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Hofstra Law launches new, ‘intensive’ real estate course

Adina Genn //September 24, 2019 //

Hofstra Law students visit a construction site of a new millennial-focused development in Uniondale that is developed and constructed by Engel Burman Group.

Hofstra Law students visit a construction site of a new millennial-focused development in Uniondale that is developed and constructed by Engel Burman Group.

Hofstra Law launches new, ‘intensive’ real estate course

Adina Genn //September 24, 2019 //

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Some law students at Hofstra University are getting a head start on addressing Long Island’s complex real estate challenges.

The university’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law is now offering a new, “intensive” real estate course to provide students with the skill sets needed to “navigate and shape the future of Long Island real estate development,” according to a press release about the program.

The initiative is a partnership between the law school’s Wilbur F. Breslin Center for Real Estate Studies and Long Island Real Estate Group.

It aims to address real estate challenges on Long Island, including for millenials, by updating zoning codes and developing affordable housing options

“By providing students with an in-depth, practical understanding of how to navigate each phase of a real estate project, they will be able to graduate law school with the tools needed to thrive in the real estate industry and confront the major real estate issues in the area,” Ashira Pelman Ostrow, a professor at Hofstra and the executive director of the Breslin Center.

“The course also exposes law students and business students to the many employment opportunities within real estate,” she added.

Each of the 14 class sessions will focus on a different aspect of real estate development and be taught by a variety of industry expert lecturers, including developers, bankers, lenders and title experts. Include feasibility studies, zoning and approvals, negotiating the contract of sale, title search, environmental review, product design, construction and finance, leasing, brokerage and marketing, property management, and condo and co-op residential housing.

For example, a recent session included a visit to two Engel Burman developments, to see how new projects are addressing housing for senior citizens and those just entering the workforce.

“Real estate development on Long Island has always been inherently complicated due to fragmented politics and antiquated zoning codes,” Scott Burman,a  partner at The Engel Burman Group, said in a statement.

“We’re finding that development is becoming increasingly difficult over time here,” he added.

To date, 14 students have been accepted to the program, which now has a waiting list, officials said.

The partnership between Hofstra and LIREG was a natural one, said Alison Brennan, a LIREG board member and chief executive officer of Einbinder Development.

“Hofstra’s continued dedication to the success of their students accompanied by LIREG’s goal of bolstering the next generation of Long Island real estate professionals has led to this strong and exciting partnership,” she said.