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Richard T. Haefeli

Overview and Experience

Overview and Experience

Practice Areas

  • Wills and Trusts
  • Estate Planning and Administration
  • Probate
  • Real Estate
  • Zoning and Land Use
  • Municipal Law
  • Business – formation, continuation and conclusion.

Education

  • B.A. – History, Providence College, RI.
  • Law Degree – St. John’s University 
  • Master of Laws (Taxation) – NYU

Member

  • Suffolk County Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association

Admissions to Practice

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
U.S. Tax Court
New York Bar

About
Richard T. Haefeli has over 38 years of experience practicing on the eastern end of Long Island. An experienced litigator, Mr. Haefeli has litigated cases from the New York Supreme Court all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. He served as Westhampton Beach Village Attorney for 20 years and understands municipal and zoning law. He also has expertise in real estate law and Estate Planning.

Experience
Mr. Haefeli first practiced law with the firm of Meyer and Wexler in Smithtown, N.Y. There he was involved in several significant criminal cases working with Leonard Wexler who later became a Federal District Court Judge. In the case of Kelly v. Johnson 425 U.S. 238, Mr. Wexler and Mr. Haefeli appeared before the United States Supreme Court.

Establishing his own practice in Westhampton Beach in 1986, he concentrated on real estate, zoning, land use and municipal law. He represented builders and developers of numerous properties on eastern Long Island as well as individuals wishing to buy, sell or improve their own properties.

Mr. Haefeli served as Westhampton Beach Village Attorney under mayors Stewart Tobin, Ham Andon, John Petitt, Robert Strebel and Conrad Teller, developing his detailed knowledge of municipal law and procedures and of the details of the Village Code. As Village attorney, he also litigated cases for the Village. An important case was the matter of Westhampton Beach Assoc. v. Incorporated Village of Westhampton Beach which established that the park fee in the amount of $776,307.00 was valid.

Over the years, while continuing to represent clients in real estate, zoning, land use and business formation, Mr. Haefeli has increased his practice in trust and estate planning working carefully with his clients to develop plans which best suit their needs and goals.