Newsletter

Summer/Fall 2000       Vol. II No. 3

WELCOME!

Welcome to another edition of "The Letter of the Law", a periodic newsletter for friends and clients of Bruce Feffer, Attorney At Law.

I sincerely hope all of my friends and clients had a wonderful summer with just the right mix of productive work and peaceful relaxation.

In August, I had the honor of serving as a judge in New York Law School's moot court competition. This was my second year of participation and it was a highly rewarding experience. When I recall my days as a nervous law student moot court participant, I can safely say it's a lot more fun being the judge.

Back in the "real world", I was appointed by Justice Martin Schoenfeld, of the Supreme Court, New York County, as a referee to preside over certain claims involving the New York State Insurance Department. My job is to conduct hearings on the disputed claims and make recommendations to the Court. This is serious business with real consequences for both sides, and I am honored by the trust placed in me by the parties and the Court.

In between all this "judging", I've been helping clients buy and sell property, settle estate matters, and litigate disputes in court.

So who had time for a summer vacation?

-Bruce

MESSAGE BOARD

Hevesi Finds City Register is No Utopia

Anyone familiar with the real estate world in New York City knows the frustration of waiting many months for the City Register's Office to record deeds and mortgages, a critical part of most real estate transactions. Inefficiency hinders business and costs the City money by delaying the depositing of recording fees and taxes. Based on discussions I had with my friends at Utopia Abstract Corp., a title company in Queens, I brought the issue to the attention of City Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who initiated a joint audit with the NYC Department of Finance. The audit discovered 97 boxes of unprocessed documents from a six month period, including $26 million worth of uncashed checks. The City lost nearly $294,000 in interest because the checks were not deposited, according to the audit. Reforms were immediately implemented to speed the process and save substantial money for the City.

You deserve Credit

If you have questions about your credit record, the three main credit bureaus to call are: Experian (888-397-3742); Trans Union (800-916-8800) and Equifax (800-685-1111).

Trivia

I received many responses to the trivia question appearing in the last newsletter. Although some were hilarious, none were correct. The Answer: Twenty five years ago, Bob Anker was Bruce Feffer's high school English teacher. So if you find any grammatical errors in this newsletter, it's his fault.

NEW QUESTION: In 1983, Bruce Feffer graduated from Brooklyn Law School. Name the last New York City Mayor who graduated from BLS. E-mail your answers to Brufef@aol.com. The first three correct winners get a free one-hour legal consultation.