STEPHAN A. RAPAGLIA JOINS THE FIRM AS A PARTNER

We are pleased to announce that Stephan Rapaglia has joined Lachtman Cohen & Belowich LLP as a partner in the firm’s Real Estate Group, effective May 1, 2024.

Stephan has over 20 years of law firm and in-house experience in the New York Metropolitan Area, including 10 years as Chief Operating Officer of Urstadt Biddle Properties (UBP), a NYSE-listed real estate investment trust.

“We are thrilled to welcome Stephan as a partner,” said David Lachtman, Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Group and Co-Managing Partner. “His extensive background in commercial real estate and client-side perspective will be invaluable to our team, further enhancing our ability to provide exceptional service to our sophisticated clientele, who will benefit immediately from his experience.” 

Stephan focuses his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, including retail and office leasing, and general contract law. He has handled hundreds of commercial leases for landlords and tenants as well as numerous acquisitions, dispositions and financings of commercial properties. Based on his long C-suite tenure with UBP, Stephan has also been engaged by local and national real estate developers to assist with day-to-day business counseling. 

Brian Belowich and Brian Cohen, Litigation Group Co-Chairs and Co-Managing Partners, added: “We’re building an all-star team that we’re very proud of, and the addition of Stephan, who we have known for a long time, reflects just that. Stephan embodies an unwavering commitment to practicing law at the highest level and to promoting both our values and our culture of excellence, teamwork, and collegiality that distinguishes our firm.”

Prior to his time at UBP, Stephan was an attorney at Coudert Brothers LLP and Baker McKenzie in New York City. 

Stephan received his Juris Doctor from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, his Master of Arts from Manhattanville University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College.

Stephan is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. 

Outside of the practice of law, Stephan has extensive playing and coaching experience in collegiate, professional and international baseball and, in his spare time, he has remained involved with high levels of international baseball. As the manager of the Great Britain National Team, Stephan won a silver medal at the 2007 European Championships, and he was inducted into the British Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022. Stephan has also used his coaching experience to serve his community, having volunteered as a youth baseball and basketball coach.