Senwan Akhtar, a lawyer with Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP (GRS&D), received the Young Lawyer Award for 2011 on March 16th from the Middlesex County Bar Association at its Sixth Annual Practice Area Awards Dinner. The awards ceremony took place at the Pines Manor in Edison. Ms. Akhtar was honored for her multifaceted law practice and for her involvement in various community and professional activities.

Ms. Akhtar is an attorney in both the Corporate and Real Estate Departments at GRS&D and she is one of the few attorneys in the State of New Jersey who is a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), a credential awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council to those professionals who have demonstrated an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. She is a strong believer that “Sustainable development and green building issues affect all aspects of real estate transactions.” That belief motivated her to become a LEED AP.

Community Activities

Since 2007, Ms. Akhtar has been a financial donor to The Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown. She volunteers at the Soup Kitchen serving meals to members of the local community. Over the past year, she has volunteered at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside, and she also has served meals at the soup kitchen located at the Christ Episcopal Church in Hackensack.

Ms. Akhtar regularly volunteers her time to guide minority students in college and law school. In 2009, Ms. Akhtar was a volunteer mentor in the New Jersey Law Firm Group, which runs a mentoring program for law students of diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds at New Jersey’s 3 law schools, Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers-Camden and Seton Hall. In addition, she has volunteered at minority career fairs held at Columbia Business School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Rutgers University. At these fairs, Ms. Akhtar has served as a panelist and mock interviewer, and she has participated in resume workshops.

In 2008, she became a member of the Crossing Borders Committee, an initiative of J.G. Petrucci Co., Inc. The Committee consists of a small team of businesswomen who organize the annual Crossing Borders Charity Luncheon. Ms. Akhtar and her colleagues raised approximately $50,000, which moneys were donated to the Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey and New Choices/New Options Program of Pennsylvania. Both organizations provide programs that aid in transition and enhance the employability of single mothers and displaced homemakers.

Multi-Faceted Law Practice

Ms. Akhtar is a practitioner in both the Corporate and Real Estate Departments of the Greenbaum Firm. In addition, she is a member of three of the Firm’s Practice Groups: Banking, Business Financing & Creditors’ Rights; Technology; and Green Building. On the corporate side, Ms. Akhtar’s legal work includes the representation of companies in general corporate matters, private venture financings, employment agreements, distribution and licensing agreements, and the structuring of new business entities and joint ventures. She acts as outside general counsel to various companies including Fujinon, Inc., handling business issues across a number of areas such as employment matters, distribution agreements, brokerage agreements, equipment leasing, and sales representative agreements, among others. Ms. Akhtar has been involved in Merger & Acquisition work and was a key participant in last year’s combination of Amper, Politziner & Mattia LLP and Eisner LLP, forming the 14th largest public accounting firm in the U.S., EisnerAmper LLP.

On the banking and finance side, Ms. Akhtar has worked with banks such as Sovereign Bank, TD Bank and PNC Bank. She represents lenders and borrowers in a wide variety of financing transactions, including construction and permanent loans, secured and unsecured credit facilities, the purchase and sale of loans, and the workout of distressed loans.

In real estate matters, Ms. Akhtar represents sellers and purchasers in all aspects of real estate acquisitions and dispositions, including office buildings, industrial facilities, shopping centers, and residential developments. She also represents landlords and tenants in the negotiation of leases for office, retail and industrial properties. Clients have included K. Hovnanian Homes, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, the Morristown Parking Authority, and Woodmont Properties.

Ms. Akhtar was recognized by Real Estate New Jersey magazine in 2009 as a Woman of Influence. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and co-chairs the Real Estate Committee of the MCBA. Outside of her daily practice, Ms. Akhtar also serves as Counsel to the Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council.

Ms. Akhtar received her B.S. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. She is licensed in NJ, NY and CT.

Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP has over 100 attorneys in four main practice departments, Litigation, Real Estate, Corporate, and Tax, Trusts and Estates, and 19 practice areas offering comprehensive legal services. The firm has offices located in Woodbridge and Roseland, New Jersey. For more information, call Erin P. Faltin at 732-549-5600 or visit the firm's web site at www.greenbaumlaw.com.  

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