“I only wish there were more Adam Leitman Bailey law firms in New York City and around the world.” – Ali, SNL Writer
Ali, a former writer from Saturday Night Live, shares his experience with Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C.
Introduce yourself:
My name is Ali and I met Adam, two decades ago when he helped me take the money I made from Saturday Night Live and do my closing on a tiny two bedroom I had and we always kept in touch ever since. And he was always someone I went to when I needed any kind of legal advice. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had four spaces in New York City of which we surrendered two of them so far. One of the spaces we held for as long as we could. But it was time to surrender and we didn’t know how that surrender was gonna go. But with Adam’s help, we were able to surrender with dignity and get a settlement that we were pleased with. So he’s the first person I call when it comes time to negotiate.
During this time did you look into other law firms?
You know, when you have a situation come up and you have to deal with the legalities of a landlord-tenant situation you research other attorneys, just to make sure. You want to measure twice and cut once. But I had known Adam for two decades. He’s always busy. He’s always in demand. Ultimately I realized that I was going to have to go back to Adam to get his help to see us through this very challenging time. During COVID-19 as we surrendered the space, he was able to get us a settlement with dignity and something that we could live with and it was much appreciated.
What were some key factors that you saw in Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. and the firm that you didn’t see in other places?
I think something that makes that Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. and the firm great is that they are approachable. They’re working class. You can talk to them. It feels like you’re talking to a friend, so there’s a comfort level that you get with a lot of other law firms and attorneys.
Before coming into the office, what was going on in the deal that you recently had?
So before I talked to Adam Leitman Bailey and came into the office to discuss what was going on. We felt like we were going to have to just surrender the space that we had for a while. And we didn’t know what was going to be the situation but Adam said let’s look at the situation. Let me see what I can do to help. Let’s be patient and let’s see if we can get a surrender that you can live with that leaves you with some dignity.
After that, what happened and how are you feeling once you spoke to Adam?
Before I spoke to Adam Leitman Bailey I was feeling nervous and anxious about this surrender. We had four spaces pre-COVID-19 in New York City and we didn’t know if we were gonna be able to save any of them. Ultimately, at a certain point you realize, the best strategy is to surrender and let go. Otherwise, the space will become a sea anchor and drag down the other spaces and your life. When I spoke to Adam, I was given a little bit of a comfort level to realize that I had someone who’s going to help me get to the other side.
How did Adam Leitman Bailey, work with the landlord, and get them to move up in the process?
What’s great about Adam and his firm is they work with landlords, they don’t really fight them . They try to bring them over to our side for the big win and look at it from a big picture perspective. In any kind of landlord tenant situation, there is an inherent David versus Goliath dynamic that takes place. But I think, the way Adam works with landlords, he tries to show them that basically a situation’s win-win will get everyone to the other side, including the landlord and the tenant.
And what was the overall strategy throughout the process?
I think one of Adam’s best strategies in negotiating in the landlord tenant situation is to know how to use time. Sometimes time kills a deal and sometimes time and patience helps to bring the deal that you want to fruition. So it’s important to know when to use time and act quickly and when to allow time to allow people to think and meditate and marinate on the situation so they all come to the decision on their own.
Do you have any closing comments?
I mean, it’s nice to know that Adam and Adam Leitman Bailey and the law firm is here for me in New York City, to help the underdog and the tenant to, you know, deal with the challenges of bricks and mortar and landlord tenant situations. I only wish there were more Adam Leitman Bailey law firms in New York City and around the world.