WHO WE ARE
We are knowledgeable and involved attorneys who encourage new members and law students to join the Real Property Law Section (RPLS) to enjoy its benefits and participate in its Committees.
The RPLS’s mission cuts across all aspects of real property law and includes:
- Commenting on and encouraging appropriate legislation;
- Working with title insurance companies, brokers, surveyors and other related industry professionals to improve transactional practices;
- Identifying problems in the real estate industry and working to solve them;
- Educating the public about the attorney’s role in protecting their interests in real property transactions;
Timely CLE Programing
The RPLS regularly offers high quality CLE programs. Members receive biweekly emails alerting them to CLE events. For detailed information on upcoming CLEs, including program overviews and faculty listings, see the Live Events & On Demand Archives tab of www.nysba.org/realproperty.
Online Community
The RPLS’s highly active online community is a vital resource for practitioners to address practice questions quickly and thoroughly. Our members enjoy one of the most interactive online communities of NYBSA with daily posts by members and multiple responses to most. The RPLS community can also provide access to an attorney with a particular specialty necessary to assist you with a client or matter.
Section Content
RPLS members also receive the Real Property Law Journal (RPLJ) published quarterly each year. The RPLJ has articles on a range of real estate topics including contracts, condominiums, recent decisions, ethics, and much more. There is also a regular column on foreclosures provided by Bruce T. Bergman. Section members are encouraged to submit articles for publication. See the Publications link for more information about the RPLJ as well as an archive of prior articles and contact information for the editors.
Committee Membership
We encourage our members to become involved in our committees and build relationships with new members who always have much to contribute. Currently, we have more than 3,800 members and 30 Committees. Each Committee devotes itself to a specific practice area within the real estate community such as Construction; Real Estate Finance; Condominiums and Cooperatives and Foreclosures, to name but a few. After joining the RPLS, you may join a Committee through your NYSBA Membership profile.

Contact the Real Property Law Section Liaison
To learn more about this Section, please contact Gina Bartosiewicz
gbartosiewicz@nysba.org
(518) 487-5682
Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.
Susan E. Golden, Esq.
Venable LLP
Susan Golden is a partner in the Real Estate Group at Venable LLP and has spent most of her career working on civic, cultural and economic development projects for nonprofit and government organizations. She graduated magna cum laude from the George Washington University with a degree in Political Communications, attended New York University School of Law and the Wagner School of Public Service for her law degree and a masters degree in public administration. Sue handles real estate development, renovations, and other improvements to or investments in real property, as well as leasing, the transfer of development rights and other property acquisitions and conveyances, and mixed-use condominium structures. She counsels on compliance with zoning, landmarks, historic preservation, environmental review, and permitting requirements; public review and government approval of development proposals, including zoning changes, permits, and variances; negotiation of development, design, and construction contracts; and government grants, charitable funding, and donor agreements. Sue also serves her community as a Town Justice.
Student Internship Program
The Real Property Law Section (RPLS) has partnered with law schools in New York State to create an RPLS Student Internship Program. The purpose of this clinical program is to give second and third year law students interested in transactional real estate (including environmental and sustainability issues) and real estate litigation a semester of work experience in a law firm or corporate law department.
Attorney Professionalism Award
Each year, the Real Property Law Section has honored an outstanding individual real estate practitioner with its Professionalism Award. The Section’s Award Committee presents the award during the Section’s Annual Meeting.
Outstanding Community Contributor Award
The Section created the Outstanding Community Contributor Award to recognize members who have made significant contributions to the Community, and to express its appreciation. The award will be presented virtually during the Section’s Annual Meeting.
Real Property Law Section Annual Student Writing Competition
The Real Property Law Section sponsors an annual Student Writing Competition, open to all students who are candidates for the JD or LLM degree at an accredited law school in New York State during the year in which the article is submitted.
Scholarships
The Real Property Law Section will be accepting applications this summer for its two law student scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each. The scholarships will be awarded virtually at the Section’s Annual Meeting.