Ruta Behrend

RUTA BEHREND admitted to practice law in the State of New York, joined Tane Waterman & Wurtzel, P.C. as an associate in 2018. Ruta was born in Panevezys, Lithuania, attended Concordia International University as an undergraduate, and obtained her Juris Doctorate from New York Law School. Prior to working at Tane Waterman & Wurtzel, P.C., Ruta worked as an associate for a boutique New York real estate firm focused and a national law firm where she represented lenders in various real estate transactions. Ruta has been a partner at Tane Waterman & Wurtzel, P.C. since 2023. 

Ruta serves as general counsel to many cooperative and condominium boards, helping them navigate the intricacies of New York’s highly regulated real estate and commercial environment. Her experience allows her to tailor solutions to meet the distinct needs of various types of housing communities including large multi-building cooperatives, small self-managed cooperatives, condominiums, State and City supervised Mitchell-Lama Co-ops, and HDFC Cooperatives. Ruta provides guidance to cooperative and condominium boards on corporate governance, including governing document review, revisions, compliance, interpretation, and enforcement. She has extensive experience in underlying mortgage financing and in contract drafting and negotiations, handling a diverse range of contracts vital to cooperative and condominium operations such as construction and repair, service, property management, telecommunication provider contracts, antenna leases and licenses, and laundry vendor agreements. 

Ruta heads the cooperative transfer division within the firm, managing a team of dedicated associates and paralegals who assist with all manners of transfers and sales. Ruta has been consulted by and quoted in numerous publications including the New York Times (where she has received several features in the “Ask Real Estate” column) and Habitat Magazine.