John Gettinger practices in the area of real estate handling complex commercial and residential purchase and sales transactions. He represents developers of commercial and residential projects and has authored several offering plans. Mr. Gettinger also represents both landlords and tenants in commercial lease transactions. It is important to Mr. Gettinger, while practicing in this area, to be extremely responsive to his clients’ needs as he is aware that being prompt can often make or break a deal. He makes sure that his clients understand their transactions and are kept fully informed of what needs to be done to get to closing. Mr. Gettinger’s goal is to be a pragmatic problem solver and to do everything necessary to get his clients’ transactions closed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Mr. Gettinger also provides corporate counseling to his clients. He represents start-up entities, as well as national and multi-national corporations. He also represents a number of not-for-profit corporations. He represents his business clients in the purchase and sale of their businesses through asset or stock transactions. Mr. Gettinger takes satisfaction in helping his clients embark on new business ventures and assisting them to address a large variety of legal issues which may arise along the way to their building successful and rewarding businesses.
Mr. Gettinger also represents a large number of community associations. He assists his clients in a broad range of matters, including collecting outstanding assessments, enforcing by-laws and rules and regulations, amending constituent documents, reviewing contracts, handling financing transactions, attending board and homeowners’ meetings, preparing easements and licenses and counseling boards on other day-to-day issues. One of the greatest challenges he finds in this area of his practice is reminding homeowners that they do not live in single-family residences, but that they, by purchasing a home in a community association, have agreed to conduct themselves in a certain manner prescribed by the association’s by-laws and rules and regulations. Moreover, homeowners need to be reminded that they have joined a quasi-government and, in doing so, that they do not have a say in the management and operation of their property other than to elect their governing boards.
Mr. Gettinger joined the firm in 1989 from a New York City firm. He was admitted to the New York and California bars in 1980. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and his law degree from Pepperdine University. Mr. Gettinger is a member of the New York, Northern Westchester and California Bar Associations. He was President of the Northern Westchester Bar Association from 1996 through 1997. He is also a member of the Community Association Institute and has lectured to its membership on a variety of legal topics facing community associations.
