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36DECEMBER 2021
MSB ADDS TWO REAL
ESTATE, LAND USE
ATTORNEYS
McManimon, Scotland & Baumann LLC has added J. Nicholas Strasser and Jessica CM Almeida to its team of commercial real estate and land use attorneys.
According to the Roseland-based firm, Strasser
entities both within and outside the city organization related to operational and legal matters.
Prior to his time as assistant corporation counsel, Strasser was a civil litigator with a Hudson County firm representing insurance companies and their insureds in tort-based liability actions. He also served as an assistant prosecutor in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Meantime, Almeida has joined MSB as an associate
in its real estate
and land use,
housing matters.
Following her graduation from law school in May 2013, Almeida clerked for former state Supreme Court Justice Mary Catherine Cuff.
MSB also noted that, after graduating from law school, Strasser joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He achieved the rank of captain and served with the 1st Cavalry Division from April 2005 to January 2008, deploying to Iraq as the trial counsel and international law attorney for the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade from October 2006 to December 2007.
From January 2008 to June 2009, Strasser was assigned to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, serving first as an administrative law attorney and then as the legal adviser to the commandant, his bio said. His military awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Strasser is admitted to practice
in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Almeida, for her part, is admitted to practice in the states of New Jersey and New York and federal district courts
in New Jersey and eastern and southern New York, along with the U.S. Court of Appeals’ Second and Third circuits.
BIRCH GROUP TAPS EX-JLL, MACK-CALI LEASING EXEC
The Birch Group has made
another addition to its team, hiring Christopher DeLorenzo as executive vice president as it continues to grow its high-end office holdings in New Jersey.
The privately held firm said DeLorenzo, a
former broker
and Mack-Cali
commercial assets since 2019.
“As we look to the future of the firm and continue to stay focused on expanding our profile as one of the top owners of institutional-quality commercial real estate assets, Chris’ experience both on the brokerage and ownership sides of the business is the perfect fit to support our evolution,” said Mark Meisner, founder and president of The Birch Group. “As one of the largest office owners in New Jersey, we have an exceptional line of sight into what’s moving the market. We look forward to tapping into Chris’ market knowledge and expertise to bring our company to the next level.”
Prior to joining the Nanuet, New York-based firm, DeLorenzo was an executive vice president with JLL’s New Jersey brokerage team, where his duties included leasing, sourcing new business and overseeing national accounts in collaboration with marketing and tenant representation. He has 25 years of commercial real estate experience, including serving as an executive vice president with Mack-Cali, where he was responsible for all leasing and asset management activities for a portfolio of 26.2 million square feet.
The Birch Group noted that, with Mack-Cali, DeLorenzo was involved in more than 1,500 transactions totaling more than $2.5 billion.
“Chris has unique and extensive experience in leasing, marketing
and asset management that spans both tenant and landlord relations,” said Timothy Greiner, an executive managing director and broker lead for JLL’s office leasing team in New Jersey. “We remain impressed with The Birch Group’s ability to execute and as Chris joins the team to add his deep knowledge of the office asset landscape, JLL is excited to support him in this next chapter and continue to forge a strong relationship on the brokerage side of operations.”
DeLorenzo’s hiring comes after a flurry of high-profile acquisitions by The Birch Group, including its $255 million purchase from Mack-Cali
of four prominent office building in Short Hills. The firm said that it has a nearly 90 percent occupancy rate within its core assets and continues its strong leasing activity across its entire portfolio.
“Across my positions in the commercial real estate industry, I have garnered technical and strategic tools in leasing and operations that
J. Nicholas Strasser
joins its ranks as a partner after three and a half years as the first assistant corporation counsel in Jersey City. With MSB,
redevelopment,
housing
practices.
She comes to
the firm after
practicing for
eight years in
the areas of land use and associated litigation, redevelopment and municipal utilities.
MSB said Almeida has briefed and successfully argued matters before New Jersey’s Superior Court, its Appellate Division and the state Supreme Court. She has also participated in so-called Mount Laurel hearings involving affordable
he represents both private clients and governmental entities,
focusing on land use, development, redevelopment and commercial and transactional real estate.
Strasser previously handled the day-to-day management of Jersey City’s Law Department and regularly served as its representative at city council public meetings, according to his bio. He also served as the department’s liaison with other
Jessica CM Almeida
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Realty Corp.
executive,
will oversee
leasing, asset
management
and operations
across the
company’s footprint. He will also manage brokerage relationships
and work closely with its expanding team, which oversees a portfolio that has added nearly $800 million of
Christopher DeLorenzo