Wednesday, January 1, 2003, p. 17, col. 1.

More than 150 people, including 50 judges and members of the New York real-estate community, turned out at Manhattan's Albachiara Restaurant in late November to celebrate Daniel Finkelstein's 75th birthday and honor his 46 years as a New York real-estate attorney.

Mr. Finkelstein, a partner at Finkelstein Newman Ferrara LLP, is recognized as the "dean" of landlord-tenant law in New York and is co-author of Landlord and Tenant Practice in New York , the main reference tool for lawyers and judges who handle commercial real estate and housing issues. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Landlord-Tenant Practice Reporter, a monthly publication for the New York real-estate community.

Finkelstein also makes time to share his wealth of knowledge with aspiring lawyers. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School, where he teaches landlord-tenant law, yet he donates all money from his teaching activities back to the school. He is also a long-time member of the New York County Lawyers’ Association and for years has served on that organization’s Board of Directors.

Finkelstein learned about New York real estate in the 1950’s, when he held various New York City government agency positions which oversaw New York housing and development. He served as the senior real-estate manager for the city’s Board of Estimate and as the assistant chief-enforcement attorney for the Temporary State Housing Rent Commission, an agency that preceded the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Finkelstein is a partner at Finkelstein Newman Ferrara LLP, a leading real-estate law firm in Lower Manhattan founded by his son, Robert, and Jonathan H. Newman.