With more than 30 years of legal and business experience, Rob advises clients on sophisticated commercial real estate and corporate transactions. His practice spans both private practice and in-house leadership roles, giving him a practical, business-focused perspective that enables clients to navigate complex transactions efficiently while managing legal and commercial risk.

Before arriving at Coopersmith & Coopersmith, Rob served for more than 24 years as senior in-house counsel with two Fortune 500 companies, MSCI Inc. and IBM Corporation. At MSCI, he was Executive Director and Senior Counsel, serving as the company’s lead real estate attorney worldwide for more than a decade. He was responsible for all legal aspects of the company’s global real estate portfolio of more than 50 locations, including the negotiation of headquarters leases in New York and London, acquisitions and dispositions of real estate assets, lease restructurings, subleases, and strategic portfolio management.

Earlier in his career, Rob practiced with leading New York law firms, including Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he developed an exceptionally broad commercial real estate practice representing landlords, tenants, lenders, borrowers, purchasers, and sellers in transactions across the United States. Over the course of his career, he has represented clients in office, industrial, retail, mixed-use, warehouse, and ground lease transactions, as well as sophisticated financing, construction, joint venture, and purchase and sale matters.

Throughout his career, Rob has represented or negotiated with many Fortune 500 companies, national and regional law firms, boutique companies and law firms, closely held businesses, real estate owners and developers, financial institutions, emerging growth companies, and start ups of all kinds.

Clients value Rob for his practical judgment, meticulous attention to detail, collaborative approach, and ability to identify and resolve issues before they become obstacles. He is known as a creative problem solver who combines technical legal knowledge with a strong understanding of business objectives, enabling transactions to close efficiently, on schedule, and with solutions tailored to each client’s priorities. Whether representing landlords or tenants, buyers or sellers, lenders or borrowers, he is equally comfortable on either side of the negotiating table and is committed to achieving balanced, commercially sound results.

Rob earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board, served on the International Law Journal, and graduated with multiple Dean’s List honors. He also holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Boston University and a B.A. in Economics and Business from Lafayette College. He is admitted to practice in New York.