Blank Rome announced that Clara Feldman had joined the firm as a partner in its New York office. Feldman will chair the firm’s new Luxury Brands practice, which is comprised of Blank Rome attorneys from across the country who partner with high-end brands to provide sophisticated legal and business counsel on corporate, regulatory, and litigation matters. And Feldman, who will also be a member of the firm’s Real Estate group and industry team, joins Blank Rome from The Law Office of Clara Feldman PLLC, a boutique firm she founded in 2021.
Feldman focuses on commercial real estate and corporate transactions, particularly on complex commercial leasing, corporate agreements, financing, acquisitions, and sales. And she counsels CEOs of multinational and global luxury brands, owners, tenants, and private equity funds, including Fortune 500 companies, in negotiating and drafting intricate retail, office, ground, and restaurant leases, as well as corporate contracts. Clara has also distinguished herself by representing numerous European and Canadian luxury brands looking to expand their footprint in the United States. A sampling of Clara’s clients includes:
— Luxury retail brands, including Baccarat, Stüssy, Jacques Marie Mage, Diptyque, Byredo, Fueguia 1833, Penhaligon’s, and D.S. & Durga;
— U.S. and international fashion brands, including Carolina Herrera, Ulla Johnson, Sunspel, Casablanca, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Courrèges, Rabanne, and Toast;
— Luxury jewelry brands, including Mejuri, Maria Tash, and Kimai;
— Luxury ice cream brand Van Leeuwen Ice Cream; and,
— Luxury skincare brands, including Malin & Goetz, Biologique-Recherche, Heyday, and Dr. Barbara Sturm.
Feldman’s clients turn to her for counsel across a wide variety of business and legal issues because of her broad-based and holistic approach. For example, she often counsels clients with early corporate structure discussions, term sheet negotiations and strategy, lease execution, construction design, collaboration, and beyond. She works tirelessly to help the brands she works with navigate the opportunities and challenges in today’s marketplace.
Luxury brands and their business partners require legal counsel who are versed in the intricacies of the industry and are capable of providing nuanced advice. And Blank Rome’s Luxury Brand practice offers those brands a full range of legal services across multiple areas, including real estate, hospitality, intellectual property, data privacy, tax, finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, litigation, and more. The Luxury Brand practice has the depth to help the world’s top luxury brands expand and protect their businesses in innovative ways.
Feldman has also counseled clients in the hospitality industry, including the negotiation and drafting of partnership, shareholder, joint venture, license, operating, management, acquisition, sale, employment, and lease agreements for bars, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, casinos, and other food, beverage, and entertainment facilities. And her experience will enhance the firm’s leading Hospitality practice, which advises clients within the industry with all aspects of business transactions and relationships, including purchase and sales, leasing, assignments, joint ventures, license agreements, consulting agreements, and food and beverage management agreements.
Feldman earned her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and her B.A. from Pace University.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to welcome Clara to the firm and formally launch our Luxury Brands practice. As the luxury brand market continues to evolve—from European brands entering the U.S. market, to the rise of new technologies, to exclusive shopping experiences—Clara’s deep industry experience and reputation as a trusted, go-to legal and business adviser will be instrumental in helping our clients seize new opportunities for their businesses.”
– Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Chair and Managing Partner
“I am excited to join Blank Rome and establish and lead the Luxury Brands practice. Blank Rome’s collaborative culture and diverse, nationally recognized practices are exactly what I was seeking to more comprehensively support my clients in the U.S. market. Success in the luxury goods industry requires more than skill or hard work—it demands passion. Representing luxury brands and playing a role in their success is truly what drives me, and I look forward to collaborating with my new Blank Rome colleagues to counsel clients in thoughtful, creative, and strategic ways.”
– Clara Feldman
“We are excited to have Clara join our Real Estate group and lead our firm in the luxury brands space. Clara frequently acts as an in-house counsel to her clients, offering them comprehensive and forward-looking guidance in a variety of areas, including negotiating leases for new retail locations, advising on strategic licensing agreements with hotels, managing wholesale agreements with department stores, and more. Her multifaceted skillset in working with luxury brands will be of great benefit to our clients.”
– Samantha Wallack, partner and co-chair of the firm’s national Real Estate practice
