- 5 -
another New York law firm, also represented the bank on
construction loan transactions. Petitioner and Greenbaum had
been friends for some time. They had worked together at a firm
in Brooklyn, New York, after graduating from law school, and
petitioner was the best man at Greenbaum's wedding.
Sometime before 1979, Jimmy Hamilton (Hamilton), an officer
at the bank, approached petitioner and Greenbaum with a
proposition. The bank was dissatisfied with the way Robinson
Silverman and Greenbaum's firm were handling the bank's business.
Knowing that petitioner and Greenbaum were old friends, Hamilton
suggested that they both leave their respective firms and form a
boutique law firm which would represent the bank. The bank was
starting a new project in Miami, Florida, known as the Turnberry
Isle Yacht and Racquet Club (Turnberry Isle), a planned luxury
condominium complex on the Intercoastal Waterway. The Turnberry
Isle Project alone would entail construction loans in excess of
$300 million, to be financed by the bank, with the legal
representation of the bank to be exclusively by petitioner and
his new law firm. The bank had other similar construction deals
in Florida, which would be directed to their new firm. If
petitioner and Greenbaum agreed, they would be permitted to
represent other clients with the bank's approval. Petitioner and
Greenbaum immediately accepted the bank's offer. Until
petitioner and Greenbaum left their respective jobs the bank
continued to give their firms business.
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011