AGMB Law Prospers With Strong Customer Service
It’s a concept that needed a new word: the attorneys and staff at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP (AGMB) serve their clients with “respurgency,” the combined qualities of being responsive and taking all actions necessary with a sense of urgency. “Respurgency” was created by firm partners Neil Garfinkel and Corey Gindi, who were trying to describe what sets AGMB apart from other firms.
AGMB is a full-service law firm that prides itself on providing the resources of a large firm with the personal relationships of a boutique. “That’s the nature of our business. We have to be responsive and have to act quickly and efficiently,” explained Garfinkel, the Managing Partner. Additionally, when asked why he felt the firm continues to grow its client base year after year, he responded that “it is a combination of never becoming complacent or taking anything for granted, always trying to do the right thing and bringing together people and partners that work well together and really trust each other.”
“I am still doing the same things today that I did when Bill Abrams and I started the firm in a one-room office,” Garfinkel recalled. The two were roommates in college, reconnected while working at large firms, and decided to start their own firm in 1995. Bill Abrams, also a CPA, opened AGMB’s Los Angeles office over 20 years ago in order to take the firm’s successful entertainment, corporate and tax practices to California. Abrams has made a career of being truly bi-coastal. “Although not always easy, it has become second nature and gives me the ability to truly service our clients on both coasts,” stated Abrams.
Abrams and Garfinkel have grown the firm, which now consists of three offices and approximately 75 people, by adding complementary practice groups and, more importantly, like-minded partners. The first partners to join them were Barry Margolis and Robert Bergson, who co-chair AGMB’s litigation group. Margolis, a childhood friend of Garfinkel’s wife, met Bergson while also practicing at a large firm. The commercial litigation group is a cornerstone of AGMB. Margolis and Bergson actively serve as general and litigation counsel for the cooperative and condominium communities and are leaders in the professional liability arena, representing an array of professionals, including attorneys, accountants, brokers, agents and other service providers. Additionally, they take pride in AGMB’s demonstrated track record of early dispute resolution. “What distinguishes AGMB from most other firms is our bottom-line, result-oriented approach to dispute resolution,” said Barry Margolis.
Following the addition of Margolis and Bergson were partners Corey Gindi and Michael Barone, who had previously owned their own firm. Gindi, also a CPA, now runs AGMB’s mortgage banking practice, which is the largest group at AGMB. “The mortgage banking business is all about service. As a closing attorney, you are only as good as your last closing. Because our firm has earned a reputation for providing exceptional service, we are fortunate to conduct approximately 20 to 30 closings per day on behalf of AGMB’s many lender clients,” according to Gindi.
Barone manages AGMB’s mortgage compliance practice. “The regulatory environment for mortgage lenders and banks is constantly changing, evolving and becoming more and more complex,” stated Barone, “and our practice was specifically created to address the regulatory needs of our banking and lending clients.”
Because many of AGMB’s clients are banks and mortgage companies, AGMB must conduct its business in a way that protects the privacy and personal information of the bank’s clients. Michael Xylas, the partner overseeing AGMB’s vendor compliance program, cited AGMB’s physical office layouts, policies regarding document destruction, cybersecurity programs, IT security and the decision to undergo a voluntary SOC 2 Audit, as examples of AGMB’s commitment to protecting consumers and their private information. Xylas, who also oversees the firm’s practice representing purchasers and sellers of real estate, had his own firm before joining AGMB eight years ago.
Rounding out AGMB’s real estate partners are Steven Hafif and Larry Haber. Hafif, who started his eponymous firm in 1995, works with Michael Xylas in overseeing the transactional real estate practice. Hafif brought his team to AGMB because “he wanted to expand the range and depth of services he could provide to his clients,” he said.
Haber, a CPA who oversees the commercial real estate practice at AGMB, had previously been in private practice, and for over a decade was a partner in a real estate development company. “Our team combines decades of commercial real estate ownership with professional backgrounds in law, accounting, commercial brokerage, property management, construction, planning and development,” said Haber.
There are certain defining moments in life and business. Garfinkel reflects on his decisions to focus his practice on representing lenders and real estate brokers. He is proud that AGMB is now widely recognized as being “counsel” to the real estate brokerage and mortgage industries. “When I started the firm, I had virtually no clients,” said Garfinkel. “It occurred to me that real estate brokers were a good source of business.” He became a certified instructor of real estate classes, and started teaching and training. Those efforts paid off in 2007 when he was named Broker Counsel to the Real Estate Board of New York In this capacity, Garfinkel runs the REBNY Legal Line, a hotline for REBNY members, and writes a weekly column, “The Legal Line Question of the Week,” which is distributed to all members. Garfinkel and Barone also serve as counsel to The Empire State Mortgage Bankers Association. Representing prestigious organizations like REBNY and the ESMBA have been career changers, said Barone.
“The partners of AGMB universally subscribe to the core concept of marketing through education,” stated Michael Xylas. “We are always teaching and making presentations.” Recently, they created “The AGMB Training Center,” which provides continuing education classes for real estate brokers. “Our philosophy is that the more we educate the brokers, the more successful they will be,” according to Gindi.
Another recent initiative of the firm is Leasing REality. Created by Haber, Leasing REality is a commercial lease training and negotiating search engine platform. Although subscription-based, the site also contains a plethora of free content in the form of videos, e-books, cheat sheets, sample provisions, and outlines. These are designed to help anyone connected with a commercial lease, locally or nationally, to master “their leasing domain.” “The hope for Leasing REality is to become a mini Google for the leasing world,” Haber noted.
AGMB now has a varied client base representing many industries. “Regardless of size or experience, all our clients require “respurgency,” from the nervous first-time home buyer to the largest brokerage firms in the city,” Bergson said.
“Success cannot be taken for granted,” Hafif said. “You have to be good at what you do, but you have to be respectful and appreciative that people are choosing you to represent them.”
In speaking for all of the partners, Garfinkel and Abrams said, “they could not be prouder of what AGMB and its partners have accomplished professionally and personally. It is rare that people get to work with partners that trust, respect and truly value each other. This bond and shared values clearly translate to how AGMB represents its clients.”
For more information about AGMB, contact Neil Garfinkel at ngarfinkel@agmblaw.com or 212-201-1173.
Add Comment