John S. Lego

Mr. Lego was born in Duncansville, Pennsylvania on March 22, 1965. He obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Service from Pennsylvania State University in 1987 and still has family in the Central Pennsylvania . He graduated law school from Southwestern University in 1992, Deans List, in the top fifth of his class, while working as a law clerk and in the law library. He was admitted to the California and New York Bars in 1993.

Completing transactions effectively and efficiently

Mr. Lego has been practicing transactional law focusing on commercial and residential real estate his entire career as an attorney. He has represented institutional lenders, the State of New York, commercial developers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, buyers and sellers, and labor unions in all facets of real estate law. He has the knowledge and experience to achieve his clients' goals and close transactions effectively and efficiently—from multi-million dollar commercial finance workouts to a purchase of a cooperative apartment on the lower east side, from commercial leases for new construction buildings to sub-subleases of office space.  Whether acquiring a restaurant through asset sale, developing a parcel of land through a joint venture agreement, or entering into a franchise agreement and leasing retail space, Mr. Lego helps clients negotiate with attention to detail, compliance with government regulations and applicable law.

Making client relations the highest priority

Mr. Lego strives to return each phone call or email from clients the same day.  He gives his clients the time and attention necessary to explain complex legal issues they face.  Mr. Lego's clients include  Laurence A. Tosi, COO of Blackstone Group, Jamie Mulholland, the principal of Cain, Gold Bar and the Surf Lodge; celebrities and models such as Noot Seear, Maggie Rizer and Toukie Smith; financiers, such as Jonathon Zimmerman, Alexey Kononenko and Alexander Belopolsky.

His client roster also includes small business owners, families, spouses and individuals buying their first homes or signing their first lease.  He also enjoy business relationships and friendships with many residential and commercial brokers  including: Kevin Brown at Sotheby's; Cyrilla Layland at Stribling & Associations; Suzy Gilder Hayes and Alexander Pisa at Corcoran;Ted Karagannis and Phatavanh Olsen at Douglas Elliman; Stacey Max at Bellmarc; Joe Testone at Halstead Property and Jane Stuart and Jessica Hoppe at homeworkpeople.com.

Providing legal assistance to charities, artists, and arts organizations

In the past Mr. Lego volunteered his time to the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. He frequently conducts impromptu law seminars with artists in the gallery and ceramic studio he and his wife own in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  He is also a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and has volunteered for the Monday Night Law program to assist individuals with their legal issues. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Rose Charities (NY) which is an international entity that strives to aid young impoverished individuals through donations and contributions from artists.

Mr. Lego's wife, Nadeige Choplet, is French.  She is a wonderful and talented ceramic artist, designer, business woman, and real estate investor. He also works as a ceramic artist's assistant, takes French language lessons, and enjoys family, friends, reading, swimming, motorcycles, and numerous home improvement projects.