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Master deal-maker, Tom Kearns navigates the complexities of real estate transactions, structuring, negotiating and closing complicated, high-value deals and co-ownership arrangements.

Tom represents owners, operators and developers in the acquisition, financing, development, ground leasing, and sale of significant properties. His experience includes office towers, commercial condominiums, industrial, healthcare, retail and mixed-use facilities, film studios, land assemblages, air rights acquisitions, and residential properties.

With exceptional skill and technical know-how, Tom carefully crafts deals, structuring joint ownership arrangements in their many forms, from partnerships, LLCs, and joint ventures to tenants-in-common, REITs, syndications and corporate ownership arrangements. Clients benefit from his innate understanding of how best to structure their relationships and establish the parameters of their strategic alliances.

Tom is well versed in structuring programmatic ventures across multiple assets. He also brings deep knowledge of compliance issues and federal and state securities laws, smoothly and efficiently helping clients ensure they meet regulatory requirements. He has led Olshan’s team in closing some of the most impressive deals in recent years including a client's $600 million property sale to a joint venture in what M&A Advisor later named its “Private Equity Deal of the Year.”

Tom is one of Manhattan's leaders in the purchase, turnaround, and sale of office buildings and has handled numerous workouts of ground-leased hotels. He has vast experience in commercial condominium structuring arrangements and has devised sophisticated condominium agreements, including ones for not-for-profit entities that enable them to claim real estate tax exemptions. He also represents professional sports figures and other high-net-worth individuals in their residential property transactions in New York.

Contact & Links
Location
  • 1325 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor
    New York, NY 10019
Languages
  • English
Education
  • Fordham University, J.D., graduated 1984
  • Fordham University, M.B.A., graduated 1979
  • Fordham University, B.A., graduated 1976
Affiliations
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • New York State Bar Association - Member
  • Real Property Section of the American Bar Association - Various leadership roles - most recently as Book Editor

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP
Headquarters: New York, New York

8 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

3 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

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Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 for work in:
  • Real Estate Law
Awards:
  • Elected a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), class of 2015

  • Named a “Leading Lawyer” in Real Estate: Mainly Dirt by Chambers USA for 2022 and 2023

  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Real Estate Law annually since 2019

  • Named annually to the Super Lawyer by New York Metro Super Lawyers list since 2006

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Big Updates in the Big Apple


by Thomas D. Kearns and Nina M. Roket

A Post-COVID-19 update on the commercial market for landlords, building investors and retail developers in New York.

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