Michael J. Sommi

Mike is the President and Managing Attorney of Real Estate Legal Solutions. He brings a philosophy that favors the delivery of innovative legal and business solutions based upon creative, resourceful, common-sense strategies within a collaborative attorney-client framework.

Mike’s leadership experience includes an extended tenure as the managing partner of the New York and Newark, NJ offices of an AmLaw 100 firm, Cozen O’Connor.   Mike grew the New York practice from a single attorney to approximately 90 lawyers practicing out of two offices. Mike also served on the firm’s executive committee.

As a litigator, Mike chaired Cozen’s New York Subrogation and Recovery Practice Group, representing institutional clients in property loss litigation. Mike was the lead trial attorney on numerous complex matters brought in Federal and State Courts including cases tried in the United States District Courts for the Southern (New York City and White Plains) and Eastern (Brooklyn and Central Islip) Districts of New York, the Supreme Court of the State of New York in Kings, Queens, New York, Nassau and Suffolk Counties and the Court of Common Pleas in Lehigh County, PA. Mike has been involved in numerous noteworthy cases including the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing Litigation, the 2001 Terror Attack (World Trade Center) Litigation, the American Airlines Flight 587 Litigation, the Scher vs. Bayer product liability litigation, the Central Synagogue Fire Litigation, and the Firearm Litigation brought in Brooklyn, NY.

After Cozen, Mike served as General Counsel to a group of more than 25 affiliated healthcare companies, spearheading significant transactions, overseeing all litigation involving any of the member companies and ensuring that the companies’ operations complied with a labyrinth of healthcare regulations and internal policies.

On the transactional side Mike has led a variety of deals including three tax exempt bond financings with a total value of more than $375M, the sale of two medical office buildings with a total of approximately 120,000 square feet, the acquisition of a 27- acre parcel via PILOT Lease, the syndication of equity and negotiation of debt financing for an approximately 55,000 square foot manufacturing and office facility, the syndication, financing, development and sale of a $27,000,000 Medical office Building, multiple private placements raising more than $140,000,000 of equity capital and a China-based Joint Venture which included a $25,000,000 equity contribution by the Chinese partner.

Mike currently serves on the board of the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation and has previously served on the boards of a number of community and charitable organizations including Long Island Youth for Christ, Two Rivers Church and Camp Spofford, a youth and family camp in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Over the past three decades Mike has also served in a variety of volunteer coaching roles in youth and high school sports.

Mike is a graduate of Amherst College and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.