REBNY's new lawyer-on-call solving all life's mysteries.

Whether a broker is under legal obligation to disclose that a murder occurred on a property may seem like an expensive question to pose to an on-the-clock lawyer.

Yet a broker experienced no ticking fear when he recently posed just such a question to Neff B. Garfinkel, partner-in-charge of real estate and banking practices at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP, on the Real Estate Board of New York's new "Residential Legal Line."

REBNY has just appointed Garfinkel to oversee the line--staffed by himself and four other lawyers from the firm--that is proving a comprehensive sounding board for their members.

"Garfinkel's team is not functioning as lawyers, it is providing answers to hypothetical questions," said Steve Spinola, president of REBNY.

"They can help to clarify the question, to ascertain if it is a serious issue and needs further review or whether there is a clear cut answer to the question which could help ease the brokers minds"

Garfinkel, a long standing member of REBNY, is excited about the post, which enables him to expand and refine the work he has been doing with brokers for the past 11 years at the firm where he has focused on commercial and residential real estate, title, banking and lending law.

"Brokers are the engines that drive the market. The legal line ensures that while they are out there, busy doing their work, I will be busy as well, advising and counseling them," Garfinkel said. "This is a good opportunity for us to continue to learn from each other."

When the legal line rings in Garfinkel's office, he fields calls ranging from questions he may have never heard before, such as whether the broker has to disclose that apartment where the murder took place, to more common questions he is asked on a daily basis, such as commission payment schedules, intellectual property rights and issues about co-brokering.

Topical questions he has answered these days include the new educational requirements for brokers, and the legal intricacies of listing properties on the Internet.

The time is prime for the hotline, as the advent of the internet and other mediums contribute to the quickening pace of deals, Garfinkel said.

"Brokers and salespeople are not lawyers and in this world where you have very quick production, people want to move listings as fast as they can while still doing things properly," Spinola said. "Our members are looking to do the right thing and this tool helps them to do the right thing.

"Over the years we've had people call us with legal questions. Sometimes we can answer them, and sometimes we'll make a phone call to a lawyer. We made the decision to create a legal line a few months ago so our members will have a more comprehensive service to provide answers to their questions."

As part of the job, Garfinkel will be expanding his REBNY involvement by writing for the newsletter and online as well as giving speeches. But the hotline is his main responsibility.

If the first few weeks of off-the-hook ringing at the legal line is any indication, Garfinkel anticipates learning as much from the questions as the brokers will learn from him.

"In addition to the questions I answer every day at the firm, I really enjoy digging beneath the surface to find answers to questions I may not have heard before,' Garfinkel said. "Then I am able to pass that information along. The legal line helps foster that exchange."

The legal hotline is only available to REBNY members. The number is listed on the Board's website at www.rebny.com