About Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith combines business acumen, entrepreneurial drive, and legal expertise in his practice representing institutional and individual clients in connection with real estate, business, development, and local government matters.

As a founder and current Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Westchester Bank, Mr. Smith helped the bank grow from the 5700th largest bank in the country with $22 million in capital, to the 900th largest bank with $850 million in capital in ten years. Acting as both developer and attorney, Mr. Smith is directly involved in the rejuvenation of downtown Yonkers and spearheaded the redevelopment of SoNo Corporate Center, a major component of the revitalization of South Norwalk, Connecticut.

This diverse experience allows him to provide a unique perspective to clients in connection with conveyances, leasing, and financing of office, multifamily, and retail properties, and the formulation and implementation of development plans involving subdivision approvals, zoning changes, site plan approvals, and variance applications.

Mr. Smith previously managed properties in prime and emerging markets which were in the process of converting to cooperative and condominium ownership. Since then, he has represented sponsors of dozens of cooperative, condominium, and HOA conversion and new construction offering plans and numerous tenant associations in connection with such plans. Drawing on his hands-on experience in every aspect of the creation and management of these organizations, Mr. Smith serves as general counsel to multiple cooperative, condominium, and HOA Boards in the five boroughs of New York and Westchester involving luxury properties with international ownership, properties in emerging markets, and affordable housing properties subject to Federal and state regulation.

Mr. Smith works with all types of business structures, including limited liability companies and unincorporated entities, to publicly traded corporations from formation and capital generation stages to the implementation of business plans, governance issues, and regulatory compliance. Collaborating with other firm attorneys, Mr. Smith handles a broad range of transactions, employment and executive matters, trademark applications, and general contract negotiations working with in-house counsel and frequently serving as outside general counsel. Mr. Smith provides similar services to not-for-profit companies.

Mr. Smith serves regularly on multiple communities, professional, and not-for-profit boards including among others, Yonkers Partners in Education, Theaterworks USA, the Mount Kisco Zoning Board, and Recreation Commission, the Martin Act Task Force and the Bedford Central School District Construction Steering Committee.

Mr. Smith is also a decent tenor.