Raoul Lionel Felder (born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, May 13, 1939)
is an American divorce lawyer and matrimonial attorney. Felder has written eight books and has published numerous articles related to matrimonial law, politics and social issues. Felder is listed in ''
New York Law Journal''s 100 Most Powerful Lawyers in America and in all editions of Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law
and was profiled in the May 3, 2004 issue of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
''.
Life
Raoul Lionel Felder was born in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the son of British-born Jewish immigrants.
His brother Jerome became famous as a songwriter under the pseudonym
Doc Pomus
Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...
, who wrote such songs as ''
Save the Last Dance for Me'', ''Viva Las Vegas'', and ''This Magic Moment''. He graduated from
New York University School of Law and was admitted to the New York Bar in the same year. He attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, graduating with a B.A. before studying medicine at the
University of Bern College of Medicine in Switzerland.
Career in law
Prior to practicing matrimonial law, Felder was a successful prosecutor. In 1961 he was appointed assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York and in 1964, appointed special assistant U.S. attorney to argue appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Felder has practiced divorce law for more than forty years, and has represented clients such as Mayor
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
,
Robin Givens,
Stephanie Adams,
Carol Channing,
David Merrick,
Riddick Bowe, the former Mrs.
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...
, the former Mrs.
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
, the former Mrs.
Patrick Ewing, and the former Mrs.
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
. In 2003, he was appointed by Governor to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and elected its Chair in 2006.
Felder was made Honorary Police Commissioner by the Police Department of the City of New York in 2000.
He was a Member of the Board of Directors of Cop Cares and the New York City Economic Development Committee. He received the Defender of Jerusalem Award from Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir in 1990.
Controversy
In 2003, Felder counseled Israeli leaders to consider threatening the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel, the
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, and
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
.
[Mason, Jackie and Raoul Felder. "Time to Threaten Arabs with Mass Eviction." '' The Jewish Press''. January 29, 2003.] Felder and
Jackie Mason wrote, "We have paralyzed ourselves by our sickening fear of World Opinion, which is why we find it impossible to face one simple fact: We will never win this war unless we immediately threaten to drive every Arab out of Israel if the killing doesn't stop."
Bibliography
* ''Divorce: The Way Things Are, Not The Way Things Should Be'', published by World Publishing Company (1971)
* ''Lawyers Guide To Equitable Distribution'', published by Legis Press, Ltd. (1988)
* ''Encyclopedia of Matrimonial Clauses'', a currently published professional book with 27 updated releases, National Law Journal Press (1990–2003)
* ''Getting Away With Murder'', Simon & Schuster, (published March 1996) (co-author) (book concerning domestic violence, published in hard and soft cove
* ''Bare Knuckle Negotiation'', published by Wiley & Sons (2004)
* ''Reflection in a Mirror: Of Love, Loss, Death and Divorce (A Memoir)'', published by Barricade Books (October 19, 2012)
With Jackie Mason
* ''Guide to New York and Los Angeles Restaurants'', Dove Books (1998)
* ''Survival Guide to New York'', Avon Books (199
* ''Schmucks!: Our Favorite Fakes, Frauds, Lowlifes, Liars, the Armed and Dangerous, and Good Guys Gone Bad'', Harper Collins (April 2007)
Legal articles
* "Grounds For Divorce", "Property Settlement" and "Children and Divorce", McGraw-Hill (1972)
* "Choice of Forum: Family Court vs. Supreme Court", published in a collection of articles in book entitled ''New York Matrimonial Practice'' published by The Practicing Law Institute (1978)
* "Scullduggery and Other Inequities",
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, ''Cardozo Law Journal'' (1986)
* "A History of New York Divorce Law in the Last Hundred Years",
''New York Law Journal'' (1988)
See also
*
Laura Wasser
*
James Sexton (attorney)
References
External links
Raoul Felder and Partners , American Lawyer and Matrimonial AttorneyHome Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felder, Raoul
1939 births
Living people
20th-century American Jews
Lawyers from New York City
People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
New York University School of Law alumni
Assistant United States attorneys
University of Bern alumni
American male writers
Television personalities from New York City
21st-century American Jews