Ryan Foley

Background

About Ryan Foley

Real estate disputes are fundamentally financial disputes. The claims that arise from condominium development—offering plan obligations, construction defect liability, turnover claims, governance conflicts—are built on complex contractual architecture and high-stakes economic relationships. Most litigators learn that the hard way. I came to it with a head start.Before law school, I spent nearly a decade in investment banking and private equity at UBS, Citi, Stone Point Capital, and Argo Group, evaluating capital structures, investment returns, and advising on complex transactions in the financial services sector. That foundation shaped how I approach litigation: I understand what developers and investors are actually trying to protect, how disputes affect capital stacks and project timelines, and what resolution actually means to a client's business, not just their legal position.At Starr Associates LLP, one of New York's preeminent sponsor-side real estate law firms, I serve as Senior Litigation Counsel and help lead the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group. My clients include condominium and cooperative sponsors, developers, boards, unit owners, and shareholders navigating disputes throughout the development lifecycle, including offering plan and sponsor obligation disputes, construction defects and design professional claims, turnover and governance conflicts, RPAPL § 881 access proceedings, and contract and guaranty enforcement.My litigation foundation was built at ArentFox Schiff, Pillsbury, and Skadden, where I handled complex commercial and insurance coverage disputes in state and federal courts, and at the Bronx County District Attorney's Appeals Bureau, where I developed my appellate practice. Combined with Starr's extraordinary depth in the transactional architecture of New York condominium and cooperative law, that background gives my clients representation that is both analytically rigorous and commercially grounded.I advise clients from pre-dispute risk assessment through trial and appeal. Often, the most valuable work happens before a lawsuit is filed.If you're a sponsor, developer, board, or property owner facing a real estate dispute in New York, I welcome the conversation.