Garfinkel's career guides the brokerage community.

Neil Garfinkel, founding member at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson LLP, was one of the first students at Cornell Law School with a computer. And his time as a summer associate at Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn was pre-email. Much has changed since becoming an attorney 20 years ago and now the complexities of the real estate industry has required nearly round-the-clock availability.

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"Today it takes longer to close deals at the table. It takes longer to even get the deals to the table," said Garfinkel.

Garfinkel, who oversees AGMB's real estate and banking practices, says real estate is more comprehensive today than ever before and the days when a handshake sufficed to complete a deal are long gone. Today's brokers face more compliance issues, such as fair housing issues, for example, and their legal demands are increasing.

Garfinkel, whose firm handles a mix of commercial and residential real estate matters, has spent two years serving as residential legal counsel for the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), operating a member hotline that fields questions on topics from fair housing, to hiring procedures and independent contract agreements. And the satisfaction he sees from clients is a welcomed departure from other facets of the law.

"I love the real estate business as opposed to being a divorce lawyer or litigator because, 95% of the time, people walk out of a closing happy," Garfinkel said. "I rarely have to fight with people. I don't like to do it--it's not my style."

Garfinkel's style is the real estate industry, and he knew that as early as high school. Growing up on Long Island, Garfinkel--along with his identical twin brother--would spend school vacations working with his uncle and cousin in the real estate syndication business. Assisting with marketing and accounting efforts piqued his interest as a teenager and he continued throughout college.

A graduate of SUNY-Albany, where he studied criminal justice and business, Garfinkel advanced to Cornell Law School before landing a summer associate's position at Proskauer Rose, where he was hired as an associate in the firm's real estate department.

With the exception of a brief stint in entertainment law, Garfinkel has immersed his practice in real estate ever since. Garfinkel helped launch an entertainment licensing company with a close friend, focusing on the business and legal side of the enterprise. "It didn't turn out exactly as planned but it was fun," said Garfinkel.

But his second entrepreneurial endeavor had a much more profound impact on his career. He launched what is now known as AGMB 14 years ago will friend and former college roommate William Abrams. The practice began as nothing more than the two of them in a small room on 31st Street. But the pair quickly earned their first high profile client, Dime Savings Bank, and hired their first employee within six months.

"We fondly look back on those days and found those days were the most exciting, because we were just starting out," Garfinkel said.

AGMB now employees 40 professionals and the firm's areas of practice include: real estate, banking, corporate and securities, litigation, estate planning, entertainment, sports, business management, intellectual property and commercial collection litigation.

There Garfinkel focuses on all aspects of commercial and residential real estate, title, banking and lending law. And his clients run the gamut. They include national/international banks, mortgage bankers, real estate brokers, developers, condominium associations, cooperative corporations, landlords, tenants, title companies, borrowers, purchasers and sellers.

"I feel fortunate in respect to what we've accomplished, and I really enjoy representing the brokerage community," said Garfinkel, who also dubs himself a "deal-making junkie."

One aspect he's particularly proud of is the firm's emphasis on the real estate and financing needs of seniors, particularly through reverse mortgages, which he calls a strong prospect for those with strong home assets but little equity. Garfinkel assisted the country's largest reverse mortgage lender in creating one of the only reverse cooperative lending programs in the country.

Garfinkel, who remains a resident of Long Island, is active in the Long Island Board of Realtors, where he serves on the group's Legislative and Common Interest Ownership, and Legal Assistance committees. He also enjoys instructing professional development and has participated in several speaking engagements through LIBOR and REBNY.

Garfinkel, a father of two, enjoys spending free time with his family and remaining active at his temple, where he is a past president. Garfinkel, who holds a Black Belt in karate, also enjoys tennis and staying fit.