Getting the go-ahead for Columbia University to proceed with its $6.28 billion expansion was just one of the recent successes for New York’s Carter Ledyard & Milburn. New York state agency Empire State Development Corp. tapped the 116-attorney firm to represent it in the highly charged eminent-domain battle. The state’s highest court affirmed the school’s right to assert eminent domain last month. But the firm’s recent success extends well beyond its condemnation practice. “We have the backbone of a full-service corporate firm, with some really terrific specializations,” said managing partner Judith Lockhart.
The firm, with offices in New York and Washington, has seen plenty of litigation involving title and authenticity matters and its creditors rights and insolvency attorneys have experienced a surge in work from clients such as the Bank of New York Mellon. The firm is currently advising client Spectra Energy Corp. on a deal to expand natural gas pipelines in New York and New Jersey. — Karen Sloan
