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PR E FA C E
embarked on a plan of expansion. FM broadcasting was in its infancy
but the superiority of the sound made it an attractive prospect. We
purchased several other stations—both AM and FM—increased
their market share, and then sold them at huge profits. In 1986,
Marty and I bought out all of our investors for 25 times their origi-
nal investment. In 1987, we were faced with a decision that many in-
vestors confront at some time, to expand the business or sell out to
someone who would. We chose to take a substantial profit and leave
the expansion to the buyer.
But the radio business was only a sideline to my law career. In
1966, after 10 years with Goldman and DiLorenzo, my reputation
had grown to the point where I could have received a partnership
with any quality law firm with a real estate department. I opted to re-
turn as a partner to my old firm, Dreyer and Traub, where I was
being accepted as a senior partner. I realized that since only two
young attorneys had become new partners in the past 10 years and
the old partners were reaching retirement, it would be my firm
within a few years. That’s exactly what happened. By the early
1970s, I became one of four senior partners running one of the best
real estate law firms in New York with as many as 120 lawyers. I led
that firm for more than 20 years.
Eventually, I got tired of dealing with partnership politics, gave
up the active practice of law, got a severance package, and joined the
Edward S. Gordon Company where my role for the next 10 years was
to supply real estate expertise to major clients like United Technolo-
gies, IBM, the New York Times, and AT&T.
HOW I CAME TO WORK FOR DONALD TRUMP
Although I left the active practice of law in 1987, I remained friendly
with Donald Trump, and though I had worked with him on many of
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