Stroock Hosts Janno Lieber and Joseph Daniels at World Trade Center Forum

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Apr 03, 2014, 01:28 ET

NEW YORK, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP presented "What's Going on at the World Trade Center?", a Government Relations forum with guests Janno Lieber, President of World Trade Center Properties LLC., and Joseph C. Daniels, President and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The event, hosted by the law firm, was held at 7 World Trade Center.

Lieber, who has been instrumental to the progress of developing and rebuilding the World Trade Center site, discussed the current status of reconstruction. Daniels spoke about the progress of the Memorial & Museum, an attraction of world significance.

Ross F. Moskowitz, Stroock partner and member of the firm's Executive Committee, and Leonard Boxer, Chairman of Stroock's Real Estate Practice and a member of the firm's Senior Executive Committee, moderated the program.

"The rebuilding of the World Trade Center and with it the rejuvenation of lower Manhattan, constitute the most important development in New York in the last decade," said Moskowitz. "Janno Lieber and Joe Daniels are passionate advocates for bringing new commerce to the area as well as for creating a lasting homage to the memories of 9/11."

Boxer and Stroock's involvement with Silverstein Properties, Inc. includes advising its chairman, Larry Silverstein, on the original 99-year lease in 2001 on the 10.6 million square feet for the World Trade Center, the largest real estate transaction in New York history. Only six weeks later it was destroyed in terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Silverstein is currently rebuilding the office component of the World Trade Center site, a $20 billion project.

At today's forum, held on the 10^th floor of 7 World Trade Center with its expansive views of construction and new buildings around the site, Lieber attributed much of the downtown development momentum to the 2006 completion of 7 WTC, now fully leased.

He noted that it was the first fully green office building, a novelty at the time, and its column-free space enables tenants to design space that suits their business models. "We made it possible for Greenwich Street to come back and link to lower Manhattan," Lieber said.

In describing the World Trade Center Complex, with its great architecture and demographics, Lieber said that there is a 6-1 proportion of companies moving downtown compared with into midtown. "In addition, the unparalleled mass transit access here – everything is one block from 11 subway lines – makes this a great place to live and work."

Daniels said, "The mandate of the Memorial & Museum, which has raised $475 million to date, is to integrate the site with the public fabric of downtown, and to focus broadly on the survivors, the first responders, and the families.

"The museum is about education: what led up to 9/11, what started before then and what continues beyond," he said. "Our priority is to tell the stories of the families. They were who we are now. 9/11 is about families, and those who were lost. When times require, we come together," said Daniels.

As President of World Trade Center Properties LLC, Lieber is responsible for managing all aspects of the Silverstein Properties organization's efforts to rebuild at the World Trade Center site. Since joining the Silverstein organization, Lieber has overseen the planning, design and construction issues relating to the World Trade Center office buildings; business, financing and legal matters; and public affairs, government and community relations.

Daniels directs planning, construction, development and operations for the new memorial and museum. His accomplishments include a fundraising campaign in excess of $400 million, made up of more than 600,000 donations. Under his leadership, the 9/11 Memorial opened to the public September 12, 2011, and has received more than 11 million visitors from 50 states and 175 nations. The Memorial Museum is expected to open in May.

Today's event was the 18th in a series hosted by Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. Previous participants included New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman; Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.; and Patrick J. Foye, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Most recent guests were the five New York City Borough Presidents; and Randy L. Levine, President of the New York Yankees, and Jonathan M. Tisch, Co-Chair of the 2014 Super Bowl Host Committee.

The forum was sponsored by Stroock's Government Relations group, which is comprised of former prosecutors, judges, and government agency officials. The practice is led by Robert Abrams, former New York State Attorney General and Chair of Stroock's Government Relations Practice. Abrams also served as President of the National Association of Attorneys General, Executive Chair of New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's Transition Committee and Honorary Co-Chair of Attorney General Schneiderman's Transition Committee.

SOURCE Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP