Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Stuart M. Saft, Esq., with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Saft celebrates many years’ experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Mr. Saft has been a partner and leader of the New York real estate practice group at Holland & Knight LLP in New York City since 2012. He is the former co-chair of the hospitality, resort, and timeshare group and is co-chair of the condominium development and conversion team. Prior to joining Holland & Knight six years ago, he served as partner and chair of the global real estate practice for Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP between 2007 and 2012. A career that spans more than 45 years and specializing in real estate, real estate finance, condominium formation and operation, hospitality, affordable housing transactions, and multifamily housing, Mr. Saft also represented lending institutions in mortgage lending and workouts and advised clients on dealings with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. His expertise also includes the development, financing, leasing, conversion-to-condominium and cooperative ownership, exchange, syndication, sale-leaseback, timeshare, restructuring, acquisition, and sale of residential, commercial, and hospitality property throughout the United States.

Throughout his career, Mr. Saft has lent his expertise to other organizations by serving as chairman of the board of directors of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums in New York City since 1981. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Bank from 1998-2012, chairman of the Audit Committee from 2002-2004 and chairman of the Bank from 2004 to 2006 and 2010 to 2012, was a member of the board of directors, chairman and CEO of the Private Industry Council in New York City for six years, and at the request of Mayor Giuliani formed and was the chair of the New York City Workforce Investment Board from 1999 to 2010.

Mr. Saft has authored 44 books over the years, including several editions of Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Commercial Real Estate Leasing, Commercial Real Estate Workouts, Real Estate Development: Strategies for Changing Markets. He has contributed peer reviewed articles in such journals as the New York Law Journal, and has written articles for various other publications, including Real Estate Weekly, Habitatmag.com, and GlobeSt.com. He has also been a longtime contributing editor for The Real Estate Finance Journal since 1988. Furthermore, Mr. Saft has hosted a handful of speaking engagements over the past five years on various real estate topics.

Completing his undergraduate degree at Hofstra University in 1968, followed by a Juris Doctor at Columbia University in 1971, Mr. Saft was then admitted to practice by the New York State Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, the Southern District of the U.S. District Court of New York, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Since that time, he has become well acquainted as a longstanding member of numerous professional organizations, including the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the New York Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Florida Bar Association. He also served on the New York State Attorney General’s Task Force on the Martin Act between 1995 and 1999, and again between 2002 and 2007.

A retired captain of the U.S. Army Reserve, Mr. Saft has received several honorable awards in recent years, including Alumnus of the Year from Hofstra University, the Urban Leadership Award from the Center for an Urban Future, the National Humanitarian Award from the American Jewish Committee, the Theodore Small Workforce Partnership Award from the National Association of Workforce Boards, the Spirit of Cooperation Award from the National Cooperative Bank, the New York Neighborhood Achievement Award from Mayor Bloomberg, and the Dedicated to the Industry Award from the New York Association of Realty Managers. He has also been named to several professional publications such as the New York Super Lawyers Magazine every year from 2006 to 2017, the Guide to the World’s Leading Real Estate Lawyers, Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides for 2015, and The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law every year from 2015 to 2018. Furthermore, Mr. Saft has been highlighted in dozens of editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in the East, and Who’s Who in the World. Married to Stephanie C. Optekman since 1970, he has two sons, Bradley and Gordon. For more information, please visit www.hklaw.com.