Robin Panovka co-chairs Wachtell Lipton’s Real Estate and REIT M&A practices, which are consistently at the forefront of M&A and other major transactions in the REIT, private equity, real estate, hospitality and gaming industries. He also advises on activism defense, strategy, cross-border transactions, and large scale development projects, including the redevelopment of the World Trade Center and Little Island in Manhattan.

Robin has long been named one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in the U.S., and is ranked as one of the leading M&A and REIT lawyers by Chambers, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal and similar publications. He has been featured in a number of publications, including Lawdragon Magazine and American Lawyer, and is a recipient of New York University’s Urban Leadership Award. Robin was named one of the top 10 most influential REIT lawyers shaping U.S. real estate landscape by Business Today, which noted that he ” dominates the scene with his in-depth knowledge in bulge-bracket M&A and REIT corporate law. Law 360 named him MVP in 2024 and previously 2022 for his work in real estate M&A.

He writes and lectures widely, including co-authoring ​“REITs: Mergers and Acquisitions,” a leading treatise published by Law Journal Press. He is co-chair of the NYU REIT Center and has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business and Law Schools and in NYU’s Masters in Real Estate Program. He is a founding director of the International Institute for the Study of Cross-Border M&A (XBMA), a joint venture among Peking University, Cambridge and NYU. He regularly chairs annual conferences for the NYU REIT Center, Practising Law Institute and XBMA. He is also active on a number of educational and non-profit boards, including the boards of Duke Law School and NYU’s Real Estate Institute; is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers; and is a member of the Economic Club of New York.

Robin was heavily involved in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center for more than a decade following its destruction on September 11, 2001 and played a hand in negotiating the master plan and ​“footprint swap” which paved the way to rebuilding, as chronicled in the Cornell Real Estate Review, American Lawyer Magazine and other publications

Julian Pierce joined Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in 2017. In 2022, he was named Director, Economic Opportunity. In this role, Julian focuses on ensuring that all Fairfield County households are economically secure. He leads the Foundation’s grant making and programmatic initiatives in affordable housing, income, and asset-building.

Julian’s previous work includes program evaluation and data analysis for nonprofits in the Greater Bridgeport and New Haven County areas. Prior to joining FCCF, Julian worked as a Housing Counselor for Building Neighborhoods Together (formerly Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust) preparing first-time homebuyers to be purchase-ready and assisting individuals and families at risk of foreclosure through loss-mitigation counseling. He helped low-to-moderate income families understand and grow their finances, chart paths to become homeownership-ready through credit repair and debt management and connected residents to vital resources to ease them through the homebuying process and address basic needs.

Julian holds a Master’s degree in Program Development from the University of New Haven and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Miami. He was born and raised in Stratford, where he currently resides.

Dan Sawh is the Owner and President of Haydan Consultants, Inc. (Haydan), an Owner’s Representative firm specializing in a myriad of hands-on professional services to the construction industry across the transportation, power/energy, facilities and water markets. Founded in 2019, Haydan is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) headquartered in Rosedale, Queens.

Along with an experienced leadership team and a dedicated group of service-oriented professionals, Dan leads strategy, operations and client engagement functions for the firm. In an effort to prioritize long-term partnerships, Dan has guided Haydan with a focus on two key goals: client service and employee development. Haydan has served in key roles on a number of New York’s most significant infrastructure projects for a variety of public sector clients, including PANYNJ, NYCSCA, NYPA, NYCDDC, NYCDEP and NYCHA. Prior to founding Haydan, Dan served as COO for AECOM’s Northeast region, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. He previously held leadership positions at a number of companies within the AECOM family, as well as at STV.

During his 37-year career, Dan has been committed to growing diversity in the AEC industry through mentorship programs, proactive recruiting efforts and partnership outreach to certified Small, Minority and/or Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs). Dan believes strongly in paying forward the life-changing experiences he has had working in the industry, aiming to empower the next generation by providing opportunities to flourish, with a constant focus on equality.

Dan is a Board Member of CORO New York and is active with a number of other philanthropic and community organizations. He immigrated to the United States from Guyana and found his personal and professional passion in the AEC industry, inspired by the architecture, engineering and construction fields working together toward the common goal of making a positive impact on residents and their communities through the built environment.