Biography

JOEL R. MARCUS - is a partner at Marcus & Pollack LLP where he concentrates in Real Estate Tax Reduction and Eminent Domain matters. From 1991 until January of 2005 he was a partner with Pottish Freyberg Marcus & Velazquez, LLP. He was previously a partner with Shea & Gould from 1980 until 1991, where he was in charge of that firm's tax certiorari and condemnation department. From 1990 until 1994 he was the President of the New York City Real Estate Tax Review Bar Association. He is also a member of the Committee on Condemnation and Tax Certiorari of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is a frequent lecturer at the New York State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Program and conducts seminars through Lorman Education Services. Mr. Marcus also contributes articles regularly to Real Estate New York, GlobeStreet.com and National Real Estate Investors. He is a member of the Legal Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York which advises on legislative and judicial matters. In 1996, he was co-chair of the New York State Bar Association committee on Real Property Taxation. He is a founding member of the American Property Tax Counsel and a lecturer at the Institute of Property Tax.

From 1975 to 1980, Mr. Marcus was an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the Law Department of the City of New York, Certiorari and Condemnation Division.

In 1990, Mr. Marcus successfully litigated against the City of New York the assessment reduction proceedings involving One New York Plaza which resulted in a six year reduction of assessments totaling $369,000,000 (a $42,000,000 refund). The case was of major importance because of the Court's acceptance of the impact of asbestos contamination as a major ground for tax reduction. The trial court's decision was unanimously upheld by the Appellate Division, First Department in February of 1992 and leave to appeal was denied by the Court of Appeals on June 4, 1992. Mr. Marcus was also trial counsel in the tax assessment trial of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant located in Suffolk County.