Bio
Mitchel H. Ochs is a shareholder in the firm and practices in the area of complex corporate, commercial, co-op/condo, and general real estate-related litigation, in both federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as various arbitration forums. He has extensive trial experience including a multi-week federal securities jury trial in the Southern District of New York resulting in a verdict of dismissal on behalf of his client; a three-month first-party insurance coverage jury trial in New York State Supreme Court resulting in an $18 million judgment in favor of his client; a week-long breach of contract bench trial in New York State Supreme Court; and a multi-day arbitration on behalf of a withdrawing partner of a prominent New York City law firm.
Some of Mr. Ochs’ most recent matters include:
- Obtained numerous summary judgments on behalf of the owner of 8 million-square-feet of commercial office and retail space against various corporate/commercial tenants involving claims that the COVID pandemic excused their lease defaults involving matters of first impression.
- Successfully defended a Fortune 50 company in a multi-week jury trial challenging a probationer’s drug testing results.
- Successfully represented a family-owned real estate partnership against an effort by one of the partners to dissolve the partnership through a non-judicial, involuntary, dissolution involving a case of first impression.
- Successfully prosecuted claims on behalf of the owner of a $25 million triplex residence in downtown Manhattan for design and construction defects against architect, designer and contractor resulting in a multi-million-dollar settlement.
- Successfully prosecuted claims by the owners of a Gramercy Park residential building in a multi-week arbitration resulting in the ouster of one of the owners deemed “undesirable” by the others and an award of $750,000 in legal fees.
- Successfully represented a 1,700-unit residential cooperative on the Lower East Side in a multi-week jury trial against claims by a public adjuster seeking as a fee a percentage of an $18 million judgment obtained on the coop’s behalf following a 3-month jury trial arising out of the collapse of its 450-car parking garage.
Some of Mr. Ochs’ clients have included nationally and internationally known corporations and firms which span a wide variety of businesses and industries, including a major Malaysian bank, a leading Mexican steel-manufacturer, a Hong Kong based luggage manufacturer, and Malaysia’s largest latex medical glove manufacturer, as well as internationally-known insurance brokerage, financial services, accounting, and economic consulting firms.
Mr. Ochs received a B.A. with honors from Brandeis University in 1982. He graduated with high honors from New York Law School in 1985, where he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Law Review and received the Albert Kalter Tax Award in recognition of outstanding academic performance.
Mr. Ochs was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York in 1986 and is also admitted to practice before both the Southern and Eastern District Courts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prior to joining Becker, Mr. Ochs was a founding member of Anderson & Ochs, LLP. Prior to that, he was a member of the litigation and insurance departments at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City from 1985 to 1997.
Mr. Ochs was a member of the Brandeis University men’s soccer team that went to the NCAA National Finals game, was a member of the 1981 U.S. Maccabiah Men’s silver medal soccer team, and trained with West Ham United in the English Premier League.