Blank Roma is formalizing its luxury brand operations, with sole counsel Clara Feldman chairing its new industry subgroup as part of its real estate division.
Ms. Feldman, who had been running her own private boutique since 2021, joined Blank Roma in early 2025 and will be working with Van Leeuwen for specialty ice creams, Baccarat, a glassware and cigar company, and Diptyque, a perfume and candle company, among others. It has more than 30 customers.
Feldman, who is based in the company’s New York office, said platform expansion and cross-selling services to customers were important factors in the decision to relocate.
“Just being in this niche area of luxury brands, a lot started to happen. At first I was just doing real estate and corporate work. As my relationships with clients strengthened, they started to last longer. , they started to trust me and come to me for other things,” Feldman said. “We realized we needed to serve these brands at a national level. …They asked for IP, labor and other services, so we needed a bigger bench to serve them.” I felt it was necessary.”
Although Mr. Feldman will serve as the first chair of the newly formally established industry subgroup, Blank Rome Real Estate Co-Chair Samantha Wallach said several members of the firm and the real estate group’s attorneys previously He said he works with luxury brands and has sat down with them from time to time. On the other side of the deal with Feldman.
“We were handling high-end brand deals in the food and beverage industry…and a lot of high-end retail leasing,” Wallach said. “We felt that the depth of Clara’s practice allowed us to build and expand our luxury practice, so we created it within our real estate practice group.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Feldman believes there is tremendous opportunity to advance his practice based on the trends he sees in the market.
“Some people are concerned, and clients are contacting me to say things are changing. Some of the larger companies have suffered some financial losses,” Feldman said. spoke. “A lot of new brands, small niche brands, that I work with are taking advantage of the real estate market.”
Specifically, Feldman explained that emerging brands that are active in leasing at the moment are “getting better compensation, they’re investing more money, and they’re extending their terms.” .
He also pointed out that some brands are looking to restructure their spaces to appeal to younger audiences, while other large companies are looking to enter the real estate market and become landlords. did.
“Major companies are entering the real estate industry, moving into New York and the rest of the world. Buying Prada. The trend is that luxury goods are moving into the world of homeowners,” Feldman said. “There’s going to be a huge need in the market. I saw that and asked for a platform for the market. … I’m so grateful to Blank Rome for giving me that platform and allowing me to build from the inside. ”
Looking to the larger real estate landscape, Wallach also felt the 2025 market is full of opportunity, especially in terms of growing the company’s operations.
“We are currently working with a number of prospects to strengthen our bench in practice areas that we see as growth areas, such as affordable space and hospitality, or in specific regions where we want to strengthen our geographic reach. We’re talking about Los Angeles or Chicago,” Wallach said, adding that he expects more deals to move forward as assets start to loosen up in the real estate market.
“In terms of the industry, we were saying things like, ‘Let’s survive until 2025,'” Wallach quipped. “We are now seeing a healthy increase in the number of financial lawyers overall, particularly. … As the bond market continues to open up, a lot of capital will be on the sidelines and feel like it’s time.”
“Our clients are energized, anxious and ready,” Wallach concluded.
