Joshua Werbeck is a Member of Bousquet Holstein PLLC and serves on its Board of Managers. He is a member of the firm’s Real Estate, Business, and Liquor Licensing and Compliance Practice Groups.
In real estate matters, Josh represents individuals, businesses, and non-profits, including developers, lenders, homeowners associations, condominium boards, and homeowners. His experience includes acquisitions and sales in commercial and residential transactions, leasing and landlord-tenant matters, financing and raising capital, structuring for the receipt of tax credits and government grants, and 1031 exchanges. Josh is Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group.
Josh is often involved at the inception of projects and regularly assists clients in navigating zoning, environmental, and other land use regulations, as well as title issues. He has represented developers, business owners, lenders, and homeowners before planning boards and zoning boards of appeal. Josh also works with homeowners associations and developers to draft and enforce restrictive covenants, residents in HOA/restrictive covenant communities to enforce or defend against land use restrictions, condominium developers and boards to establish condominiums and prepare offering plans and amendments with the NYS Attorney General’s Office, and lenders (both institutional and personal) in complex and typical foreclosure matters.
Josh leads Bousquet Holstein’s Liquor Licensing and Compliance Practice Group. Josh represents restaurants, bars, wineries, breweries, colleges and universities, hotels, grocery stores, and other venues on all aspects of liquor licensing, including initial applications to the State Liquor Authority, corporate changes, alterations, compliance matters, and disciplinary proceedings. Josh represents wineries, breweries, and distilleries, including farm and micro wineries, breweries, and distilleries, on all aspects of licensing and compliance, including U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) permitting.
Josh assists business owners and leaders with general business, transactional, and employment matters, including entity formation, such as LLCs, S-Corps., and C-Corps., corporate governance, and asset and stock purchase transactions. Josh has extensive experience working with businesses and individuals in employment-related matters, including defending against discrimination claims, advising on wage and hour or other labor law questions, and developing workplace policies, such as employee handbooks.
Josh is an Executive Committee member of the New York State Bar Association’s Real Estate Section where he co-chairs the Title and Transfer Committee. Josh is also a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association and Tompkins County Bar Association.
Josh earned his B.A. magna cum laude from Siena College and a J.D. cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law. Josh was a Summer Associate at Bousquet Holstein in 2009. He joined the firm as an Associate in 2010, was elected to Membership in 2016, and was elected to the Board of Managers in 2022.
Josh was recognized with the Central New York Business Journal’s 2016 “Forty Under 40” award. He has been a Super Lawyers Rising Star for several years. He was a member of the Leadership Greater Syracuse Class of 2017. Josh served on the Board of Directors for Sarah’s Guest House, Inc. in Syracuse for several years, including service as President of the Board. Josh resides in DeWitt with his wife and children.
Experience
- Closed multi-million Dollar refinance involving multiple real property parcels and multiple existing mortgages, including preparation of assignments, allonges, termination of assignment of leases, title policy commitment (and curatives), leases, lease estoppels, and non-disturbance agreements. Experience includes preparation and review of loan documents, including complex lending arrangements with real and personal property collateral.
- Closed numerous complex commercial and residential purchases and sales, including experience with seller-financed arrangements, drafting of notes, mortgages, leases, title insurance policies, rights of first refusal, and ancillary documents.
- Represented several businesses before the NY Division of Human Rights (“DHR”) and, in a number of cases, achieved a no probable cause determination to dismiss the claims of discrimination or harassment before a protracted investigation and hearing.
- Represented a pharmacist included on the NY Medicaid Exclusion List and Federal Medicare Exclusion List for over 20 years and successfully achieved removal from both. Despite the long period of inclusion on the Exclusion Lists, Josh negotiated immediate removal from both with zero monetary penalties.
- Represents the Syracuse Sports Association and Syracuse Adult Kickball Association advising its owners on formation, tax, sport law, and real estate matters, including obtaining site-planning and special permit approval for operation of its athletic facility in the Town of Salina.
- Represented individuals and businesses in disputes with the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance and the IRS.
Affiliations & Acknowledgements
- Onondaga County Bar Association
- Tompkins County Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Executive Committee, Member
- Co-Chair, Title and Transfer Committee
- American Bar Association
- Central New York Business Journal’s 2016 “Forty Under 40” award.
- Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Star 2016 – 2023
- Leadership Greater Syracuse, Class of 2017
Community Involvement
Josh served on the Board of Directors for Sarah’s Guest House, Inc. in Syracuse for several years, including service as President of the Board. Sarah’s Guest House provides lodging for relatives and loved ones of adult patients seeking medical treatment outside their own community.
In addition, he has served as a volunteer for the Syracuse Say Yes to Education Legal Clinic and as a Family Court Advocate at the Onondaga County Courthouse for Vera House, Inc., a comprehensive domestic and sexual violence service agency.
Education
J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 2010, Cum Laude, Order of Barristers
B.A., Siena College, 2007, Magna Cum Laude
Admissions
New York
