James G. Greilsheimer

Jim also advises clients concerning the sale of their properties to the government in lieu of condemnation. He leads the firm's multidisciplinary condemnation practice, which provides tax, land use, environmental, real estate and litigation advice to property owners and lessees before and after condemnation.

Jim has tried and advised on eminent domain matters throughout the metropolitan area. Among his most recent notable work, he secured, after trial and an appeal, an award in excess of $100 million for the owners of commercial property on lower Broadway in connection with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA's) building of the Fulton Street Transit Center next to Ground Zero. He obtained, on the eve of trial, a settlement in excess of $20 million for the owners of commercial property condemned by the MTA for the construction of the Second Avenue Subway. He represented 60 owners of three condominium and cooperative buildings in the sale of their apartments in lieu of condemnation for the development of Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, and obtained settlements in excess of $200 million for owners in condemnation proceedings relating to waterfront properties in Williamsburg. His client, the owner of the adjacent property, received a settlement of $160 million in lieu of condemnation. He represented the owners of condemned properties in Queens County that required environmental remediation at the time of taking and obtained a $15 million judgement for the owner of property on Main Street in Flushing. Jim has also provided condemnation and relocation advice to developers, including the developer of the MetroTech site in Brooklyn.

Jim served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1963 to 1968 and was the chief of the Condemnation Unit. From 1974 to 1980, he served as the litigating assistant corporation counsel and then as first assistant corporation counsel of the city of New York during the city’s fiscal crisis. At various times, he has served as condemnation counsel for government agencies, including the New York City School Construction Authority, the Empire State Development Authority, the MTA, the New York Convention Center and the New York City Housing Authority, and for several utility companies that have the power to condemn.