Emanuel B. Halper

Emanuel B. Halper is a real estate consultant, attorney, author, and teacher. He has also been a real estate developer and entertainer.

Development Activities

His real estate development activities began as a partner of Canadian Pacific Realty Company and a member of the real estate development team of Vornado, Inc. Canadian Pacific is a Fairfield, New Jersey commercial development organization. Vornado, now a real estate investment trust, was originally founded as a general merchandise retail organization. Until its conversion to a real estate company, it operated the Two Guys discount department Stores, Food Giant Markets supermarkets, and Builder's Emporium home improvement centers.

Afterwards, as director of the real estate development program of Chase Enterprises of Hartford, Connecticut, Mr. Halper administered the acquisition, leasing, design, and construction of office buildings, shopping centers and other commercial projects.

Activities As an Attorney

As an attorney, Mr. Halper was a founding partner and later senior partner of the New York City law firm, Zissu Halper & Martin from 1965 through 1987. His department of the firm specialized in shopping center, office, and industrial leases; ground leases; financing transactions; and development contracts.

Actively involved with legal professional societies for many years, he is the founder of the American Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section's Community Outreach Committee of which he served as Chair for six years. The Community Outreach program has trained members of minority group bar associations in major metropolitan areas in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington in basic skills lawyers needed to specialize in real estate law, estate planning, and trust administration.

A member of the Section's Supervisory Council from 1994 to 2000, he also served on its Continuing Legal Education Committee, Planning Committee, Diversity Committee, and Committee on Committees. From 1986 through 1994, he was Chairman of the Section's Commercial & Industrial Leasing Group and of its predecessor, the Commercial Leasing Committee.

The American Bar Association honored him with two awards personally and his efforts in founding and developing the Community Outreach Program with a third. In 1976, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the A.B.A. in recognition of a distinguished contribution to public understanding of the American system of law and justice. In 2005, he received A.B.A.'s Spirit of Excellence Award at that organization's Midyear Meeting. At A.B.A.'s 2006 Annual Meeting, he accepted A.B.A.'s Partnership Award for the Community Outreach Program. He was selected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2007.

Other awards for legal and civic activities include a 2008 proclamation of the New York City
Council for his contributions to the City of New York and the 2008 Friend of the Bar Award of the Network of Bar Leaders for his contributions to the legal community.

As Chairman of the International Real Estate Committee of the World Association of Lawyers, he led seminars on international real estate problems in Madrid, Sao Paulo, Cairo, and Berlin. He served on the American Arbitration Association's panel of arbitrators and the International Council of Shopping Centers' Law Committee and was a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Teaching Activities

His teaching career began with a fifteen-year stint at New York University's Real Estate Institute which began in 1971. His courses at N.Y.U. included Shopping Center Development, Real Estate Transactions, and Real Estate Negotiation Techniques. Initially appointed as a lecturer, he was promoted later to Adjunct Professor of Real Estate. N.Y.U. honored him with an award for teaching excellence in 1978.

In 1980, Mr. Halper co-founded (in association with Hofstra University Law School) the International Property Investment Journal (later to become the Hofstra Property Journal). He was Chairman of the Journal's Editorial Policy Committee from 1980 through 1987. In 1987, he was awarded Hofstra University Law School's Dean's List of Friends of Hofstra Law School Citation for these efforts. In 1998, the Law School appointed him a Special Professor of Law, and he continued in that capacity until the end of 2006. His title was changed on January 1, 2007 to Distinguished Scholar in Residence and Visiting Professor.

In 2009, he received an appointment from New York Law School as Adjunct Professor of Law. His courses include Real Estate Negotiation Techniques, Commercial Development Contracts, Shopping Center Leases, and Ground Leases.

He also taught at Adelphi University, the New School for Social Research, and the Graduate School of Business of the University of Wisconsin.

Books and Articles Published

Mr. Halper's first book, The Wonderful World of Real Estate, was published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont, Inc. in 1975. In 1990, a paperback version of this book (renamed Conversations in Real Estate) was published by the American Bar Association.

His second book, Shopping Center and Store Leases, was published by Law Journal Seminars/Press in 1979 and has been supplemented twenty-two times. A two-volume second edition was released in 1989.

His third book, Ground Leases and Land Acquisition Contracts, was published by Law Journal Seminars/Press in 1988. It has been supplemented twice.

His articles have appeared in Money Magazine; Apartment Life; Medical Economics; Condominium World; Real Estate Law Journal; the Hofstra Law Review, the New York Law Journal; the National Law Journal; the International Property Investment Journal; Probate and Property; Value Retail News; Practical Real Estate Lawyer; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Journal; The Commercial Property Lease; and Real Estate Review. As a contributing editor of Real Estate Review, Emanuel B. Halper was the author of "People and Property", a regular feature of that quarterly from1971 to 1999. His column, "Thinking About Real Estate", has been featured in the New York Law Journal occasionally.

Mr. Halper's articles have also been included in several law school property law text books.

Listings

Professor Halper’s biography appears in Who's Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in Finance and Business, Who’s Who in the East, and Who's Who Among American Teachers & Educators.

Education

Born in New York City in 1933, he attended New York City public schools. He was graduated from the City University of New York with honors in 1954 and from Columbia University Law School in
1957.

Entertainment

As a teenager and young adult, he became an avid square dancer. This interest led him to become a professional square dance caller, folk dance leader, and ballroom dance instructor. He plied this trade in hotels, churches, and synagogues; made brief appearances on television; and served as Assistant Cruise Director of the Queen of Bermuda, a cruise ship that visited Caribbean Islands.