Mark S. Levenson serves as Chair of the Real Estate Department and the Real Estate Transactions Practice Group at Sills Cummis & Gross P.C., where he also leads the Firm’s Israel Business Practice Group. He is Co-Chair of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and previously by Governor Chris Christie, and is a partner member of Choose New Jersey, the state’s economic development organization. Mark sits on the Executive Committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel and chairs the international advisory board of Green Again Fund, Inc. He is also a former member of the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad and serves on the executive committees of the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry and TeachNJ. In addition, he serves on the Board of the Religious Zionists of America, is a past Chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, a past President of the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations, and a past Vice President for New Jersey–Israel Relations at the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University and is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Mark advises domestic and international clients across a broad range of real estate matters, including traditional lending and finance, loan workouts and restructuring, cannabis financing, acquisitions, development projects, joint ventures and partnerships, office and retail leasing, and corporate real estate advisory services. He has four decades of private practice experience, including eight years as the senior real estate attorney at a major financial services institution. His international work spans projects in the United Kingdom (including Canary Wharf), India, the Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Israel, Latin America, and France, and he has served as U.S. representative for multiple global clients.
He has also contributed significantly to the legal community and the public sector, serving as an arbitrator in the New York City Civil Court System, a mediator in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and a Director of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (now CoreNet). Mark has received numerous awards for his pro bono and volunteer service with organizations such as A Better Chance, the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic.
Mark and his wife were honored by the Jewish Family Service of MetroWest for their efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges. He was recognized by the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce in 2017 for his leadership in advancing New Jersey’s landmark anti-BDS legislation, received the Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award in 2014, was honored at the 2010 Tribute Dinner of the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic, and received the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce & Industry Business Leadership Award in 2008. He chaired both the inaugural U.S.-Israel Green Buildings Conference in 2008 and the 2009 U.S.-Israel Cleantech Conference. Mark has served as President of the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce in New York, President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic for eight years, Chairman of the YM–YWHA of Greater Clifton-Passaic, President of Congregation Adas Israel of Passaic, and Executive Vice President of the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy.
He has been recognized consistently by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business®, The Best Lawyers in America®, and New Jersey Super Lawyers®. He was named to the 2022 ROI Influencers: Real Estate list and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, the organization’s highest distinction for ethical standards and legal ability.
Mark earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1982, where he served as an editor of the Annual Survey of American Law, and his B.A., cum laude, from Brandeis University in 1978.