EAST SIDE STORY
THE MADE-FOR-HOLLYWOOD TALE OF A 16-YEAR LEGAL TUSSLE TO HELP A DEDICATED BAND OF MANHATTAN “HOMESTEADERS” TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE BUILDINGS THEY HAD MOVED INTO AND BEGUN TO REHAB.
GOOGLE STREETVIEW
By Adam Leitman Bailey
28 |
LAST YEAR,
Ramin Bahrani, one of my clients, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. For his previous movie, 99 Homes (2015), I had helped script the court scenes and advised closely on the script overall. I reminded Ramin that no real estate attorney had ever been thanked onstage by an Oscar RE AL ESTATE & INFR ASTRUC TURE
| 2022
winner. In my humble opinion, that streak was primed to end—we “dirt lawyers” have exciting, compelling stories to tell. That goes double for me, a small-firm lawyer. Though guidance on a screenplay helped Ramin, it’s the legal assistance I’ve given to one very prominent actress and her family that is part of my real-life work. This is the tale. Shortly after starting my own firm, I was hired by