From Night School to Legacy Society

Peter Klausner ’66 attended Brooklyn Law School’s night program, and specialized in trusts and estates. His clients included cast members from Law & Order.

Final law school exams are always high intensity, but for Peter Klausner ’66, who worked as an accountant by day and attended Brooklyn Law School by night, one test still stands out, 60 years later.

“My wife was at the doctor’s office and he sent her to the hospital because she was about to give birth,” Klausner recalled. “So, I went in and distractedly took the exam. When I got out, I found out I had a son.” 

Such nerve-jangling experiences were routine for Klausner, who nonetheless treasured the education he received while working in downtown Manhattan as a CPA, raising a family, and fulfilling a dream of becoming an attorney. The “C” or “D” on that criminal law exam was a rare academic blemish. 

“I remember getting all A’s in my first year, while studying for and passing the CPA exam. The next year, 1963, my daughter was born,” Klausner said. “I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.” 

But Klausner relishes the career his law degree provided. He spent 35 years at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz, specializing in trusts, estates, and tax, ultimately heading the estate department, followed by 15 years at the international law firm Pavia & Harcourt. A friend’s referrals expanded his client roster to entertainment and theater professionals, including Law & Order cast members such as Jerry Orbach, who played detective Leonard “Lennie” Briscoe.

“He and his wife were walking down the hall and every head turns,” Klausner recalled with a chuckle. “Then, he’s sitting in my office, and we’re talking, and I said, ‘So, Lennie,’ and he reminded me, ‘No that’s my TV name, I’m Jerry.’”

Klausner nearly missed out on his Law School dream because his parents had to send three sons to college and couldn’t afford it, so he generously decided to include Brooklyn Law in his will to ease the financial struggles of students with the same dreams and challenges.

“I must say, I have always been very thankful for Brooklyn Law School. I feel I never would have been able to practice law without Brooklyn Law School, and that’s why I have contributed every year since I graduated,” Klausner said.