Rochester, New York, August 5, 2024 – Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, a full-service business law firm with offices throughout New York, is pleased to announce Timothy M. Fitzgerald has joined the firm’s Rochester office as a partner in its Real Estate practice group and member of the firm’s General Counsel Services team.
With more than 30 years of Real Estate law experience, Fitzgerald oversees an enormous range of real estate transactions from inception to completion. His experience includes handling the development and financing of commercial real estate, acquisitions and sales of corporate and commercial properties, institutional real estate-based financing and loan workouts, commercial leasing, specialized legal opinions, and real estate litigation.
He also leverages his versatile legal background to serve as outside general counsel for companies with limited in-house legal teams. In this role, Fitzgerald collaborates with client executive leadership teams to ensure their legal strategies align with business objectives, and oversees the fulfillment of day-to-day legal needs.
“Over the past 30 years, Tim has established himself as one of the premier lawyers in Rochester and Upstate New York,” said Craig S. Wittlin, Harter Secrest & Emery Managing Partner. “From complex real estate transactions to providing strategic counsel to clients, Tim is adept at quarterbacking a wide variety of legal issues. He is an outstanding addition to our firm.”
Prior to joining Harter Secrest & Emery, Fitzgerald was a partner at Harris Beach PLLC, and previously at Bond Schoeneck & King, PLLC, where he helped lead the founding and growth of its Rochester office.
“Harter Secrest & Emery has always been a leading competitor in my practice areas, making it my first choice when considering the next phase of my career,” Fitzgerald said. “I have always respected the firm’s lawyers, not only for their sophistication and knowledge, but for the manner and style in which they practice law. I am excited to be part of the firm and its future, and I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues on providing leadership, advice, and strategic counsel on a wide breadth of issues for our clients.”
Fitzgerald has been widely recognized for his work, earning prestigious recognition by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America®, and Super Lawyers and numerous industry awards. He earned a J.D. from Albany Law School and a B.A. from St. Lawrence University.
In addition to his successful legal career, Fitzgerald has been a stalwart civic leader, serving on numerous boards and committees throughout Rochester and Monroe County. Among the many organizations he has supported in leadership capacities are the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, the American Heart Association, McQuaid Jesuit High School, Flower City Habitat for Humanity, the Monroe County Bar Association, the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar, and many others.
Harter Secrest & Emery’s real estate attorneys advise clients on all legal aspects of real estate law. The firm represents a wide range of developers, commercial buyers, sellers, real estate investment trusts, and institutional lenders in the acquisition, divestiture, and financing of real estate ventures. In addition, the group works with commercial clients, including Fortune 100 companies, on commercial leasing matters. Recipients of a top tier ranking from Chambers USA, Harter Secrest & Emery’s real estate practice group includes title specialists who are agents for nationally and locally recognized title insurance companies and are well-equipped to handle all title issues that may arise in the course of the firm’s representation of purchasers, sellers, and lenders.
The firm’s General Counsel Services practice provides clients with and without in-house legal departments with a dedicated team of attorneys who know their business and can triage day-to-day legal needs, offer strategic advice, and provide timely and strategic assistance, including in specialized areas of law, from a more cost-effective model.
About Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Harter Secrest & Emery LLP is a full-service business law firm with attorneys throughout New York representing clients ranging from individuals and family-owned businesses to Fortune 100 companies and major regional institutions. With offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Corning, and New York City, New York, the firm and its attorneys are consistently recognized by the industry’s leading law firm and attorney ranking programs, including Chambers and Partners, Best Law Firms® and The Best Lawyers in America®.