Sea Cliff Resident Howard B. Kleinberg Recognized as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Banking & Finance Law

Sea Cliff resident, Howard B. Kleinberg, a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. in Garden City, Long Island, N.Y. and a member of the firm's Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization and Corporate Finance practices has been recognized as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Banking & Finance Law by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®. This distinction as a Top Rated Lawyer is limited to attorneys who have demonstrated leadership qualities and have achieved the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards, the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating.

Martindale-Hubbell has long set the standard for lawyer ratings and is the authoritative resource for information on the worldwide legal profession. The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are driven by the confidential opinions of lawyers and members of the judiciary who receive invitations to provide reviews of lawyers of whom they have professional knowledge. Thousands of people use the network every day to find local attorneys, confirm their credentials and select firms that provide services for their personal and professional legal needs.

Mr. Kleinberg focuses on the representation of creditor and business interests of local, regional and national companies in chapter 11 cases of major public and local and regional corporations, as well as related litigation. Mr. Kleinberg also represents bankruptcy trustees. He represents clients as debtors, creditor committee members, and equity security holders in chapter 11 cases of regional public companies and privately held businesses, covering such areas as DIP and exit financing, business and chapter 11 plan formulation and negotiation, sales of major assets and claims trading. Mr. Kleinberg has been retained and qualified as an expert witness on bankruptcy and has given testimony. As a member of the firm’s Corporate Finance practice, Mr. Kleinberg has negotiated and drafted documentation for complex lending transactions for banks and conducted out-of–court workouts and restructurings.

Mr. Kleinberg’s practice also includes litigation both in bankruptcy and other courts. He has litigated a wide variety of matters for both debtor and creditor clients in such areas as loan enforcement, preference and fraudulent transfer avoidance, motions and contested evidentiary hearings to vacate the automatic stay, the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee, claims allowance, lien avoidance and collateral valuation. On the non-bankruptcy side, Mr. Kleinberg has litigated such matters as corporate dissolution, enforcement and defense of contractual restrictive covenants, and commercial fraud. His practice also includes extensive involvement in alternative dispute resolution forums, and he has served as a court-appointed mediator.

After receiving his J.D. in 1989, Mr. Kleinberg accepted a judicial clerkship with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York. Following the clerkship, he trained as an associate in the bankruptcy department of a Manhattan law firm, moving his practice to Long Island in 1995. While there, Mr. Kleinberg headed the successful effort to reorganize one of the largest real estate bankruptcies in the state of Connecticut, providing for the company to emerge from chapter 11 with its equity intact having restructured $60 million of debt.

Founded in 1960 by the late John F. English, the firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. includes among its members Joseph A. Suozzi, former Appellate Division Justice; John V. N. Klein, former Suffolk County Executive; Basil A. Paterson, former New York Secretary of State; and Harold Ickes, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff.  Over the course of 50 years, the firm has earned a reputation for integrity, creativity and professionalism and has set a standard of excellence in the practice of law.  With offices in Albany, Garden City, Manhattan and Washington, D.C., the firm provides legal advice in diverse practice areas to individuals, institutions and corporations. The firm can be found on line at http://www.msek.com.