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Law Practice Howard B. Kleinberg is a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. and heads the firm’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization group. He concentrates his practice on bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, creditors’ rights and commercial litigation. Mr. Kleinberg focuses on the representation of creditor and business interests of national corporations in Chapter 11 bankruptcies of major public companies, as well as related litigation. Recent representations include WorldCom, Global Crossing, CellNet, TouchAmerica, PSINet, MarchFirst, INA Com., Contifinancial and Boundless Corporation, among others, with particular emphasis on such issues as asset sales under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, lease and contract assumptions and rejections under Section 365 of the Code, and adequate assurance for telecommunications services classified as utility service under Section 366 of the Code. Mr. Kleinberg also represents constituents such as creditor committees 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, and the use and disposition of major assets. Mr. Kleinberg has been retained and qualified as an expert witness on bankruptcy, and has given testimony in a legal malpractice case.A major component of Mr. Kleinberg’s practice is 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 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 appeals and extensive involvement in alternative dispute resolution forums, particularly mediation.Professional Profile 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. Mr. Kleinberg headed the successful effort to reorganize one of the largest real estate bankruptcies in the state of Connecticut. In 1998, the company emerged from Chapter 11, with its equity intact having restructured $60 million of debt.Professional Affiliations Mr. Kleinberg maintains active memberships in the Long Island Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Nassau County Bar Association. He is also active in Cornell University alumni programs. In 2005, he was elected to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum's board of trustees. Mr. Kleinberg is rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence and ethics. Publications Mr. Kleinberg has authored numerous articles that have been published in the Banking Law Journal, New York Law Journal, Nassau Lawyer and Arrington's Bed & Breakfast Journal. He also has lectured for CLE (Continuing Legal Education).Admissions Mr. Kleinberg is admitted to the bars of the States of New York and Connecticut, the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the United States and Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Connecticut. | 