Attorney Biographies

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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 served as Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board attorney for the Village of Montebello for almost 30 years. He has served as Zoning Board of Appeals attorney for the Village of Suffern, and as a member of the Suffern Planning Board, Special Counsel to the Village of Sloatsburg, and Special Counsel for the Town of Stony Point. He also served as Counsel to the Rockland County Legislature for almost nine years.

Through his “of counsel” relationship with Freeman & Loftus, RLLP, Mr. Emanuel has access to additional expertise in banking law; commercial transactions law; estates, trusts, and elder law; and litigators.

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 has lectured often on land use issues. In particular, since 2000, he has taught Certification Session I for the Rockland County Planning Federation. This course is required for Planning Board and ZBA members in all of Rockland County’s 24 zoning jurisdictions.

Mr. Emanuel is rated “AV-Preeminent” by his peers in the Martindale-Hubbell directory.

Of Counsel

Amy Mele

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.

Freeman & Loftus, RLLP

James J. Freeman, Jr.

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.

Robert V. Magrino

Mr. Magrino has an active civil and criminal litigation practice. He is currently Town Attorney for the Town of Orangetown. Previously, as Deputy Town Attorney for the Town of Orangetown, Mr. Magrino acted as counsel to the Orangetown Planning Board. He also serves as Deputy Village Attorney for the Village of Suffern, NY, representing that village’s Zoning Board of Appeals and prosecuting building and zoning violations. He is a graduate of Siena College and Pace Law School.

Paralegal

Sue Emanuel

Ms. Emanuel has extensive project management and administrative experience in both the public and private sectors, most recently with the Rockland County Department of Social Services. Her primary area of responsibility will be the preparation, compilation and tracking of zoning applications (planning boards, zoning boards of appeals, and municipal boards) and consultants’ reports. Ms. Emanuel has a BA from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern University.

*Affiliated Attorneys are attorneys with whom we have a preferred referral relationship. They are independent of this office. Depending upon the nature of the work, and only with the client’s prior consent, this office will either refer matters entirely to an Affiliated Attorney or will work together with the Affiliated Attorney.

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