Jerome Garciano Presents on the Massachusetts SMART Program at National Conference on Microgrids

Real Estate and Development Group lawyer Jerome Garciano presented a program on the "Massachusetts SMART Program, Federal Opportunity Zones and Green Tax Credits and the Implications for Microgrid" as part of  ACI&#’;s in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2019. Microgrids are quickly becoming a popular trend in energy distribution, expanding the availability of resilient infrastructure, sustainable energy, and independence that can't be achieved by relying on the traditional power grid. Installations such as military bases, hospitals, universities and rural communities are already switching to this method of power supply. Key topics included regulatory framework, strategies for workforce growth, military applications, and California’s historic SB-100, passed in 2018, which has the ambitious goal of making the state’s electricity production emissions-free by 2045.

Green Building Event Garners Crowd at R+C’s Boston Office

About 70 people attended the U.S. Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter’s “Spring Greenbuild Mixer and Farewell Toast to Grey!” at Robinson+Cole’s Boston office on May 25, 2017, an event sponsored by the firm. The mixer was among the events leading up to Greenbuild 2017, the world’s largest green building conference and expo, which is coming to Boston from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10, 2017. At the mixer, attendees had opportunities for networking, and they learned about the organization’s upcoming events and projects. Real Estate + Development Group lawyer Jerome Garciano, who advises clients on energy efficiency and green building, spoke at the event. Mr. Garciano volunteers with the USGBC’s Legacy Project, which provides a green facilities management training and career track for students and young adults in under-resourced neighborhoods in Boston. The event also honored the work of the chapter’s outgoing Executive Director Grey Lee, who left the organization in May. To learn more about Greenbuild 2017, visit greenbuildexpo.com.

Click here to view a photo of the event.

Real Estate Lawyers Participate in ABA RPTE Spring Symposia

Real Estate + Development Group members Karla Chaffee and Jerome Garciano presented on sustainable development during the ABA's Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law's (RPTE) Spring Symposia in Denver, Colorado, on April 20-21, 2017. Ms. Chaffee served as the program chair and moderator and Mr. Garciano was a speaker for the program "Get Ready for a New Wave of Sustainable Development and Learn How It Can Work for Business." The session explored mandatory sustainability ordinances and how they differ from a robust, voluntary sustainability program; as well as incentive-based regulations, including tax incentives, and whether or not they are still viable tools in promoting change. Other panelists included Sonrisa Lucero and Jerry Tinianow of the City of Denver Office of Sustainability.

Jerome Garciano Hosts Sustainability Event in Boston Office

Real estate and development lawyer Jerome L. Garciano hosted Robinson+Cole's first sustainability event in association with the Harvard Real Estate Alumni Organization on April 13, 2016, in the firm's Boston office. The panel included representatives from National Development, Harvard University, Partners HealthCare, the Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc., and Paradigm Properties. The presenters discussed initiatives their organizations are taking to address sustainability at their properties, including clean energy cogeneration and healthy and sustainable building materials. Over 40 guests attended the program. Click here to view photos.

Mr. Garciano is co-chair of Robinson+Cole's Sustainability Group.

Robinson+Cole Is a Sponsor of NYSAFAH Conference

Robinson+Cole was a Gold Sponsor of the 16th Annual New York State Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) Conference on May 13, 2015, in New York City. Members of the firm's Real Estate + Development Group attended the event, including lawyers Andrew L. Kramer, Leigh K. Hughes, Theresa A. Omansky, Jerome L. Garciano, Julia H. Klein, and Lisa C. Riccio and paralegals Margaret L. Bracken, Marilyn I. Bernard, and Sanan Ibne. R+C hosted a booth that featured literature on our affordable housing practice.

The conference, whose theme was "Building for the Future," offered workshops on development and preservation, financing affordable housing, and housing policy.

Robinson+Cole Represents National Bank in HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration Conversion Deals with Cambridge Housing Authority

Robinson+Cole real estate lawyers Andrew L. Kramer, Matthew J. Lawlor, Jerome L. Garciano, and Katherine C. Bailey represented a national bank in its role as a lender for the Cambridge Housing Authority's (CHA) first four Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversion deals. In April 2015, the bank closed the tax-exempt bond financing for 511 units of public housing conversions under HUD's RAD program. The RAD program was created to give public housing authorities a tool to preserve and improve public housing properties by restructuring HUD subsidies into long-term contracts that facilitate the private financing of improvements. These first four transactions are part of a long-term project to convert all 2,129 of CHA's public housing units to RAD. The bank is the top affordable housing finance provider in the country, lending $3.2 billion in 2014.

Robinson+Cole Lawyers Host Networking Event at 2014 ABA Annual Meeting

Robinson+Cole hosted a cocktail networking hour for clients and guests from the ABA Sections of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law; State and Local Government Law; and Litigation on August 9 during the 2014 ABA Annual Meeting in Boston. Held on Griffin's Wharf at the Boston Tea Party Museum, the event provided a unique venue for guests to mix, mingle, and explore an authentically restored tea ship, from which a R+C flag was flown to mark the occasion. The event was spearheaded by Candace M. Cunningham, with J. Michael Wirvin, Kendra L. Berardi, Karla L. Chaffee, Thomas J. Donlon, Jerome L. Garciano, Jonathan R. Hausner, Charles E. Janson, Matthew J. Lawlor, Dwight H. Merriam, Carla M. Moynihan, Sorell E. Negro, Emilee Mooney Scott, and Elizabeth K. Wright also attending.

Robinson+Cole Promotes Eight Lawyers to Counsel

Robinson+Cole is pleased to announce the promotion of eight associates to counsel, effective January 1, 2018. The new counsel are Kathleen E. Dion, Jerome L. Garciano, Sorell E. Negro, Lisa C. Riccio, Evan J. Seeman, Lauren M. Sigg, Jonathan E. Small, and Elizabeth K. Wright.

“The elevation of these lawyers further enhances some of our core practices in three of our key markets,” said Stephen E. Goldman, Robinson+Cole’s Managing Partner. “It’s my pleasure to congratulate this group on their well-deserved promotions.”

Read more in the press release.

Robinson+Cole Forms Sustainability Cross-Practice Team

Robinson+Cole announced today that lawyers from a variety of its practice areas have formally come together to form an interdisciplinary Sustainability Group. Comprised of lawyers with deep experience and a history of collaborating to handle sustainability issues related to energy, environmental, tax, intellectual property, real estate, finance, mergers and acquisitions, and construction matters, the team is positioned to offer clients a comprehensive approach to incorporating sustainable designs and practices into their business.

The lawyers in the group routinely counsel clients on addressing sustainable practices such as using renewable and alternative energy, recycling and conserving water and other resources, financing green initiatives, following LEED and green construction practices, implementing corporate sustainability programs, managing climate change risks through adaptation and mitigation, and establishing clean-tech ventures.

Robinson+Cole Welcomes Six New Lawyers

Robinson+Cole is pleased to welcome to the firm five new associates and one counsel across its practice areas. The lawyers join the firm's Boston, Hartford, and Stamford offices and their arrival corresponds with that of Matthew T. Miklave, who, as previously announced, joined the firm as a partner to head Robinson+Cole's labor and employment practice in the firm's Metro New York offices.