Scott L. Lanin
The Blackbelt Litigator - Commercial Litigation & Mortgage Foreclosure Defense
Experience Matters. 32+ years’ experience helping individuals, and small & large business clients, with commercial litigation & appeals, foreclosure defense, lender liability, mortgage loan modification, business operating and shareholder agreements & advice, and Chapter 7 & 13 bankruptcy.
Scott understands all of these connected areas of law. Meet with Scott and review your options. Find your best solution. Get peace of mind from personal attention, competitive rates, flexible payment options, quality work, exceptional professional service, and a strategy to fit your budget. We strive to develop long-term relationships and help clients meet their goals.
Scott has appeared in State, Federal, Bankruptcy, and Appellate Courts in NY and the US. Outside counsel for 26+ years to a large corporation with $300 million annual revenues. Throughout his career, he has handled legal matters involving mortgages and loans totalling more than $500 million.
NY Metro SuperLawyers 2018-2022 (Top 5%); rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell; and 10/10 on Avvo. Big firm experience, small firm value & the highest qualifications. Formerly associated with a prestigious Manhattan firm and the largest Long Island firm. Former counsel to banks. NYU Stern School of Business (began at age 16; graduated 1986, Top 5%, Finance and Management). St. John’s University School of Law (1989; Law Review – Highest Honor). Pro bono extern mentor at law schools and colleges. CLE instructor (to teach other attorneys) Litigation and Foreclosure skils.
Scott Lanin is also an attorney who can fight for real. He is a certified martial arts instructor with two black belts (4th Dan in ITF Tae Kwon-Do and 2d Dan in karate). These are our core principles: avoid confrontation but fight fiercely when necessary; prepare, plan, and stay calm; negotiate from a position of strength, adapt and overcome adversity, think creatively; pay rigorous attention to details; and courtesy and integrity matter.
- Foreclosure Defense
- Business Law
- Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Formation, Business Litigation
- Real Estate Law
- Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate
- Collections
- Bankruptcy
- Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Debt Relief
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Free Consultation
Please email or call us to ask if you qualify for a free 20 minute strategy session to review your alternatives. Certain complex cases may require a paid one hour consult to give your legal matter the attention it deserves. - Credit Cards Accepted
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Contingent Fees
We primarily handle legal matters on an hourly billing basis or for a flat fee. After we evaluate your matter, if we can assist we will quote you a fee. We require a signed written retainer agreement before we begin to provide legal services. We also offer contingency fees and hybrid fees arrangements (reduced hourly rates and reduced contingency fee percentages) for some cases. -
Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
We accept credit and debit cards, Zelle, Venmo, wire transfers, and checks. Cash payments may also be made in person.
- New York
- New York State Office of Court Administration
- ID Number: 2329498
- 2nd Circuit
- Pro hac vice appearances in Federal & Bankruptcy Courts in CT, DE, FL, OR, IL, MI, and NJ
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Eastern, Northern Southern & Western Districts of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern, Northern, Southern & Western Districts of New York
- English
- Law School & College Externship Instructor & Mentor
- Law School Externship Programs
- - Current
- Training students at Brooklyn Law School, St. John's University School of Law, Touro Law School, Hofstra Law School, Cardozo Law School, New York Law School, & Berkeley College. see https://laninlaw.com/legalassistants_interns/
- Certified ITF Taekwon-Do & Kickboxing Instructor
- Team USA Taekwon-Do Fitness & Kickboxing
- - Current
- 4th Dan Black Belt TaeKwon-Do & 2d Dan in Karate
- Managing Attorney
- Lanin Law P.C.
- - Current
- Real Estate & Business Litigation, Foreclosure, Bankruptcy, Debt Collection, Corporate Law
- Judge
- Touro Law School, Law Student Oral Arguments
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- Senior Commercial Litigation Associate
- Helfand & Associates
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- Judge
- St. John's University School Of Law, Civil Trial Institute
- Commercial Litigation & Bankruptcy/Creditor's Rights Associate Attorney
- Farrell Fritz, P.C.
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- Largest firm on Long Island
- Associate (Corporate and Bankruptcy)
- Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLC
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- Formerly know as Whitman Ransom, this law firm was an international firm with offices in Manhattan, London, Greenwich, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. It's NY office was located in the prestigious Pan Am Building on top of Grand Central Station (now the Met Life Building) at 200 Park Ave in Manhattan.
- St. John's University School of Law
- J.D. (1989) | Law
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- Honors: Law Review (Highest Law School Honor); Top 12.5% of class; Dean’s List; American Jurisprudence Award – Lawyer as Negotiator; John J. Murphy Memorial Scholarship; Law Professor/Faculty Research Assistant
- New York University
- B.S. (1986) | Finance and Management
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- Honors: Finance and Management; Entered at age 16; graduated at age 20; Top 5%, cum laude, GPA 3.64/4.0, Dean’s List; University Founders’ Day Scholar; Beta Gamma Sigma (Management Honor Society); Phi Alpha Kappa (Finance Honor Society)
- Super Lawyer
- Super Lawyers
- 2018-2023; Rated in top 5% of NY lawyers
- Peer Rated AV Preeminent Rating
- Martindale Hubbell
- For Highest Level of Professional Excellence
- 4.9/5.0 Client Rating
- Nicejob Review Compilation (Google and Facebook)
- Based on 139 reviews as of April 2023
- Top Rated Litigator
- The American Lawyer Magazine and Martindale Hubbell
- New York State Bar Association
- Member
- Current
- Activities: Commercial and Federal Litigation Section; Real Property Section
- Bankruptcy Lawyers Network
- Member
- Current
- International Tae Kwon-Do Federation
- Certified ITF Taekwon-Do & Kickboxing Instructor - 4th Dan Black Belt TaeKwon-Do & 2d Dan in Karate
- - Current
- New York State Bar  # 2329498
- Attorney
- - Current
- Manhattan BNI Chapter 54
- Growth Coordinator - Leadership Team
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- NY Business & Real Estate Litigator Blog – The Martial Art of Commercial Litigation
- NY Business & Real Estate Litigator 1999-2015
- NY Foreclosure Law Blog – Solutions and Strategies for Mortgage Defaults
- 1999-2015
- Pre-Printed Invoice Terms, Course Of Dealing, And Possession Of Goods Did Not Give Creditor A Security Interest Under Articles 2 Or 9 Of The UCC
- Commercial Law League Association, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Section Newsletter, Vol. 13, Issue 10, pp.1-4
- New York Recognizes Exception to Waiver of Attorney – Client Privilege
- 62 St. John’s Law Review 752
- Manhattan BNI Chapters 3, 53, and 54, New York, N.Y.
- Business Networking International
- Frequent Featured Speaker for 10 years, 2012-2022
- How To Handle New York Foreclosure Law
- CLE Course
- Part 2: How to Handle Commercial Litigation and Keep Your Clients Happy
- CLE Course
- Part 1: How to Handle Commercial Litigation and Keep Your Clients Happy
- CLE
- Licensed New York Real Estate Broker
- New York State Bar Association Department of Pro Bono Affairs
- Internationally Certified TaeKwon-Do/Kickboxing Instructor
- International Taekwon-Do Federation
- Q. How do i stop collection agency harassment? In addition to calling me several times a day they also contact others
- A: One thing you might consider doing is to write a letter to the collection agency to dispute the charge, request debt validation, and request copies of all underlying documents including the original credit agreement or contract, payment history, invoices and statements, and demand letters. They may not have the backup documentation to support the claim. You can notify them in the letter that if they do not comply you will seek all remedies available under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act which is a federal law that governs collection conduct for consumer debt. This might not stop them from harassing you but it will at least put them on notice in case you have to write a second letter. I ... Read More
- Q. What happens after you default mortgage 120 days
- A: After your default for 120 days, your lender or the lender's servicer may elect to send you a default notice or a letter of acceleration. Accelerating the loan means that they are calling it as fully due and payable now instead of over the regular loan term. They may also send you a 90-day pre-foreclosure notice under RPAPL 1304 which is the New York law requiring that. After they send out the necessary notifications, they might file a summons and complaint with the Supreme Court for the county where the real estate is located and a lis pendens, or notice of pendency, with the county clerk which is public notice that there is a foreclosure action pending on the property. Foreclosure can ... Read More
- Q. Does bankruptcy court have jurisdiction regarding a state judgment of foreclosure that is void?
- A: If the state court issued a judgment of foreclosure, even if you believe that the note and mortgage were somehow void, your remedy would be to challenge that judgment in that court with a motion to reargue or an appeal to the higher state court. If you try to collaterally attack it in a bankruptcy court, you will likely fail. The bankruptcy court and all federal courts give state court judgments what is called full faith and credit and the prior proceeding in state court may bar subsequent litigation of the same issue under the doctrine called res judicata. This doctrine bars claims that were actually litigated before or could have been raised in the prior proceeding. There's also a federal ... Read More