“Protecting a large corporation is very much like protecting an individual,” says veteran litigation attorney Philip M. Halpern, managing partner of White Plains-based Collier, Halpern, Newberg, Nolletti & Bock (CHNNB). The statement speaks to the tailored approach in meeting clients”™ needs that has propelled the firm”™s success since its founding nearly 30 years ago.
Halpern”™s distinguished career comprises more than 80 reported court decisions, including multimillion-dollar settlements for Fortune 500 companies. He has taken cases to successful verdicts in more than a dozen states. His winning formula is offering extensive trial and appellate experience, a strong commitment to client advocacy focused on commercial, employment, real estate and securities litigation, and plain hard work that comes with being a professional. “The challenge is to provide prompt and legal services for often complex and challenging litigation issues.”
He is most proud of the decisions that had much wider impact beyond that of a single client. One in particular addressed a constitutional matter when on May 3, 2012, New York”™s Appellate Division declared that General Municipal Law 959 governing Empire Zone certification was unconstitutional. At issue was a measure passed by the New York state Legislature in 2009, amending portions of law 959 with new standards for Empire Zone eligibility that retroactively ended January 1, 2008. “The bottom line is that the Legislature”™s measure effectively ended tax credits and credits for my client as well as for other businesses that invested capital and created jobs in economically distressed areas of New York.”
The Appellate Division”™s ruling held that the revocation of Halpern”™s client”™s Empire Zone certification could not be made retroactive and that the Legislature”™s amendments constituted an unlawful taking of property, violating due process. Halpern notes that the ruling not only benefitted his client but other corporate entities as well that were participating with existing standards at the time.
Another legal triumph he cites as one of his career high points is the pro bono work he did to advance the cause of affirmative action in Connecticut that led to the hiring of the first African-American state trooper. After Halpern had been admitted to practice law in Connecticut in 1989, he was appointed to serve on the federal court handling the case. It took nine years to resolve the case, but the pay off was significant as it opened another door to employment for minorities.
A magna cum laude graduate of Fordham University where he majored in economics, Halpern earned his Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law with which he has maintained an ongoing “terrific relationship,” serving as a member of its board of visitors. “Pace has developed into a first-rate institution which has been providing a sound education and producing many talented graduates. It is working very hard to provide law graduates with the practical skill sets needed to succeed in the legal profession.”
He owes his career success to the good fortune he had in working as a law clerk for federal Judge Irving Ben Cooper in the Southern District of New York right after he earned his degree from Pace in 1980. “Over the next two years, Cooper took me under his wing and taught me everything I know about how to become an effective trial lawyer.”
He noted that seasoned judges like Cooper, who was about 70 years old when he mentored Halpern, bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, often overlooked, to help develop the next generation of lawyers. Halpern believes that a combination of a solid academic base and experience, combined with the ability to understand and persuade ”“ skills honed over time ”“ will continue to be the hallmarks that distinguish top attorneys. And it”™s the record of accomplishments that eventually raises an attorney”™s standing in the profession as it has been in the case of Halpern who, in addition to his record of successful verdicts, has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a civil trial advocate and civil pretrial and selected as a Super Lawyer every year since 2008.
Although the legal profession has changed dramatically, especially since the great recession that started in 2008, which resulted massive downsizing and increased competition, Halpern and his firm have remained true to their original mission of working hard to produce excellent results cost efficiently. The firm”™s culture of excellence helps explain why several members of the team have been working for CHNNB from the start, sharing Halpern”™s passion of getting results for clients. “At the end of the day, you”™ve got to love what you do if you want to be a successful lawyer.”
