“[Adam Leitman Bailey] is the kind of lawyer you want when things go south”
“I am a lawyer and as I said in another comment, I am not looking to do your work.
I would strongly urge you to find another source of recommendations for a buyer’s attorney than real estate brokers. Also, be wary of Yelp reviews. How many times did you have a bad meal when Yelp said the restaurant was wonderful?
When a Yelp review says that everything about the sale of the house was as smooth as silk, that doesn’t help you. What you want to know is the case, and hopefully more than one, where complications arose and the lawyer saved the day. (Think of it like those hospital commercials we see every night. They don’t say, “Mr. Jones had a very ordinary gall bladder removal which we handled in a very ordinary way.”)
Similarly, in my experience and based on numerous conversations with colleagues, residential real estate brokers recommend lawyers who move things along, not those who raise objections on behalf of their clients. Every objection delays the conclusion of the deal and the broker collecting his commission. It also risks scuttling the deal altogether. Most brokers don’t like lawyers who do this even though it’s in the best interests of the lawyer’s client.
When you look for a lawyer, ideally you should ask other lawyers whom they would recommend. Remember, just like your primary care physician can recommend a dermatologist, even a criminal defense attorney can recommend a real estate lawyer.
Also, there are directories of lawyers available on the web. One popular one is Avvo which, in addition to ratings, lets you know if any lawyer has a record of having been disciplined by the courts.
One of the oldest directories is Martindale-Hubbell which rates attorneys based on surveys of other lawyers. The highest rating you can get is AV, which means preeminent in your practice areas and very ethical. I have that.
The most prestigious directory is Chambers and there are virtually no sole practitioners in it. (There are no in-house lawyers at all.) There are only three real estate law firms of under 30 lawyers in the city that are listed. One such firm is that of Adam Leitman Bailey. Here is their page on the purchase and sale of homes. This is the kind of lawyer you want when things go south.
Full disclosure: I know him. I’ve recommended him many times. He once paid the bill when we had sandwiches together. He doesn’t know I wrote this post.”