Benesch Partner Jonathan Grippo Receives the Above & Beyond Award from Sanctuary for Families

Benesch is proud to announce that Jonathan Grippo, partner in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group, has been honored with the Above & Beyond Award from Sanctuary for Families. The award recognizes Jonathan’s pro bono legal work, which helped make possible a major renovation of Sarah Burke House, Sanctuary’s shelter for survivors of domestic violence and their families.

Jonathan has supported the renovation since early 2024, giving hundreds of hours of construction and real estate guidance to keep the project moving and the shelter safe for the survivors who rely on it.

Sarah Burke House is New York’s first and largest transitional shelter of its kind. The building, which is more than 100 years old, required major construction work to ensure residents could continue living there safely. Jonathan negotiated the general contractor and architect agreements, helped create template documents for other contractors and worked out access and licensing agreements with neighboring property owners. Throughout the project, he kept the shelter’s location confidential.

“Jonathan’s work on Sarah Burke House reflects the very best of what our profession can do,” said Jeff Wild, Chair of Benesch’s Real Estate Practice Group and Firm Administrative Partner. “He brought the same skill and care he gives every client to a highly sensitive project for an organization that is changing lives every day.”

“Jon’s work is not geared to help just one single survivor; instead, it helps hundreds of survivors and family members find safety and healing. Without his help, we could not have attempted to continue to provide a safe haven for clients who call Sarah Burke House their home, and those who will do so in the coming years,” said Svati Kania, General Counsel, Sanctuary for Families.

Jonathan’s broader practice encompasses all aspects of construction transactional and litigation matters. He focuses on construction and design documents associated with private and public development and redevelopment projects on behalf of owners, lenders, design professionals and construction professionals. Jonathan’s clients include corporate and institutional owners and developers, as well as real estate and hospitality industry companies.

Jonathan has extensive experience working on a range of construction projects, spanning many types of facilities across commercial industries and residential developments. In addition, he provides litigation support to clients and has experience resolving disputes and addressing claims in court and ADR proceedings. This experience allows Jonathan to mitigate risks and manage potential disputes on behalf of clients and other stakeholders.

Read Sanctuary for Families’ tribute to Jonathan here and view the full list of Above & Beyond honorees here.