Steven Rother brings more than 40 years of experience to clients involved in complex transactions involving a broad range of business and property types. He garnered that experience both in the practice of law and by holding executive positions at the highest levels at firms involved in debt and equity finance.
Following law school and a Superior Court clerkship, Steve held positions as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Newark and as General Counsel for the City’s Redevelopment and Housing Authority. In those positions he was involved in major redevelopment projects, which included the development/construction by the Rockefeller Group of a new headquarters for New Jersey Public Service Electric and Gas, and numerous multifamily projects financed with tax-exempt securities. Steve left those positions to join Manhattan-based Related Companies, a national real estate developer and syndicator. At Related, Steve formed two affiliates: a commercial mortgage bank and an NASD municipal securities broker/dealer. Steve was a principal in and served as President of both entities. He had the mortgage banking entity qualified as an FHA project lender and a Ginnie Mae issuer. The firm served both Related and third parties.
After serving Related for fourteen years, Steve purchased the mortgage-servicing portfolio from Related and formed his own mortgage banking firm. Utilizing FHA mortgage insurance and Ginnie Mae securities, the firm created a specialty financing nursing homes and assisted living residences. In addition, the firm engaged in numerous multifamily conduit financings. In four short years, that firm grew its portfolio so that Steve was able to merge his firm with the mortgage banking affiliate of Heartland Bank. In the process, Steve became President of that entity, which had eight offices throughout the country.
In 1999 Steve made a career change and joined a startup healthcare company as its General Counsel. That firm rapidly grew through acquisitions and new construction of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Steve handled all legal aspects of acquisition and construction, including the financing thereof. In addition, Steve handled land use applications for newly constructed facilities in New Jersey. In so doing he developed a means to secure approvals for the construction of facilities in high-end residential zones by pursuing fair housing claims in the federal courts. Since then, Steve has expanded upon that approach to land use and secured approvals for drug and alcohol treatment facilities, AIDS residences and hospices. By the time Steve left in 2003, the company’s portfolio had grown to more than 120 facilities nationwide, including a REIT portfolio that was purchased and taken private.
Steve has now returned to the private practice of law at Post Polak, where he brings his wide-ranging experience to benefit the firm’s clients, resolving their problems and advancing their business interests. In addition to practicing law, for the past twelve years he has served as the Chairman of the Essex County Improvement Authority, the public and private financing arm of the county, and the owner/operator of the Essex County Airport. Steve now serves as the Executive Director of that authority.
Steve has been included on the list of 2024 Best Lawyers in America in the area of Municipal Law.
Experienced in all aspects of administrative law, transactional law, land use and litigation relevant to the representation of airports and airport users.
Combining the broad perspective required to understand both the apparent and subtle ramifications of decisions concerning the businesses of our clients, with the breadth of experience necessary to advise on the most sophisticated issues and applications of law.
Post Polak attorneys have collectively been doing just that for decades, and a significant portion of that role has been devoted to handling corporate and commercial disputes in both federal and state courts, as well as before administrative bodies.
Our attorneys have represented the largest city in the state, suburban boroughs and even municipalities with special charters. We are experienced in municipal contracting and have substantial experience negotiating agreements for the procurement of potable water and the operation and maintenance of municipal utility systems.
Whether the matter is complex or simple our attorneys can handle all aspects of the land use process. Moreover, the firm’s attorneys can add value to the process by making optimal use of statutes that permit payments in lieu of real estate taxes.
