Practice Areas Real Estate Acquisition and Development; Real Estate Finance and Capital Markets; Condominium Development and Common Interest Community Practice; Commercial Leasing; Commercial and Residential Brokerage and Property Management; Restaurant/Hospitality; Business Formation and Organization
EducationThe George Washington University Law School (J.D.);
New York University (University College of Arts and Sciences) (B.A.)
Bar & Court Admissions District of Columbia
Memberships Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS® (GWCAR) (General Counsel); Washington, D.C. Association of REALTORS® (General Counsel); Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA); District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA)
Abraham J. Greenstein
Abe Greenstein has more than 30 years experience in the private practice of law, which was preceded by 10 years of experience as an attorney and administrator with the Government of the District of Columbia. He is a counselor and advisor to many clients, and represents a broad range of clients in complex real estate acquisition, development and finance transactions and in a broad variety of commercial leasing transactions, including developers, of office buildings, multi-family and condominium housing, hotels, shopping centers and mixed use developments, landlords involved in the ownership of commercial and residential real estate, real estate brokerage companies, property management firms and real estate trade organizations, including two as General Counsel. He has been recognized as a leader in the practice of real estate law in multiple local and national publications. Mr. Greenstein has been involved in numerous commercial office, multi-family residential, hotel, retail and multi-use projects throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Mr. Greenstein’s career includes a significant range of public service and involvement in real estate trade association activities, including many leadership roles. Mr. Greenstein began his legal career with the Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C. as a Staff Attorney and from 1969 to 1979 was a lawyer and then an administrator with the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development and its predecessor agencies. During his time with the Government of the District of Columbia, Mr. Greenstein either authored or participated in the drafting of numerous legislation, including the original District of Columbia Condominium Act of 1976. Mr. Greenstein eventually came to be in charge of all of the City’s housing code enforcement, housing rehabilitation, and condominium and cooperative regulation programs. During that time he authored "Federally Assisted Code Enforcement—Problems and Approaches" for the American Bar Association Quarterly on Local Government Law and also served as a member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Consumer Affairs and as Chairman, D.C. Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings.
Representative Matters
Within the last several years, Mr. Greenstein has been involved in a number of transactions which reflect the nature of his practice and his reputation as a “go-to” lawyer, including negotiation of an almost full building lease for in excess of 600,000 square feet as landlord’s counsel; negotiation and closing of two loans as borrower’s counsel, each in excess of $300,000,000, one with respect to a multiple phase residential condominium development and the other in connection with the development of an office, hotel and residential condominium complex; negotiation of an almost full building lease for in excess of 219,000 square feet as landlord’s counsel; and the negotiation of a joint development agreement, as developer’s counsel, with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for a multi-phase office, residential and retail project estimated to have an ultimate development cost of approximately $500,000,000. His clients include some of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area’s most recognizable companies, including The Donohoe Companies, The JBG Companies, The Holladay Corporation, Eakin-Youngentob Associates, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Monday Properties Services LLC, The John Akridge Company, JBG/Rosenfeld Retail Properties, Mid-City Financial Corporation, The Borger Companies and Branch Banking and Trust Company.
Noteworthy
Mr. Greenstein is a founding shareholder of Greenstein DeLorme & Luchs, P.C. In addition, Mr. Greenstein served as the Mayorally appointed (by two different Mayors) Attorney Member of the District of Columbia Real Estate Commission (which licenses and regulates real estate brokers and property managers) from 1984-1987, and, by reappointment, from 1988-1990. Other Mayoral appointments were as Member, D.C. Commission on Housing Production, 1985-1989; Member, Mayor's Rent Control Study Advisory Group, 1986-1989; and Member, D.C. Business Regulatory Reform Commission (1997-1998).
Mr. Greenstein has been active with DCBIA for decades, serving as a Member, Board of Directors (1982-1992); Chairman, Legislative Committee (1982-1984); Counsel, (1994-2007); and Member, Executive Council. Mr. Greenstein has been Vice Chairman, Condominium and Cooperative Committee (1981), Member, Board of Directors (1984), and since 1984, General Counsel, of the Washington, D.C. Association of REALTORS®; and, since its inception in 1990, General Counsel of GWCAR, which awarded Mr. Greenstein its second highest honor in 1999, the Brendan McCarthy Award for service and mentoring. This was the first time the award was given to someone other than a real estate agent or broker.
Mr. Greenstein has been a Member of the Steering Committee of the Legislative/Fiscal Bureau for the Greater Washington Board of Trade (1982-1991); since 1981, Member, the Editorial Advisory Board, D.C. Real Estate Reporter; Member, Board of Directors, Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (1983-1984); Member, Board of Directors (1993-2007); Member, Advisory Counsel since 2008; and Member, Executive Committee (1995-1996) of AOBA, and the first Chairman of its Tax Policy Committee (1990-1997).
Mr. Greenstein was a trustee of Tifereth Israel Congregation. In May 2000, Mr. Greenstein received the City of Peace award from the District of Columbia’s Israel Bonds’ Legal and Accounting Division for his work on behalf of the State of Israel.