Location: New York City, NY


Seth B. Kennedy

Seth B. Kennedy is an Associate in the Labor & Employee Benefits / ERISA Law Department at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., located in New York, N.Y.

Mr. Kennedy’s practice focuses on working with the labor and employment department representing union clients and jointly trusted fringe funds.

Prior to joining Meyer Suozzi, Mr. Kennedy was an Associate Counsel at AFSCME District Council 37 Health & Security Plan Trust in New York City. He was also a Law Clerk at Asher, Gittler & D’Alba, Ltd. In Chicago, IL.

Mr. Kennedy has a number of notable achievements. He published, “Do The Liberty And Equality Principles Of The Fourteenth Amendment Embrace Same-Sex Marriage?” He won third place in The Louis Jackson Memorial National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law for his publication of “Free Speech For Some: The NLRA, Secondary Boycotts, and the First Amendment.”

Mr. Kennedy received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law graduating with honors. While in Law School, he was a Research Assistant for the Chicago-Kent of Law Institute for Law in the Workplace. Mr. Kennedy was also President of the Labor and Employment Law Society. Also, he was a Student Editor for the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Haverford College.

 

Brandon S. Lisogorsky

Brandon S. Lisogorsky is an Associate in the Corporate Law Department of Meyer Suozzi.

Mr. Lisogorsky practice is focused on representing public and private company clients in connection with general corporate matters including stock and asset acquisitions, mergers and consolidations, recapitalizations, and other business reorganizations. Brandon also advises corporate clients with respect to their corporate governance matters, operational issues, securities matters and financing arrangements.

Prior to joining Meyer Suozzi, Mr. Lisogorsky worked as an attorney in a Long Island-based law firm in the Corporate Department. He was also a consultant, preparing tax returns for Real Estate Investment Trusts. During law school, he interned in the legal department of an international trade and customs law firm, as well as in the tax department of a multi-focused law firm.

Mr. Lisogorsky received his J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, his M.S. in accounting from C.W. Post – Long Island University, and his B.S. in accounting from the University at Buffalo.

While at Hofstra Law, Mr. Lisogorsky was a member of The American College and Estate Counsel Law Journal and served as a Senior Articles Editor. He was also a teaching assistant and a member of the Hofstra Tax Law Society where he participated in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. During his time at Hofstra Law, Mr. Lisogorsky participated in both the Community & Economic Development Clinic and the Health & Policy Law Clinic.

 

Alexander Berger

Alexander Berger is a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. and is Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Law group located in Garden City, New York. Mr. Berger represents land proprietors and developers in all aspects of transactional real estate, including the management, construction, acquisition, disposition and financing (construction, acquisition, joint venture and mortgage conduit loans) of commercial properties regionally and nationwide.

In addition, Mr. Berger represents landlords and tenants in all types of commercial real estate lease transactions including space leases, “big box” leases, ground leases and build-to-suit leases. He regularly drafts and negotiates letters of intent, brokerage agreements, and leases and subleases for landlords and tenants.

Mr. Berger also has extensive experience in structuring and facilitating like-kind exchanges under IRC §1031.

$67 million sale of multi-family property located in Brooklyn, NY.

$58 million acquisition and ancillary securitized financing of portfolio properties located in Woodbury, MN; Texarkana, TX; Joliet, IL and St. Augustine, FL.

Prior to joining Meyer Suozzi, Mr. Berger was a Partner in the Real Estate practice group at Westerman Ball Ederer Miller Zucker & Sharfstein, LLP. Mr. Berger is fluent in Russian.

 

James D. Garbus

James D. Garbus is a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., and is Chair of the Corporate Law Department, Co-Chair of the Corporate Finance Practice, and Co-Chair of the Cybersecurity practice. Mr. Garbus represents established as well as start-up businesses, providing day-to-day general corporate representation including legal and business advice to management on strategic planning (including exit strategies) and operational issues as they arise. Mr. Garbus focuses his practice in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance (representing both issuers and investors and including seed, private equity, and venture capital transactions and mezzanine and acquisition financing). Mr. Garbus also represents banks, other debt providers, and borrowers in lending transactions (including senior secured and subordinated debt facilities). He has experience in structuring and forming complex joint ventures, limited partnerships, and limited liability.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. Garbus has spent significant time counseling shareholders, partners, members and companies on strategizing, negotiating, and settling business owner disputes and partnership divorces of closely-held companies.

Represented private equity firm in roll-up acquisition of multiple international semiconductor businesses and subsequent sale to an international public company

Represented manufacturer of products for the aerospace and military markets in sale to a private equity firm

 

Since 2010, Mr. Garbus has been recognized annually as a top corporate attorney in Long Island Business News’ Who’s Who in Corporate Law.

Mr. Garbus is also the co-founder of a film finance and production company.  He is the producer of several independent films and other productions.  He is also a former member of the Board of Naked Angels theater company in New York City.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Garbus was in private practice since 2003.  Before that, Mr. Garbus was a Partner at Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin, LLP (successor to Parker Chapin LLP) and an Associate at Breed Abbott & Morgan LLP where he practiced in the Corporate Department.

 

Thomas R. Slome

Thomas R. Slome, a member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. located in Garden City and New York City, is Chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy practice, Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Finance practice and Treasurer of the firm. Mr. Slome represents a wide variety of creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy including corporate reorganization, bankruptcy related litigation, debtor-in-possession and exit financing, creditors’ rights, and out of court debt restructuring. Mr. Slome’s clients include banks, factors, equipment lessors, mutual funds, hedge and private equity funds, energy service companies, landlords, developers, brokers, hospitals, trustees, creditors’ committees and debtors.

Mr. Slome serves as the Chair of the Chapter 11 Lawyers’ Advisory Committee of the Eastern District of New York Bankruptcy Court, which was established by the Court as a liaison between the Bankruptcy Judges of the District and its Bankruptcy Bar. He is also the Former Chair of the Committee on Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization of the New York City Bar Association and currently a member.

Over the course of the last decade, Mr. Slome has represented parties involved in some of the most notable bankruptcy cases including A&P, Angelica, Blockbuster, Boston Generating, Borders, Hostess, Lehman Brothers, Lyondell, Patriot Coal, SunEdison, Tribune, Vitamin World and Westinghouse to name a few. Additionally, Mr. Slome has experience with bankruptcy cases of manufacturers, importers, retailers and service companies in a wide array of industries, including energy, telecommunications, finance, real estate, electronics, software, fashion, manufacturing, not-for-profit and healthcare. Mr. Slome has also served as a court-appointed examiner and mediator in numerous cases pending in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District of Delaware. He has mediated preference and fraudulent conveyance lawsuits, as well as a contentious legal battle between a creditors’ committee and chapter 11 debtor over the debtor’s proposed plan of reorganization.

 

Represents national leader in oil and gas field servicing in Chapter 11 proceedings of Sabine Oil and Gas in the Southern District of New York.

Represented foreign representative appointed in Singapore bankruptcy, in Chapter 15 proceeding of Berau Capital Resources in the Southern District of New York.

 

Mr. Slome was recognized by Long Island Pulse Magazine from 2010 – 2014 as one of the region’s “Top Legal Eagles,” and in 2015 as Long Island’s top bankruptcy attorney. He is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence. From 2013-2018, Mr. Slome was recognized by New York Super Lawyers.

Mr. Slome has written numerous articles on bankruptcy related topics in various publications including The Bankruptcy Strategist, The American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, and The American Bar Association’s The Business Lawyer. He has lectured extensively on creditors’ rights and workout issues for the New York State Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, New York County Lawyers’ Association, Association of Corporate Counsel of America, Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, Commercial and Industrial Brokers’ Society and CoreNet (Commercial Real Estate Network). He recently co-authored a book published by Westlaw entitled “Examiners in Bankruptcy Cases: A Guide for Examiners, Courts and Practitioners” in conjunction with the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Mr. Slome was the law clerk to the late Bankruptcy Judge Robert John Hall of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York from 1983 through 1985 before joining Rogers & Wells (now Clifford Chance) in New York City. From 1990 through 1995, he was a partner at a well known New York City bankruptcy boutique, where he practiced in the areas of bankruptcy, reorganization, creditors’ rights, loan documentation and loan workouts.

In 1995, Mr. Slome founded the Uniondale-based bankruptcy and commercial litigation firm of Rosen Slome Marder LLP. Most of his firm joined Meyer, Suozzi in 2008.

Mr. Slome is on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and is its former Chair.

Reported Decisions:

Edward J. LoBello

Edward J. LoBello is a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., where he practices in the firm’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization, Corporate Finance, and Litigation & Dispute Resolution groups located in Garden City, NY and in New York, NY. Mr. LoBello concentrates his practice on business restructuring, bankruptcy reorganizations, work-outs, corporate finance, creditors’ rights and related litigation.

For 15 consecutive years, Mr. LoBello is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level of professional excellence. From 2012-2018, he was recognized by New York Super Lawyers.

 

Receiver and Estate Fiduciary for National Events of America, Inc. and New World Events Group, Inc.

Conflicts counsel to Chapter 15 Foreign Representative in Mexicana Airlines

Counsel to Chapter 15 Foreign Representative in Berau Capital Resources PTE Ltd. and CFG Investment S.A.C.

Counsel to Debtor in Possession in China Fishery Group Limited and US Gen New England, Inc.

In 2018, Mr. LoBello authored the Local Bankruptcy Rules Toolkit (Eastern District of New York) published by Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law.  The online publication compiles key resources for attorneys in the practice of bankruptcy law in the Eastern District of New York, including applicable statutes, rules, court procedures, and practice notes. To view the Toolkit, click here.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. LoBello was a Partner in the New York City office of a national law firm where he represented all major constituents in bankruptcy cases including debtors in possession, creditors’ committees, committee members, institutional lenders, trade creditors, landlords, insurance companies, equipment lessors, asset purchasers, and preference defendants, among others. Mr. LoBello has represented clients in numerous large and significant Chapter 11 cases, including Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corp., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Compania Mexicana de Aviacion, S.A. de C.V., Delta Air Lines, Inc.,  Solutia, Inc., A.P. Green Industries, Inc., US Gen New England, Inc. and Global Crossing, Ltd., to name but a few.

 

Andrew J. Turro

Andrew J. Turro is a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department, Employment Law practice and heads the firm’s Equine & Racing Law practice, which was featured in Long Island Business News in February 2015. Mr. Turro has extensive experience in state and federal appellate and trial litigation, in both the civil and criminal areas. His litigation practice covers a broad range of complex commercial, civil, employment, criminal and labor-related matters. Mr. Turro represents professionals (i.e., lawyers, doctors, and other medical care providers) in professional disciplinary proceedings as well as businesses and individuals before various state and federal agencies. Mr. Turro’s practice also includes several substantial equine law matters in which he has represented both individuals and professional groups before the New York State Gaming Commission (formerly the Racing and Wagering Board) and the New York State Courts.

Mr. Turro has represented large international companies as well as local businesses and individuals. An accomplished litigator, Mr. Turro has achieved successful results for his clients in several seminal cases impacting on issues involving landowner liability, the valuation of a municipality’s tax assessments on environmentally impaired properties, such as Superfund sites, and attacks on the legality of regulations promulgated by governmental agencies. In his employment law practice, Mr. Turro represents clients in a variety of State and Federal matters, including employment discrimination claims arising under Title VII, the ADA, and the State Human Rights Law as well as Minimum Wage/Overtime claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York State Labor laws. Mr. Turro also provides advice to clients in connection with employment contracts, severance agreements, comprehensive restrictive covenants, and a variety of commercial contracts. He has also authored numerous articles covering topics including the valuation of contaminated real property, the nature and scope of various legal privileges recognized by the courts, and on various employment-related legal issues.

In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Turro also acts as general outside corporate counsel, advising corporate clients on a broad range of legal matters including employment issues, business strategy matters, and compliance with local and federal rules and regulations.

 

Successfully prevailed before the New York State Appellate Division, Third Department, in a challenge on behalf of a race horse trainer, which resulted in the dismissal of entire case in which the NYS Gaming Commission alleged over 1,700 drugging violations.

Prevailed in a New York State Supreme Court election law case involving the New York State Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.

Mr. Turro also coordinates the pro bono program at the Meyer, Suozzi firm. Under his supervision, the firm’s pro bono program has become involved in a wide range of matters providing legal assistance to numerous local not-for-profit and charitable organizations (i.e., Island Harvest, the Long Island Arts in Education Roundtable, the Nassau County Museum of Art), legal organizations designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited needs (i.e., Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc. and the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence), as well as individuals such as families and students with special education needs.In 2013, Mr. Turro was named an Access to Justice Champion by the Nassau County Bar Association for his dedication in providing legal representation on a pro bono basis.

From 2001 through 2012, Mr. Turro also served as a member and the Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Ethics, the Board that reviews and issues opinions on conflicts of interest and other ethical issues involving county workers. Mr. Turro also serves as a member of both the Nassau County Bar Association’s Ethics Committee and Grievance Committee and previously served as Chief Assistant Counsel to the Governor’s Judicial Screening Committee for the Second Department. From 1994 through 2014, Mr. Turro was also an adjunct member of the law faculty of New York Law School where he taught upper level appellate writing and advocacy courses.

Active in civic and community affairs and groups throughout the Long Island area, Mr. Turro has been a member of the Nassau/Suffolk Law Services’ Executive Committee and Advisory Council. Mr. Turro also sits on the Advisory Board of Island Harvest. He previously served as a committee member of the Rockville Centre We Care Fund, as a Deputy Village Attorney to Rockville Centre, and as a coach in the Rockville Centre Soccer Club and the Rockville Centre Little League.

Before joining Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. in 1987, Mr. Turro served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. At the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Mr. Turro split his time as a felony trial prosecutor and as a member of its Appeals Bureau. As an Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Turro was responsible for investigating and prosecuting felonies from grand jury presentation through verdict and for the briefing and oral argument of felony appeals in the state appellate courts and of federal habeas cases before the Second Circuit. At the District Attorney’s office, Mr. Turro also headed the office’s pro bono Appellate Program. During his tenure as a federal law clerk at the Fourth Circuit, Mr. Turro worked extensively reviewing civil rights claims arising under Section 1983 and Title VII, administrative determinations of federal agencies, and direct criminal appeals.

Mr. Turro is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence. In 2016, Mr. Turro was named a “Top Ten Legal Eagle” from Long Island Pulse Magazine as one of the ten top attorneys on Long Island. Mr. Turro has also been the recipient of the Touro Law Center Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award (2004) and of the Nassau/Suffolk Law Services’ Partner in Justice Award. In 2014, Mr. Turro was named a finalist in SmartCEO’s ESQ Awards for the Industry Practice: Equine and Racing Law.

 

Irwin Bluestein

Irwin Bluestein has been a member of Meyer Suozzi since 1999. He has represented labor organizations and their related employee benefit plans for more than 40 years.  Among his clients are unions and employee benefit plans in health care, higher education, newspaper, printing, and other industries.

His representation of these clients includes collective bargaining, arbitration, litigation, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and other federal and state administrative agencies; advising employee benefit plans regarding plan design and administration; drafting plan and trust documents, summary plan descriptions, and the like; addressing fiduciary and compliance issues; merging funds and plans; and litigating trustee deadlocks, withdrawal liability, delinquent contributions, and participant claims.

Mr. Bluestein counsels single and multi-employer Taft-Hartley pension and benefit plans, and has negotiated extensively in connection with non-Taft-Hartley plans. He was recently involved in developing and obtaining approval of the first defined benefit adjustable pension plan approved by the IRS. He has since been involved in establishing a second defined benefit adjustable pension plan, and is in the process of negotiating other such plans. It is his hope that defined benefit adjustable pension plans will help reverse the growth of defined contribution plans, such as 401 (k) plans, which he considers anathema to the interests of workers and retirees.

Mr. Bluestein is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell. He is listed in New York Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America, and was named the Best Lawyers’ New York City Litigation – Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year for 2015.

Before joining Meyer Suozzi, Mr. Bluestein was a member of Vladeck, Waldman, Elias & Engelhard, P.C. He is a frequent speaker and instructor on labor law and employee benefits issues.

Richard A. Brook

Richard A. Brook was named a Member of the firm in 2004, and has been a part of the Labor and Employment groups at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. since 1999. Mr. Brook’s national practice involves representation of international and local labor unions and benefit funds in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has participated in proceedings before various forums at all levels of the federal and state courts, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Mediation Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, the New York Public Employment Relations Board, the New York State Department of Labor, the New Jersey Department of Labor, the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, the Teamsters’ Election Officer and Election Appeals Master, and the Laborers’ Independent Hearing Officer and Appellate Officer.  He also regularly represents union clients in arbitrations.

Richard N. Gilberg

Richard N. Gilberg joined Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. as a Member of the firm in 1999. His practices focus on public sector collective bargaining; ERISA; internal union governance, compliance and strategic planning; ethics advice and counsel; union elections; litigation; rights and interest arbitration, fact-finding and impasse proceedings; and entertainment law. Mr. Gilberg practices before state and federal courts and administrative agencies.

Mr. Gilberg is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence, and was recognized by L.I. Pulse Magazine in 2010 and 2011 as one of the region’s “Top Legal Eagles.”

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gilberg was a partner of the law firm of Cohen, Weiss and Simon from 1985 until 1999, after serving as an associate attorney from 1978 until 1985. Prior to that, Mr. Gilberg served as counsel to the Teamsters National United Parcel Service Negotiating Committee in national UPS collective bargaining negotiations in 1993, 1997 and 2002. He was also General Counsel of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Washington, D.C. from 1992 until 1994.