Haynes and Boone, LLP is pleased to welcome Partner Justin Bonanno to its Litigation Department and burgeoning Real Estate Litigation Practice Group in New York City. He has been in practice since 2001 and joins Haynes Boone after nearly three years as a partner at Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC.
Justin handles a broad spectrum of complex commercial litigation work for a variety of clients, many of whom are in the real estate industry, including real estate developers, owners, investors and boards of large cooperative and condominium buildings. His work focuses on a wide array of real estate and construction disputes involving new developments, renovations, construction delays and defects, cooperatives, condominiums, and more. He also has vast experience with commercial disputes involving partnerships, limited liability companies, corporate governance, securities and business torts.
He has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations. Justin has secured several notable court victories on behalf of his clients, including a recent landmark decision on behalf of a commercial real estate developer against a condominium board holding that the board engaged in bad-faith conduct designed to prevent the commercial unit owner from renovating and leasing its unit. A complete victory, the decision granted full summary judgment in Justin’s client’s favor, struck the defendants’ pleadings for “perpetrating a fraud on the court,” held the board in contempt of court and scheduled a hearing to determine the plaintiff’s damages.
Justin said joining Haynes Boone is the right choice two decades into his legal career because of the options it presents to clients.
“Being part of a global firm opens up so many opportunities to better service my clients, who now have access to the vast services Haynes Boone lawyers provide across the country and internationally,” he said. “They have needs outside the real estate world. They need corporate and tax advice, contracts of all kinds, intellectual property protection and more. Now that’s available to them.”
Justin also spent several years at a prior firm with Haynes Boone Real Estate Litigation Chair Gabriel Levinson, a powerhouse litigator who joined the firm in 2022.
“The vision that Gabriel, [Litigation Department Chair] Leslie Thorne and [Partner] Ben Mesches have for Haynes Boone’s litigation and real estate practices is inspiring, and I’m excited to be a part of it and help grow it in New York,” he said.
Gabriel shares that enthusiasm as he works to further enhance the breadth and depth of the firm’s real estate litigation group and litigation presence in the metropolitan area.
“Justin’s versatility, experience and proven track record are a great fit with what we’re accomplishing for clients at Haynes Boone,” he said. “I’m excited not only to get to work with him again, but also to add such an esteemed litigator to our New York office.”
Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international law firm with 19 offices spanning Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Virginia, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services, real estate, litigation, and private equity. With about 650 lawyers, Haynes Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It was recognized in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2022 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.
