on 2022 List

    August 16, 2021
News + Insights

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