Rachel Hirschfeld
{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Rachel Hirschfeld
|image = FinalXMAS2007-8.jpg#filelinks
|caption = Hirschfeld with her rescue animals Swizzle and Topper.
|birth_date = 1945/1946
|birth_place =
|death_date = September 28, 2018 (age 72)
|death_place=California, U.S.
|alma_mater = Yeshiva University
Cardozo School of Law
|occupation = Lawyer
Animal rights advocate
Author
|years active = 1999–2018
|parents = {{nowrap|Abraham Hirschfeld (deceased)
Zipora Hirschfeld (deceased)}}
|URL = http://pettrustlawyer.com
}}
Rachel Hirschfeld (1945/1946 – September 28, 2018) was an animal welfare attorney specializing in the area of animal law, pet trusts, and pet protection agreements. She co-produced and was head producer of productions of many plays on and off-Broadway such as Oleanna{{cite news |author=Adam Hetrick |title=Mamet's Oleanna, with Pullman and Stiles, Begins Broadway Run Sept. 29 |publisher=playbill.com |url= http://www.playbill.com/news/article/133285-Mamets-Oleanna-with-Pullman-and-Stiles-Begins-Broadway-Run-Sept-29}} and Blithe Spirit.{{cite web |title=Oleanna Creative Team |publisher=oleannaonbroadway.com |url=http://www.oleannaonbroadway.com/creative.html}}
Legal career
Hirschfeld was an advocate in the area of pet trusts.{{Cite web|title=Estates, Elder Law & Pet Trusts|publisher=New York Estate Planning Lawyer|url=http://www.estateplanninglawyernewyork.com/}} When a New York court awarded $2 million to Leona Helmsley's dog, Hirschfeld was quoted in The New Yorker calling it "one of the greatest moments for animals ongoing care".{{Cite magazine|author=Jeffrey Toobin|title=Rich Bitch: The legal battle over trust funds for pets|magazine=The New Yorker|date=2008-09-28|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/29/080929fa_fact_toobin?currentPage=all}} She noted that "It's a landmark case, for a judge to be able to say that we have a case for that amount of money."
Hirschfeld has been either quoted or profiled by news and media outlets in stories about pet trusts and pet rights including ABC's Nightline,{{Cite news|title=Fido's Fortune: Millions of Americans are looking into pet trusts, where money is willed to pets|date=2008-11-14|publisher=ABC News "Nightline"|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6251630}} The New Yorker, The New York Sun,{{Cite news|author=Gabrielle Birkner|title=Six-Figure Bequest Is New Must-Have For Pampered Pooches and Kittens|date=2006-05-16|url=http://www.petriarch.com/pdfs/NY_Sun-6FigureRequest.pdf}} Newsday,{{Cite news|author=Ellen Mitchell|title=Trust Funds For Ongoing Pet Care|publisher=Newsday|url=http://www.petriarch.com/pdfs/NY_Sun-6FigureRequest.pdf|date=2006-11-25}} The Today Show,{{Cite news|title=Story on Leona Helmsley's Dog with interview of Rachel Hirschfeld|publisher=NBC's The Today Show|date=August 2007|url=http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msnbc&vid=a7a35add-9fd0-47c0-8c6b-fc02914b3529&from=00|access-date=2008-12-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228183124/http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us|archive-date=2008-12-28|url-status=dead}} CNN, the CBS Early Show, and The Wall Street Journal.{{Cite news|author=Rachel Emma Silverman|title=Good Boy|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|date=2007-12-17|url=http://www.petriarch.com/pdfs/wsj_goodboy.pdf}}
Hirschfeld died on September 28, 2018, at age 72.{{Cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2018/10/08/daughter-of-former-post-owner-abe-hirschfeld-dies-at-72/|title=Daughter of former Post owner Abe Hirschfeld dies at 72|last=Saul|first=Emily|date=October 9, 2018|work=New York Post|access-date=October 13, 2018|language=en-US}}[https://mcapps.co.monmouth.nj.us/Web/Surrogate/SurrogateList.aspx Monmouth County Surrogate Index of Estates – 1991 to Present]
Bibliography
- Petriarch: The Complete Guide To Financial and Legal Planning for a Pet's Continued Care (2010) {{ISBN|0-87051-870-4}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.pettrustlawyer.com/pages/About_Rachel_Hirschfeld.php Profile on pettrustlawyer.com]
{{Animal welfare}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschfeld, Rachel}}
Category:20th-century American lawyers
Category:American animal welfare scholars
Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent