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About
Ivars Berzins – Biography
Early Life
Ivars Berzins was born in 1936 in Latvia, when it was a free and independent republic. In 1940, the country was occupied by Soviet Russia and converted to a Soviet Socialist Republic. Hitler’s National Socialists then occupied Latvia in 1941, and by 1944, the Russian army was advancing across the country. Ivars’s family managed to stay ahead of the front, ending up in the English zone of Germany when the war ended on May 8, 1945. They remained in DP (displaced persons) camps until December 1949, when they were fortunate enough to receive a refugee visa to enter the United States. On January 13, 1950, they disembarked from New York on their way to Saginaw, Michigan, where his parents had a sponsor and employment.
Education & Early Career
Without knowing a word of English, Ivars was placed in the seventh grade. However, by the fall, he had learned enough English to skip the eighth grade and begin the ninth. In 1954, Ivars graduated from the Arthur Hill High School and enrolled in the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) the following fall. The next two happy events in his life were receiving his US citizenship on May 22, 1957, and earning his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering on June 15, 1958.
After graduating, Ivars was hired by the US Bureau of Public Roads as a highway engineer in the Springfield, Illinois, office. That summer, he also passed the initial professional engineer exam in Illinois. In the fall, he was transferred to the office in Washington, DC.
In the spring semester of 1959, Ivars enrolled in the George Washington University Law School’s night program and continued to work road and bridge construction during the day. After completing two-thirds of his law school courses, he was eligible to write the Virginia bar examination. He passed the exam and received his license to practice law in Virginia upon graduating on July 5, 1962.
Attorney Career
Ivars’ legal career started in October 1963 when he moved to Babylon on Long Island, NY, to become the house counsel for General Builders Corporation—a builder and developer with projects throughout Long Island, Queens County, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Atlanta, GA. In 1964, he passed the New York bar exam on his first try and was admitted on December 15, 1965. He then opened his own law office in Babylon on July 1, 1969, keeping General Builders as his principal client until the company relocated to Florida. During his time representing General Builders, Ivars learned more about real estate law than many attorneys learn in a lifetime.
He was admitted to practice law in the United District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York as of January 12, 1968. Additionally, he was admitted to and has argued appeals in the United States Circuit Courts for the First, Second, Third, and Seventh Circuits. He is also admitted to and has argued a case in the United States Supreme Court.
Ivars is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Commercial Law League of America, and several law lists.
Personal Life
Ivars is fluent in the Latvian language and has been active in several Latvian-American organizations. He is married with two children and five grandchildren.