Position: Member


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.

 

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:

Jil Mazer-Marino

Jil Mazer-Marino was named a Member of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. in 2011 having joined the firm as Of Counsel to the firm’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization and Corporate Finance law practice in 2008.  In addition to serving as a chapter 7 panel trustee for the Southern District of New York, Ms. Mazer-Marino practices in the area of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights and has extensive experience representing debtors, creditors’ committees, and secured and unsecured creditors in large and complex chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. She has represented chapter 7 and chapter 11 trustees, chapter 11 debtors in possession, and plan administrators in all aspects of bankruptcy case administration. Also, Ms. Mazer-Marino represents banks, indenture trustees, factors and other lenders in connection with debtor in possession financing, out of court debt restructuring, and debt collection.

 

Chapter 7 trustee for Tavern on the Green

Chapter 7 Trustee for National Sports Museum

 

Ms. Mazer-Marino has lectured on creditors’ rights and bankruptcy topics for the New York State Bar Association, Practicing Law Institute, the Association of Corporate Counsel, Greater New York Chapter, the Long Island Business Resource Association and the New York Institute of Credit. From 2013-2018, Ms. Mazer-Marino was recognized as a New York Super Lawyer. Ms. Mazer-Marino is also the Contributing Editor of the Cannabis Law Digest.

Prior to joining Meyer, Suozzi, Ms. Mazer-Marino was a partner at the bankruptcy boutique firm of Rosen Slome Marder, LLP.  From 1990 through 1991, Ms. Mazer-Marino served as a law clerk to Hon. Conrad B. Duberstein, former Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York, after which she practiced in the business reorganization and restructuring department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York City.

Jack Rubinstein

Jack Rubinstein has been a Member of the Tax Certiorari and Condemnation practice at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. since 1993. His office is in Garden City, Long Island, N.Y. Mr. Rubinstein provides a full range of real estate tax assessment services representing his clients in commercial and residential tax assessment reduction proceedings, projecting real estate taxes in connection with the purchase, development and improvement of properties, and advising clients regarding tax exemptions. Mr. Rubinstein has handled hundreds of tax certiorari cases involving both commercial and residential properties. These cases have resulted in substantial refunds. In the area of eminent domain, his representation has helped property owners and tenants obtain damages against county, town and local condemning authorities.

Mr. Rubinstein is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level of professional excellence and he has been recognized by Long Island Pulse Magazine as one of the region’s “Top Legal Eagles”.

Prior to joining Meyer, Suozzi in 1986, Mr. Rubinstein was an associate with a large tax certiorari law firm in New York City.

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.

 

Lois Carter Schlissel

Lois Carter Schlissel chairs the Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. Board of Directors. As Board Chair, she is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Mrs. Schlissel served as the firm’s Managing Attorney from 2002-2017.

In addition to her management role, Mrs. Schlissel heads the firm’s Employment Law practice and is an active member of the Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution department. She counsels clients with respect to federal and state employment laws, compliance issues, and personnel matters and litigates significant commercial cases as well as claims arising under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Mrs. Schlissel is a member of the Board of Overseers of Northwell Health System, the Board of Directors of the Long Island Association and the Adelphi University Board of Trustees.

 

In 2018, Mrs. Schlissel received the Executive Circle Award from Long Island Business News. She is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level of professional excellence. She was honored for her “extraordinary service to the community and superb lawyering” by the Nassau County Bar Association, We Care Fund in 2012. She was also recognized by Long Island Pulse Magazine in 2010 and 2011 as one of the region’s “Top Legal Eagles”. In 2007, Mrs. Schlissel was recognized as one of the Best Attorneys on Long Island by the Long Island Press. She was named by Long Island Business News (LIBN) as one of Long Island’s Top 50 Most Influential Women, and was admitted into the LIBN Top 50 Hall of Fame. The Long Island Center for Business & Professional Women conferred its Achievers’ Award in the Field of Law on Mrs. Schlissel and she was named a “Woman Achiever Against the Odds” by the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls.

 

Tried and won several jury trials in commercial and employment cases in state and federal courts.

Conducted internal investigations in various industries including insurance, professional services and non-profits, concerning allegations of bribery, administrative misconduct, discrimination and sexual improprieties and worked with upper management to deal with attendant legal and personnel issues.

 

Mrs. Schlissel has written and lectured extensively before bar associations, employment groups and professional organizations. She has given numerous media interviews and provided commentary relating to Federal civil practice, employment law issues, workplace discrimination and sexual harassment.

Prior to joining Meyer Suozzi, Mrs. Schlissel was a law clerk at the New York State Court of Appeals and, thereafter, a litigation associate in the New York City office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP.

Kevin Schlosser

Kevin Schlosser is a Member and the Chair of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. located in Garden City, Long Island, N.Y. Mr. Schlosser has been involved in all aspects of state and federal litigation since starting his legal career in 1984. An experienced civil litigator, Mr. Schlosser has engineered the legal strategy for a broad range of cases and arbitrations, including complex commercial disputes, business torts, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, professional liability and malpractice claims, construction law, real estate and commercial landlord-tenant disputes, corporate and partnership disputes, ERISA, health law, Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act class actions, employment and restrictive covenants, intellectual property, products liability, insurance claims and defense, including disability insurance claims and the prosecution and defense of other tort-related claims. His clients consist of some of the largest companies in the world, as well as local businesses and individuals, including senior law partners, accountants, doctors and others in the professions. A proven appellate lawyer, he is also an accomplished trial attorney, whose victories include million-dollar recoveries and a record-breaking jury verdict.

In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Schlosser also acts as general outside corporate counsel, advising corporate clients on the full spectrum of legal affairs. Mr. Schlosser receives referrals for most of his clients from other practicing attorneys (often former adversaries) and existing clients. Because of his experience in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court in Nassau County, Mr. Schlosser is also frequently tapped to serve as local Long Island counsel to many other law firms in New York City and out of state.

 

Won a $12.6 million judgment in a jury trial in the Commercial Division, Nassau County, in a breach of contract case involving a stock purchase agreement

Won at trial in Commercial Division, New York County, defeating $1.2 million commission claim by Trump Securities

Appeared as special litigation counsel to the National Football League and obtained the immediate vacatur of an injunction through an order of the Appellate Division in Long Island, thereby permitting the NFL to pursue its policy of mandatory drug testing of professional football player

Successfully defended a $65 million shareholder derivative action alleging breach of fiduciary duties and corporate waste against the former president of a public bank, resulting in the entire action against the president being dismissed with no monetary payment from the president and his counsel fees being reimbursed in their entirety by the bank

Successfully defended a $25 million action alleging several counts of fraud, breach of contract and business torts against the largest casino operator in the world

Obtained summary judgment dismissing case and prevailed on appeal to the First Department and Court of Appeals  in an action alleging damages of over $20 million, asserting intentional interference with contract and interference with business relations against largest casino operator in the world

Prevailed on appeal to the Second Department to sustain claim of punitive damages in a commercial fraud and breach of fiduciary duty action

Prevailed after trial in dispute between senior law partners concerning the proper method for allocating fees in cases handled by the law firm

Obtained injunctive relief on behalf of product manufacturer/seller in federal district court barring competitors from selling competing, offending product, and prevailed after trial in challenge to the injunction

Obtained final judgment against large manufacturer’s competitor and former employee under restrictive covenants and non-disclosure agreements based upon claims of misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract

Obtained highest jury award on record for damages in an action for nuisance and interference with real property rights on behalf of property owners in the Supreme Court, Suffolk County

Obtained jury verdict on behalf of international distributor-commercial tenant on the ground of constructive eviction even though tenant continued to remain in the leased premises for lengthy period of time, in which jury awarded tenant significant monetary damages against the landlord and relieved the tenant of any further obligation for rent on remaining lease term after the tenant moved to new space

Obtained summary judgment against insurer on behalf of insured manufacturer declaring that insurer must defend underlying false advertising and Lanham Act claims pending in federal district court

Obtained favorable resolution of several actions arising from partnership dispute and sale of real property in New York City, including $14 million fraud claims, breach of fiduciary duty claims and breach of contract

Recovered, by way of judgment and settlements, millions of dollars on behalf of disabled professionals and other employees under private and ERISA disability insurance policies

Spearheaded as general outside counsel to an international manufacturer (the largest of its kind in the world) the favorable settlement of a $25 million products liability action after several rounds of mediation, successfully resolving complex insurance issues and coordinating three outside defense firms in the defense of the client

As general outside corporate counsel to an international manufacturer, provides on-going oversight of all legal affairs of the company, including employment, regulatory, acquisitions and joint ventures, licensing and intellectual property transactions, distribution agreements, independent contractor agreements, operating agreements and related matters

 

Mr. Schlosser serves in various teaching capacities: He is a member of the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy; has chaired the Continuing Legal Education Program on New York Civil Motion Practice at Hofstra Law School; and is a member of the Continuing Legal Education faculty panel of the New York State Bar Association and the Nassau County Bar Association Academy of Law, where he instructs experienced practicing attorneys. He has given CLE seminars and presentations with some of the most prominent judges in the state and federal courts, including Supreme Court Commercial Division Justices Timothy S. Driscoll, Vito M. DeStefano, Stephen Bucaria, Emily Pines, Elizabeth Hazlitt Emerson, Saliann Scarpulla and Thomas Whelan, Appellate Division Justices Leonard Austin, Karla Moskowitz, Barbara Kapnick and federal judiciary such as U.S. District Court Judges Shira Scheindlin, Richard J. Sullivan and Nicholas G. Garaufis and Magistrate Judges A. Kathleen Tomlinson, Arlene R. Lindsay and William Wall. Many of Mr. Schlosser’s activities can be viewed in detail by clicking on the relevant links to the left. Click here to view details from meetings of Nassau County Bar Association’s Commercial Litigation Committee, which Mr. Schlosser chaired from 2013-2015.

Mr. Schlosser has written extensively on many aspects of the law, publishing numerous articles over twenty years in leading legal publications. He has authored the “Litigation Review” column for the New York Law Journal and served on the Board of Editors of the Nassau Lawyer, which is the official publication of the Nassau County Bar Association.  Many of Mr. Schlosser’s articles can be viewed by clicking on the “Publications” link to the left. He is also the author of a blog, www.nyfraudclaims.com, which covers new developments concerning claims of fraud and misrepresentation in civil litigation under New York law.

Active in charitable organizations, Mr. Schlosser received the 2003 Leadership Award presented by the Long Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  He also serves as a faculty member of the Construction Management Institute, sponsored by the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, helping minority-owned contractors enhance their developing businesses.

During law school, Mr. Schlosser was a Member and then Articles Editor of the Hofstra Law Review. In his capacity as Articles Editor, Mr. Schlosser interacted with and edited articles of some of the most prominent and well-respected legal scholars, including law professors, evidence experts, and Congressional leaders. He also clerked for the Honorable George C. Pratt, United States Circuit Court Judge, where he drafted several court decisions, including a complex antitrust ruling.  He also obtained valuable trial experience while clerking in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where he assisted in the prosecution of several major felony cases. Mr. Schlosser graduated law school with the highest honors. Additionally, he was a founding officer of a national criminal justice honor society at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York.

At the outset of his career, Mr. Schlosser acquired intensive litigation experience, having been trained at two, prominent firms based in New York City: Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, and Chadbourne & Parke. In 1990, he became an associate of one of Long Island’s largest law firms, where he rose to the level of a managing partner and head of its litigation department, the largest group in the firm. After joining Meyer, Suozzi and becoming a Member in 2002, Mr. Schlosser was appointed Co-Chair of the firm’s litigation department in November 2002. In 2006, Mr. Schlosser became Chair of the litigation department.  He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Mr. Schlosser is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level in professional excellence.  Mr. Schlosser was recognized by Long Island Pulse Magazine in 2010 and 2011 as the region’s “Top Legal Eagle for Litigation.” In 2016, Mr. Schlosser was inducted as the President of the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court. Mr.Schlosser has also been named to the New York Super Lawyers list as one of the top attorneys in New York from 2012-2018.

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.

 

Richard D. Winsten

Richard D. Winsten, Co-Chair of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.’s Government Relations practice, has been a Member of the firm since 1993, having joined as an associate in 1987. With his practice based in the New York State capital of Albany, Mr. Winsten has significant and longstanding relationships with members of the State Legislature, State agencies, and all levels of State government. He has been a registered and active New York State Lobbyist since 1978.

 

Counsel to Garment Industry Development Corporation

Counsel to Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), with a membership of 1.5 million employees and 120,000 retirees in health care, public employment, building services, industrial and allied industries

 

In 2012, Mr. Winsten was honored by the New York Committee for the Occupational Safety and Health for 35 years of labor activism. He helped establish the country’s only network of state-funded occupational-health clinics and wrote the state law expanding OSHA coverage for public-sector workers. In 2010, Mr. Winsten was one of the recipients of the Advocate of the Decade Award from the Domestic Workers United. He was also a recipient of the Freelancers Union Benefit Practical Revolutionary Award in 2010, which is given to those whose vision, dedication, belief, and action have furthered the created of a new system of protections and benefits for the new workforce, and the 2009 Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s Public Service Attorney of the Year award.

Prior to joining Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., Mr. Winsten was the Director of Legislation and Research for the New York State AFL-CIO. In that capacity, he was the chief lobbyist for the two million member labor federation, responsible for legislative program development, bill drafting, and negotiation. In 1984, he worked toward the successful enactment of the NYS toxic torts statute, and in 1985, he helped create a $4.8 million safety and health training program. Previously, Mr. Winsten was the Director and Counsel of the Albany Legislative Office of District Counsel 37, AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. There, he was a lobbyist on issues affecting New York City public employees. He was also responsible for drafting most legislation and was a vocal advocate and a frequent writer of newsletter articles. During this time, Mr. Winsten helped to draft the New York State Public Employee OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) legislation which became law in June 1980. He also acted as chief negotiator of legislation for the New York State Public Employee Conference.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Winsten held many positions involving lobbying, legislative initiatives, union representation, legal counsel, budget analysis, and political action consulting. He was the Assistant Political Director of District Council 37, the largest public employee union in New York City; Washington Legislative Representative of District Council 37; and Legislative Fiscal Analyst, Legislative Analyst and Budget Analyst to New York State Assembly staff of the Majority Ways and Means Committee.

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.