Lowenstein Sandler Named a Bloomberg Law Pro Bono Innovator for Third Consecutive Year

Lowenstein Sandler has been recognized by Bloomberg Law as a 2025 Pro Bono Innovator, marking the firm's third consecutive year on the list. This year's honor highlights the leadership and impact of partner Jeffrey J. Wild for his work safeguarding the rights of unhoused individuals; and of partner and practice Chair Jonathan C. Wishnia and associate Yelky Perez of the Mortgage & Structured Finance group for their advocacy and complex deal structuring in the area of equitable housing.

Lowenstein's consistent recognition for its pro bono innovation reflects the firm's core values and underscores its long-standing commitment to advancing the public interest and serving communities in need. The Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest offers meaningful assistance to low-income and other marginalized people, along with the organizations that advocate for and support them, by engaging the full range of the firm's talents to perform work of the highest quality in a manner that maximizes results for both clients and causes.

Bloomberg Law's Pro Bono Innovators celebrate the law firms and other legal service providers working to improve the lives of a wide range of underserved pro bono clients. The publication notes: "These lawyers, who donate their time and talent, and the institutions that support them, are at the front lines of increasing access to justice. They help to solve issues acutely impacting human welfare and strengthen the fabric of our society…they achieved success by combining legal acuity and innovation with a strong mission."

Advancing Affordable Homeownership in the Twin Cities

Wishnia and Perez received recognition for their representation of Brick by Brick Training & Development Corp. in an $83 million acquisition of 345 single-family properties from a private equity fund. The transaction-engineered to expand affordable homeownership for low-and moderate-income families, families of color, first-generation home buyers, and other underserved communities in Minnesota's Twin Cities-integrated nonprofit capital, institutional asset management, and commercial lending within a single mission-driven framework.

The Lowenstein team drafted and negotiated operating agreements, established a multi-tiered investment committee, and embedded community oversight into the disposition process to maintain long-term affordability and neighborhood stability. A nearly $47 million loan from two private lenders was aligned with philanthropic and mission-related investments, while asset management responsibilities were formalized with a coalition of experienced nonprofits. This governance and capital design serves as a national blueprint for inclusive urban investment, balancing financial rigor with community outcomes.

Wishnia says: "We are honored to have been recognized for this project, which illustrates how careful, mission-driven deal architecture can align commercial and community imperatives. It has been a privilege to leverage our experience in nonprofit capital, institutional asset management, and commercial lending to create a structure that will provide essential benefits to underresourced communities now and in the future, as well as create a replicable model that can be adopted in other locales."

Protecting the Rights and Safety of Unhoused Individuals
Wild, Chair of the firm's Fiduciary Litigation group and member of its Commercial Litigation practice, led a team representing 50 unhoused people in Toms River, N.J., including veterans and people with disabilities, who faced arrest for living in a wooded encampment. Employing rarely cited provisions of the New Jersey Constitution and historic laws requiring municipalities to care for indigent residents, the team advanced novel claims that deterred criminalization and prioritized humane, durable solutions.

Wild also collaborated with municipalities to negotiate Housing Cooperative Agreements, secure relocation to stable housing, and draft a model municipal ordinance that addresses public safety without criminalizing homelessness. In the past year alone, this multifaceted approach helped prevent the unnecessary use of the criminal justice system for more than 200 individuals and has informed advocacy across New Jersey and beyond.

Wild says: "Our goal is always to protect public safety without criminalizing poverty. By enforcing state constitutional protections and partnering on housing-first solutions, we can move people from encampments to stability with dignity and due process. It is an honor to be recognized for our efforts to transform how localities address homelessness, and to change the focus to pathways to stability rather than punitive enforcement."

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler is a national law firm with more than 400 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.