LOCAL LAWYER CALLS SUFFERN HOME
By Kevin T. Czerwinski
Scott Albrecht's office on Orange Avenue looks unassuming enough.
An old Victorian house on the corner of a busy intersection, the big sign proclaiming that the building houses Albrecht's law office doesn't give a true indication of what lies inside. Sure, there's Albrecht's successful law practice, one of the many upscale professional businesses that call the Village of Suffern home.
When you step inside, though, and begin to get a feel for what Albrecht is about, you get a sense of why his practice is so successful, why he has spent the better part of the last 10 years becoming one of the more thriving attorneys in all of Rockland County. Albrecht has been on Orange Avenue for nearly six years having moved from a storefront on Lafayette Avenue.
In that time, he's been a good barometer of what's going on in The Village and it reflects not only in his practice but in his personality as well. It's easy to have a discussion with Albrecht, talking about old acquaintances, folks in The Village or simply about the story behind his building. At one time it housed The Suffern Parking Authority and represents a little slice of Village history.
"I'm pretty sure people used to take their road tests right out front here," said Albrecht, gesturing to his parking lot that spills onto Orange Avenue. "They'd pull up and stop and wait in line. That's why they have those yellow columns out there."
Albrecht performs a great deal of commercial litigation and also represents several major lending firms. In addition, he also does many residential closings and is involved in real estate land development. He'll also handle some criminal cases but not all that frequently.
"Is this where I envisioned myself 10 years ago?" he asks rhetorically. "I wouldn't say it's what I envisioned but it's what it has developed into. I didn't envision being a solo practitioner but it best suits my goals.
"I've also been able to spend the last 10 years building up a construction company. I build luxury homes in North Bergen and own a Verizon store in Ramsey. So this allows me to do other things where I don't have to spend time worrying about responsibilities to new partners."
It also allows Albrecht, who is in the office as many as six days a week, to spend time with his family. He's been married to his wife Theresa for 21 years. They were high school sweethearts at Clarkstown South. The couple has five children - Scott Jr., Brittney, Trevor, Tatum and Hunter - and Albrecht's schedule affords him the opportunity to be an active parent when it comes to school and extra-curricular activities like soccer.
Though he lives in Mahwah he's entrenched in what's happening in The Village and surrounding area. It certainly helps that he was born and raised in Rockland because he has a feel for the community and its needs.
"It helps because I know a lot of the local and municipal officials," Albrecht said. "And I regularly get calls from people who move back into the area. They recognize my name or they know my brothers (Chuck or Tim) and they call and ask for some help. People contact me because the name is familiar.
"I know a lot of people in a lot of areas. I used to do a lot of PBA work so I also know a lot of people from the police departments. I see them in court all the time so everything works out well."
Albrecht says he loves his job, likes to work and has, along with his wife, instilled a healthy work habit in his children. He has preached to them to do what they love so getting out of bed in the morning and going to work isn't a chore or something to dread. Albrecht clearly practices what he preaches.