Brown Altman, LLP

Focus and practice areas

The firm concentrates on commercial real estate law, and it builds a set of connected services around that base. It handles commercial transactions, commercial leasing, project financing, and real property law. Zoning and land use, environmental law, administrative law, and construction law fill out the rest of the property side.

Landlord and tenant matters and hospitality work belong to the same practice. On the dispute side, the firm handles commercial litigation in state and federal courts, and it keeps an appellate practice as well. In my opinion, that mix of deal work and courtroom work matters, because a real estate matter can turn into a dispute, and the same firm can carry it forward.

Where the firm works

The firm serves the New York metropolitan area, and its stated reach covers Nassau and Suffolk Counties along with New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Its clients come from the real estate development industry, and the firm names towns, villages, and cities among the places it works. That points to municipal approvals as a regular part of the caseload.

How zoning matters proceed

Zoning and land use work often runs through local boards. A developer applies to a planning or zoning board, presents plans, and answers questions at public hearings before a vote. The firm gives one senior associate the title of manager of zoning and land use, which suggests this area gets dedicated attention inside the office.

How the team is built

Keith P. Brown and David N. Altman are the founding partners, and the firm credits its partners with more than 80 years of combined legal experience in commercial real estate law and litigation. Below them the site lists senior associates, associates, counsel, and a law clerk. The structure is a small partnership with a supporting bench.

The titles read as a working hierarchy: founding partners, counsel, senior associates who manage named areas, and associates who support the caseload. That kind of structure lets a firm assign matters by seniority and subject. A client with a lending question and a client with a zoning question can each reach an attorney the firm has put in charge of that work.

Named roles

Matthew J. Ingber holds the title of senior associate and manager of zoning and land use. Jerry Lagomarsine is a senior associate and manager of commercial lending. Anthony C. Curcio is a senior associate, and Lidia Szczepanowski is counsel. Giving one attorney charge of lending and another charge of land use tells a reader how the firm divides its transactional work.

The associate group includes Romina Benzakarya, Taylor Gonzalez, Jason Gil, Jessica Nowak, and Seth J. Meyer. Eileen Quinn joined as an associate attorney in March 2025, according to the firm's news posts. As a reviewer, I read a recent hire as a sign of active work moving through the office.

Inside the transactional work

Commercial transactions and leasing are the everyday work of a real estate firm. A purchase or sale involves contract drafting, due diligence on title and survey, and a closing where funds and deeds change hands. Project financing adds a lender to the table, along with loan documents and conditions the borrower has to meet.

Commercial leasing runs on longer documents than residential leases, and terms cover rent, build-out, renewal, and who pays for repairs. Landlord and tenant matters can follow when a lease term is tested, whether that means a holdover, a non-payment claim, or a question about conditions. The firm lists hospitality work too, which fits property owners who run hotels or venues and face their own licensing and lease questions.

Approvals and building work

Zoning and land use approvals often come before a deal can proceed, since a buyer needs to know what a site allows. The firm also lists administrative law, which covers dealings with agencies and boards. Those approvals can shape the price and the timeline of a development.

Environmental law and construction law connect to the same projects. Environmental review can decide whether and how a site can be built on, and it can involve state agencies and cleanup rules. Construction matters bring in contracts, schedules, payment disputes, and mechanic's liens among owners, contractors, and subcontractors.

Litigation and appellate work

The firm handles commercial litigation in state and federal courts, which covers disputes over contracts, property, leases, and business dealings. A commercial case moves through pleadings, discovery, motions, and, when it goes that far, trial. Zoning, environmental, and administrative matters can also reach court through an appeal of a board or agency decision.

Appellate practice is its own skill, since it works from the trial record and written briefs. Keeping that capability in-house means the firm can carry a matter past a first ruling when a client wants to appeal. In my opinion, having litigation and appeals under the same roof as the deal work gives clients one team across the life of a property matter.

A note on the firm's name

Two versions of the name appear across the firm's material. The home page and footer use Brown Altman, LLP, while the contact page and domain use Brown Altman & DiLeo, LLP. A reader searching online may find the firm under either version. Both names refer to the same Melville office.