Stephen Lefkowitz of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & JacobsonFrom the December issue: Chances are you won’t see the name of a land-use attorney on the side of a building anytime soon. Though these experts often appear at public hearings, their work usually takes place in the background.

And yet, these legal guides often play a pivotal role in shepherding projects through the byzantine New York City planning process — particularly for projects that involve novel uses and special approvals.

The land-use attorneys profiled below are at the top of their field, all helping shape the height of skyscrapers, the use of public space, and what types of projects go where in New York. [more]

The Real Deal had a contingent of reporters and editors at the New York Hilton for the Real Estate Board of New York’s annual banquet and awards ceremony (click here to see an article on the event). The Real Deal’s Web editor Lauren Elkies interviewed a slew of real estate bigwigs from Bill Rudin of Rudin Management — who said Jonathan Mechanic of Fried, Frank (who The Real Deal also spoke to) is “the real deal” — to Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield — who said he loves The Real Deal, to Frederick Peters of Warburg Realty — who said “Virtual Office Web sites,” or VOWS, “will ultimately be insignificant.” [more]