The AMDP Alumni Association extends our deepest gratitude to Herrick: Our 2026 Global Gathering Founding Sponsor. Let’s get to know them better…

Anyone who tries to develop real estate in New York City is quickly slapped with a bold reality: the physical structure plays second fiddle to the legal structure.

And for nearly a century, Herrick, a full-service law firm based in NYC, has supported developers, city agencies and investors alike as they have remade the city’s skyline.

To understand how Herrick has remained a constant presence in one of the most prominent legal markets in the world, it helps to look through the lens of someone who speaks the language of dealmakers as fluently as he speaks the language of law: 

Our AMDP friend, and Class 17 grad, Barbaros M. Karaahmet. 

Barbaros joined Herrick in 1995. He currently serves as Chief Operating Partner, and sits on the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a third-generation attorney, and the first in his family to practice law in the United States. In another lifetime, Barbaros has quipped, he would be a real estate investor himself. 

That explains a lot.

When Barbaros works with developers, family offices, multinational companies, or foreign investors entering the U.S. market, he does not approach the work as a legal technician alone. He thinks like an operator. He understands that behind every transaction is someone making a long-term bet.

And in New York City, long-term bets require long-term counsel. 

Founded in 1928, Herrick has maintained its headquarters at the iconic Art Deco tower, 2 Park Avenue, for more than seventy years. They’re the longest-standing tenant in the building, a distinction that carries weight in a city known for reinvention. Longevity in New York suggests an ability to adapt without abandoning core identity.

Herrick has resisted merger opportunities with massive international law firms, instead pursuing steady and measured growth within their core strengths. And within commercial real estate alone, more than sixty-five attorneys focus on acquisitions, dispositions, financing, development, leasing, as well as restructuring and other related disputes.

But scale in this context does not reflect size for its own sake. 

Development in New York City intersects with zoning, tax structuring, financing mechanisms, construction risk, environmental compliance, and litigation exposure. Herrick helps clients navigate a complicated real estate deal cycle, with decades of experience — and if you have ever tried to entitle a project while negotiating financing terms and evaluating litigation exposure, you understand why Herrick’s integration model matters.

As Chief Operating Partner, Barbaros reinforces collaboration across practice groups as a working norm. Clients building in New York often confront overlapping challenges that require cohesive guidance, and the Herrick team excels in these types of deals.

When Herrick’s lease renewal arrived during the broader post-pandemic shift in office strategy, relocation was an option.

Yet, the firm chose to stay at 2 Park Avenue and renovate for the next chapter.

Over eighteen months, working with TPG Architecture, Herrick transformed its New York headquarters to support the unique cross-departmental collaboration the firm recognized as a core strength. 

Office count increased, technology was further integrated throughout the space, and nearly a century of physical files were digitized.

All offices were modified, built for both collaboration and the privacy an attorney requires. New meeting spaces gave way to open, light-filled areas designed for interaction. Conference rooms now support seamless communication for hybrid meetings, and the layout encourages movement between stakeholders.

And then there is the artifact collection.

Herrick houses more than fifty architectural artifacts from New York’s past. A stone eagle from the Brooklyn Board of Education building (lower right). The copper finial from the Woolworth Building (left). Elevator dials from the Roosevelt Hotel (upper right). 

The firm’s collection traces its origins to the 1970s when the late Ed Abramson, then a managing partner, began rescuing remnants from demolition sites. His mission was to honor earlier developers who shaped the city. This philosophy remains embedded in the firm’s identity.

A frequent debate arising in the classrooms at AMDP, and in boardrooms back home, is preservation versus redevelopment — and we all understand that tension. In New York, however, adaptive reinvention defines the city.

It’s no surprise that, as an AMDP grad, Barbaros led Herrick’s renovation of its iconic 2 Park Avenue office. He collaborated with architects and project managers to ensure that the space reflected both technological advancement and cultural continuity. He understood that environment shapes collaboration — and that collaboration influences client outcomes. 

The result honors Herrick’s legacy while creating space for the next chapter.

Barbaros’s practice spans domestic and cross-border matters. He advises multinational companies entering the U.S. market. He guides family businesses through acquisitions, development, and leasing strategies, all while understanding how cultural nuances and concerns for the NYC market and the foreign investor interact. He structures mergers and joint ventures. He navigates jurisdictional and regulatory complexities that challenge even seasoned investors.

Inbound capital continues to target the United States, and New York offers scale and resilience, but that comes with dense regulatory scrutiny. Municipal requirements intersect with federal oversight, tax considerations shape capital stack design —  and the potential for litigation is always looming. 

This is where Barbaros’s approach shines. His legal architecture supports business strategy rather than solving problems in isolation. Why?

Because fragmented legal advice slows projects and wastes money. Nobody wants that.

Projects in New York require foresight regarding financing cycles, regulatory shifts, and market volatility. Counsel capable of situating present challenges within historical perspective is, frankly, absolutely necessary.

The skyline will continue to evolve. Capital will move across borders. Neighborhoods will transform through adaptive reuse and new construction. And AMDP alumni will remain active participants in shaping that landscape.

The best thing we can do as an alumni community is to strengthen our relationships with each other. So remember, Barbaros always is a phone call or an email away.

📧 [email protected]

📱+1 (917) 833-9300

💻 Visit their website

📫 Or click here to join their email list.

🗽 Register for our AMDP Global Gathering April 12-14!

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🙏 The AMDP Global Gathering in New York would not be possible without Herrick’s generous sponsorship.