Jonathan Mechanic

In an unusual turn of events, Fried Frank’s Jonathan Mechanic recently found himself to be the only man in a room. 

He represented Park Tower Group in developing Brooklyn’s 22-acre Greenpoint Landing, which hosted a WX panel discussion for women in real estate this past March. As a catalyst for the deal, Mechanic got special dispensation to attend the event.

“When they had this WX presentation, there were 150 women in the room and one guy,” said Mechanic. “That was me.” 

In New York City, relationships make business happen, and that mentality ties together Mechanic’s year — if not his entire career, which has led him to becoming perhaps the most influential real estate attorney in the city. Many of Fried Frank’s relationships go back decades. Between both those existing connections and new ones formed in the context of other deals, people better understand how you interact with others and address situations, said Mechanic.

“Are you a problem maker or a problem solver?” he said. Clients don’t want to hear what’s wrong, but want to know what they need to do. “Much better to be a problem solver, but much easier to be a problem maker.”

Mechanic, however, isn’t one to take the easy route. This past year’s deals had a tremendous amount of complexity, he said, and required negotiations at the highest level. Fried Frank’s real estate department advised Citadel, for example, on a 10-year master lease for 585,000 square feet of office space at 350 Park Avenue and another office master lease for 390,000 square feet at 40 East 52nd Street. The firm also counseled Citadel through a joint venture with Vornado Realty Trust and fellow owner Rudin. 

Mechanic’s relationships with all three companies helped resolve any ensuing issues. “A lot of this business is reputation- and relationship-driven,” he said. “We have a reputation for finding a way to get deals done and being creative at that.”