Emanuel Halper

Adjunct Professor

Emanuel B. Halper is a real estate consultant, attorney, author, and teacher.  He has also been a real estate developer and entertainer.  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 currently Chair of the American Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section's Community Outreach Committee and a member of its Diversity Committee.  The Community Outreach program (of which he is the founder) trains members of minority group bar associations in major metropolitan areas (currently operating in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington) in basic skills lawyers need to specialize in real estate law, estate planning, and trust administration.  He was a member of the Section's Supervisory Council from 1994 to 2000. In that period, he also served on its Continuing Legal Education Committee, Planning
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'sMidyear 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 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.

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.

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.