Law Firm Ingram Goes Out of Business

Court is adjourned indefinitely for prominent real estate law firm Ingram, Commercial Observer has learned.

The law firm, formerly known as Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti, plans to close its doors April 12 after issues with staff over its compensation system, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Attorneys at the firm have been heading for the exit in recent months, with Ingram’s real estate practice taking its skills to Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, a source said. That includes Ed Goodman, a former partner at Ingram who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, who took Deloitte with him as a client to Tarter Krinsky, according to the source.

A spokesperson for Ingram declined to comment.

One source said that the business model fell apart because senior partners earned a disproportionate amount of money compared to other partners and associates. There were also problems with negotiating a fair compensation system.

One of the first attorneys to walk out the door as a compensation restructuring plan failed was Melissa Billig, who went to Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt to lead its construction and design practice. Billig did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There could  be litigation about obligations to creditors with the firm’s abrupt closing, which has made a number of people associated with the firm unhappy, according to one source.

Ingram was founded in 1989 and made a name for itself in the real estate industry, with major clients including the Stahl Organization, Cauldwell Wingate and Apple Bank.

The decision to close was announced in a town hall-style meeting between managing partners and staff earlier this month, according to a source, who added that Dean Yuzek and Jennifer Zourigui are two of the equity partners bound for Tarter Krinsky.

Tarter Krinsky declined to comment.

Cory Weiss, who led the landlord-tenant group at Ingram, is also taking several attorneys and paralegals with him to Tarter Krinsky, including Jennifer Hagler, two sources confirmed.

And three of the six attorneys in Ingram’s construction group went to Tarter Krinsky, including Maurizio Anglani. Two others took jobs at law firm Zetlin & De Chiara, Zetlin & De Chiara confirmed.

Mark Hallum can be reached mhallum@commercialobserver.com.