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I have a question relating to coops and the rules that control how a sponsor may (and may not) vote its shares during a board election. I’ll spell out the scenario below, in case any of you want to take a crack, but I would appreciate any recommendations for reliable & reasonably-priced lawyers in Brooklyn or Manhattan.

Let’s assume that a coop has a 5-member Board. Let’s say that 1 of those is an automatic designee of the sponsor, and the other 4 are elected by the shareholders. The question is, what are the qualifications required of the 4 elected members. Specifically, is it legal for any of those 4 elected members to be employees of the sponsor?

(If you’re still reading, you’re probably enough a legal buff to want to know this tidbit, too: The Bylaws contain the famous, and famously vague, clause about “not exercising voting control” that led the to Rego Park, etc. case.)