Ira M. Emanuel
Ira M. Emanuel is an attorney with over forty years of experience in real property and zoning law, estates and trusts, and mediation. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Albany Law School, and holds a certificate in mediation from Harvard Law School. Mr. Emanuel has a private law practice in New City, New York, where he has been involved with some of the most important land use projects in Rockland County, including the World Headquarters Audio/Visual Studio for the Watchtower Society in Ramapo, the redevelopment of the Nanuet Mall in the Town of Clarkstown, a 500 unit active adult community proposed for the former Letchworth Village Developmental Center in the Town of Haverstraw, a 292 unit active adult community in Ramapo, and major projects on behalf of the Town of Stony Point and the Villages of Montebello and Sloatsburg.
Mr. Emanuel helped to draft the initial and revised Zoning Codes for the Village of Montebello, the initial and revised Comprehensive Plan for the Village of Montebello, and the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code for the Village of Sloatsburg.
Mr. Emanuel is a member of the Rockland County and New York State Bar Associations. He is the Chairman of the Rockland County Bar Association Committee on Zoning. He is also an associate (non-government) member of the Rockland County Planning Federation, and a member of its board of directors.
Mr. Emanuel is rated “AV-Preeminent” by his peers in the Martindale-Hubbell directory. He has also been selected as a SuperLawyer in the New York Metro Area. He is the only Rockland County-based land use lawyer who has been selected.
Ms. Mele has over two decades of experience successfully representing individuals, businesses and municipalities in complex litigation, commercial transactions, land use and zoning, contract negotiation and appellate matters. She served as the Town Attorney for the Town of Clarkstown from 2006 to 2015. Ms. Mele has also served as Village Attorney for the Village of Spring Valley and for the Village of Airmont. Ms. Mele earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Mr. Freeman was General Counsel to Provident Bank (now Sterling National Bank) for thirty years. Over a 50 year career, he has acquired comprehensive experience in banking, real property transactions, and real property financing. He is also a past president of the Rockland County Bar Association. Mr. Freeman graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and Fordham Law School.
Patrick J. Loftus
Mr. Loftus is a Town Justice for the Town of Orangetown, NY, and former attorney for the Orangetown Planning Board. He has an extensive background in real property financing, and was formerly President of Hardenburgh Abstract Company. Mr. Loftus graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and Washington and Lee University Law School.
Affiliated Attorneys*
Albert J. Kaiser
Mr. Kaiser’s practice concentrates on Estate Planning, Trusts, Probate, Medicaid and Tax Law. He has over 30 years of experience. Mr. Kaiser graduated from San Jose State University and holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University Law School.