Leonard Grunstein (born July 18, 1952) is an American finance executive, retired lawyer and philanthropist. He is Managing Member of Hanlen Real Estate Development & Funding LLC, and Hanlen Healthcare Development & Funding LLC. Grunstein practiced law for over 35 years before retiring from the practice of law, and is the founder and current chairman of Project EZRAH.

Early life and education

Born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

in 1952, Leonard Grunstein moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1958. He would earn a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

in 1972. Grunstein went on to

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

, where he earned his J.D. in 1975. The following year, he was admitted to practice law in New York.

Career

Law

Grunstein began his law career after graduating law school in 1975. He was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the

City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and Counsel to the Mayor's Midtown Office of Development and worked as an associate at Herrick, Feinstein LLC, becoming a partner in 1980. Grunstein served as an Adjunct Professor of law at

Cardozo Law School The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is the Law school in the United States, law school of Yeshiva University. Located in New York City and founded in 1976, the school is named for Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court Associate Just ...

, teaching Co-op and Condominium Law. Upon leaving Herrick, Feinstein in 2002, Mr. Grunstein joined

Jenkens & Gilchrist Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C. was a Dallas-based law firm, founded in 1951 as Jenkens & Bowens to service the various businesses controlled by Clint Murchison Jr. ''The Dallas Morning News'' was an early client. As a result of the extent of Murchis ...

as a senior partner, where he negotiated the conversion of the Ruppert Yorkville Towers. In 2005, he joined the international law firm Troutman Sanders as a senior partner, becoming Head of the Real Estate Capitalization Group. In 2006, Grunstein was retained as a lawyer for the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association. In 2012, he retired from the practice of law after practicing for over 35 years.

Business and finance

Banking

Grunstein founded the New York Federal Savings Bank in 1990 and the Metropolitan National Bank in 1999, serving as chairman of the board. He later served as chairman of the board of the Israel Discount Bank of New York from 2006 to 2007.

Healthcare

In 2003, Integrated Health Services Inc., an operator of nursing homes, long-term acute care hospitals and other ancillary healthcare businesses, was acquired by Abe Briarwood Corp. with financial sponsorship from Cammeby's International Ltd., a real estate investment firm that Grunstein advised. Thereafter, in 2004, Grunstein was involved in a second nursing home company acquisition of Mariner Health Care, Inc. Several years later, a lawsuit sprang up involving parties in that transaction. Grunstein agreed that during his extensive civil depositions in the case, he made a false statement and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor perjury charge. The lawsuit was ultimately settled. In 2005, Grunstein was involved in the acquisition of the publicly traded Beverly Enterprises, Inc., a large operator of nursing homes and other ancillary healthcare businesses.

Philanthropy

In 2001, Grunstein founded Project EZRAH, a non-profit organization based in Bergen County, New Jersey. EZRAH aids families suffering from the hardships of unemployment, offering job search help, financial aid and emotional support. Grunstein has served as Chairman since its founding. Grunstein has also served on the boards of several other non-profit organizations, including the American Friends of the

Jerusalem College of Technology The Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center (JCT; he, המרכז האקדמי לב) is a private college in Israel, recognized by the Council for Higher Education, which specializes in providing high-level science and technology ed ...

and the Genesis Jerusalem Institute. He is also on the Board of the Revel Graduate School at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

Honors and awards

Super lawyer

With fellow members of Troutman Sanders, Grunstein was recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics in 2006. Mr. Grunstein was named an "AV Preeminent" lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, recognizing his high ratings in legal ability and ethical standards. He has also published articles in The Banking Law Journal. including an article on the "contemporary application of

Jewish laws ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

regarding the taking of interest."

Book recognition

While retained by the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, Grunstein focused on developing the structure and financing package that would help tenants buy the complex and keep their apartments affordable. On October 21, 2009, the Court of Appeals ruled that Tishman Speyer, the owner of the complex, had no right to take the apartments out of the rent stabilization program. Grunstein had uncovered an "arcane" rent rule that did not allow an owner to take apartments from rent stabilization while also receiving a tax break for renovations, called the J-51 Program. Stuyvesant Town owners had been doing so for years. Grunstein's work earned him recognition in New York Times real estate reporter Charles V. Bagli's book published in April 2013, Other People's Money: Inside the Housing Crisis and the Demise of the Greatest Real Estate Deal Ever Made.

Personal life

He is married to Chana Tambor Grunstein.The Jewish Standard: "Grunstein newest member of Revel board"
July 26, 2013 They have three children: Eli, Dr. Michal Fruchter DMD, and Rachel, all graduates of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grunstein, Leonard 1952 births Living people American philanthropists American real estate businesspeople Businesspeople from Milwaukee Queens College, City University of New York alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers Lawyers from Milwaukee 21st-century American Jews