Leonard Boxer has influenced the New York City real estate community as few lawyers have. For more than five decades, "Lenny" has been at the center of the action, making deals and, in the process, making friends. And, to think, his fabled real estate career was due to a simple twist of fate.

After serving his country as a codebreaker during the Vietnam War, Len, who was trained as an accountant and an aspiring tax lawyer, took his first legal job at a top surrogate's firm in Brooklyn. One day, while having lunch with a former law school classmate, Len learned of a terrific opportunity. The now-iconic developer Robert Olnick was looking to expand his law firm. The classmate thought Len would be a perfect fit and eventually introduced the two.