New York Civil Litigation Lawyers

Civil Litigation

26 Broadway #1900, New York, NY 10004, USA

Area of Practice: Commercial Litigation Jeffrey M. Eilender is the co-managing partner of the firm and co-chair of the civil litigation group. His commercial litigation practice focuses on intra-corporate disputes and business separations, often when the future of the company or an owner’s net assets are at risk. These cases are usually hotly contested and, unfortunately, often involve adult siblings or heirs warring with each other over family businesses when the founder is no longer on the scene. Jeff has represented all of the players in a business divorce; the companies, majority owners, and dissenting or oppressed minority owners. He has also prosecuted and defended derivative actions. Many of his business divorce matters have resulted in groundbreaking court rulings that are often cited by other courts and are the subject of articles and blogs by other lawyers. Jeff also frequently writes and speaks on these issues. Moreover, the scope of Jeff’s practice extends beyond intra-corporate disputes. With nearly 30 years of litigation experience, Jeff helps clients resolve virtually any kind of business conflict. He litigates all manner of real estate, contract, intellectual property, trade secrets, employment, fraud, and other business tort cases. Jeff represents large public entities, family businesses, and high net-worth individuals and celebrities such as AXA, Verizon, Oath (formerly AOL), ALP, Inc. (the company founded by artist Peter Max that owns and commercializes all of his art), Judith Regan, Perez Hilton, the Chetrit real estate family, the Lighthouse Group, Albert Einstein Medical School, Canon, and Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. A master of procedure, Jeff is noted for devising innovative solutions that other lawyers often don’t think of, which is why clients turn to Jeff for their most significant business matters. Jeff regularly serves as lead counsel in trials and hearings in federal court, the commercial divisions of New York’s state courts, arbitral forums, and other venues around the nation, including in the Delaware Chancery Court. Jeff has chaired the New York State Judiciary Committee for the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. He also served on the Commercial Division (New York County) Advisory Committee, which advises the Bar Association’s Commercial Division on its practices. A frequent lecturer at the New York State Bar’s Commercial Litigation Academy and a panelist on commercial litigation issues, Jeff regularly edits and writes the firm’s New York Commercial Division Blog and has contributed to Bloomberg BNA’s 2017 Supplement to Litigating the Business Divorce.

Civil Litigation

450 7th Ave 38th floor, New York, NY 10123, USA

Following his graduation from Columbia University School of law in 1987, Mr. Abraham worked for one year as a corporate securities lawyer for a mid-size New York City law firm. Thereafter, Mr. Abraham joined what, at the time, was the largest firm with a concentration in plaintiffs’ securities litigation, a firm then known as Milberg Weiss Bershad Specthrie & Lerach. After working at Milberg Weiss for several years, Mr. Abraham left to start the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Abraham, which subsequently merged with and into Fruchter & Twersky, LLP, which thereafter changed its name to Abraham, Fruchter & Twersky, LLP. Mr. Abraham’s practice at Milberg Weiss focused on the prosecution of shareholder class actions on behalf of defrauded investors with the occasional representation of corporate clients in various litigation matters. Among the class actions which he was active in prosecuting during his tenure at Milberg Weiss were In Re Crazy Eddie Securities Litigation, 97 Civ. 87-0033 (E.D.N.Y.) in which a recovery in excess of $76 million was achieved for defrauded investors, and Axton Candy & Tobacco Co., Inc. v. Alert Holdings Inc., (Alert Holdings Income Limited Partnership Litigation), 92-Z 1191 (D. Colo.), in which a recovery of $60 million was achieved for defrauded investors. Mr. Abraham also successfully defended the appeal challenging the terms of that settlement before the Tenth Circuit. See Hillman v. Webley, 1996 U.S. App. LEXIS 25702 (10th Cir. 1996). At AF&T, Mr. Abraham continues to focus on securities and shareholder litigation. During his tenure at the Firm, Mr. Abraham has served as lead counsel in many cases, including: In re Peregrine Securities Litigation, Civil No. 02cv870-J (S.D. Cal.) in which a settlement of approximately $117.5 million was achieved notwithstanding the company’s bankruptcy, the lack of insurance proceeds to contribute to the settlement, and the dissolution of the company’s auditors who shared liability. In another case, Mr. Abraham acted on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Asia Global Crossing in connection with In Re Global Crossing Securities Litigation, 02 CV 910 (S.D.N.Y.) in which a pro rata recovery was achieved for the Asia Global investors that far exceeded the pro rata recovery obtained by the other defrauded investors in Global Crossing securities. On another occasion, in a case arising under the short-swing insider trading provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Mr. Abraham assisted in achieving a cash recovery of $20 million (without the benefit of insurance coverage) which at the time was the largest known cash recovery under that statute. Judge John S. Martin, Jr., the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the presiding Judge in the action, complimented the Firm’s performance in the case in stating “the shareholders of Illinois Semiconductor Company received a $20,000,000.00 benefit as the sole result of the diligence and sagacity of Plaintiff’s counsel.” Steriner v. Williams; Levy v. Southbrook Int’l Investments, Ltd., 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7097, at * 20 (S.D.N.Y. May 31, 2001). Other cases in which Mr. Abraham has had a primary litigation role include: City Partnership Co. v. Jones Intercable, Inc., Civil Action No. 99-WM-1051 (D. Colo.), in which a recovery of $10 million was achieved on behalf of investors with respect to the sale of cable television systems and City Partnership Co. v. IR-TCI Partners V, L.P., Civil Action No. 99-RB-2122 (D. Colo.) in which $5 million was recovered on behalf of limited partners with respect to the sale of a cable television system to a business affiliate of the general partner. Mr. Abraham has successfully argued appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits.

Civil Litigation

350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4640, New York, NY 10118

Joseph A. Gershman is a partner of Rich, Intelisano & Katz. His practice focuses on complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation. Mr. Gershman is rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings as an AV Preeminent attorney, its highest designation, with his peers recognizing him as “an excellent lawyer” and “an outstanding litigator”. He is also a recipient of The Legal Aid Society’s 2013 Pro Bono Publico Award for outstanding service to the Society and its clients. Mr. Gershman has extensive experience within the areas of complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation, as well as commercial and securities arbitrations. He has represented financial services firms, hedge funds, real estate companies, law firms, litigation trusts, creditors committees and individuals in a broad variety of commercial disputes, including disputes involving securities fraud, contractual breaches, partnership disputes, lender liability claims, RICO claims, antitrust claims, and efforts to recover assets for the creditors of insolvent companies. Prior to becoming a partner at Rich, Intelisano & Katz, Mr. Gershman was a partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, and an associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Mr. Gershman received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1996, cum laude, where he was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and Co-Chair of the Tenant Advocacy Project. He received his A.B. from Princeton University in 1990, cum laude, where he majored in public policy, attending the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is a member of the New York State Bar, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. Mr. Gershman is a member of the Federal Bar Council, where he serves on the Second Circuit Courts Committee.

Civil Litigation

125 Park Ave, New York, NY 10017, USA

A founding partner of Berlandi Nussbaum & Reitzas LLP (“BNR”), Mr. Reitzas focuses his practice on representing companies, foundations, and individuals in complex transactional matters, commercial litigation, and general corporate activities including governance and compliance. His areas of expertise include media and entertainment, private equity, civil litigation and corporate workouts, as well as special advisory services to certain clients within the media industry on corporate activities and new business ventures. Notable engagements include the representation of one of the most dominant and revolutionary co-op media and advertising companies in the world; representation of the Last Experience Inc., and its owner Gerald Goldstein, as a litigation strategist (along with CA counsel) in their successful defense against all claims asserted by Experience Hendrix, Inc. (the Estate of Jimi Hendrix) in their dispute for the release of historic, unseen footage of Jimi Hendrix performing at the Royal Albert Hall; prevailing on a motion to dismiss all claims against a private mortgage lender client in a trustee’s complaint in the matter of In re Stillwater Capital Partners, Inc. Litigation, No. 11-cv-2737; obtaining the dismissal of all claims against the firm’s client in Jason Draizen and Medical Cannabis Network v. Adam Linder and Stephen J. Czarnik, (NY Supreme, Index No. 650695/2015); and obtaining the vacatur of a large monetary judgment with full release of the firm’s client in 99 Jericho LLC v. Jim G. Dane, Paul Burton & XYZ Corp. (NY Supreme, Index No. 605574/2014). Mr. Reitzas also counsels a world renowned television and film director on a wide range of matters, including spearheading a film distribution arrangement that revolutionized the moviegoing experience; advertising projects with major apparel companies; and negotiating the production of both television programs and feature films. In addition, Mr. Reitzas has lectured on numerous legal topics, and has appeared on the Pawling Public Radio Show, “This Side of the Law.” Mr. Reitzas previously served in the legal department for Rockefeller & Company, Inc., an associate for Bear Stearns & Company, Inc., and a senior associate at a large New York law firm. He also serves as President of the Board of Directors for 200 East 16th Street Housing Corporation, and principal of Harkness Advisors, LLC. A longtime member of the New York Bar Association, Mr. Reitzas completed his undergraduate work at Bowdoin College in 1998, and received his Juris Doctorate from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2001. Mr. Reitzas is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Mr. Reitzas has been active as a committee member for the Richard A. Reitzas Athletic Endowment for The Wheeler School, and as an alumni interviewer for Phillips Exeter Academy, and Bowdoin College. He previously served as a committee member for the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Attorney Professionalism and member of the Hedge Fund and Private Equity Group at the Harvard Club of New York.

Civil Litigation

140 Pearl St suite 100, Buffalo, NY 14202, USA

Julia is an experienced litigator in both state and federal court, focusing her practice on trial work and complex litigation. Her areas of focus include business disputes and shareholder litigation, as well as litigation in the environmental, education, and employment arenas. She regularly counsels businesses in resolving disputes among management and has litigated various business dissolution matters. She has successfully represented minority shareholders who were oppressed in petitioning for dissolution of the corporations. In the environmental context, she has successfully challenged the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Article 78 proceedings. She has represented an agricultural chemical company in litigation over selection of RCRA corrective action for arsenic in soils. She also recently secured summary judgment on behalf of a Fortune 1000 company after it was sued by numerous local residents alleging that toxic exposure to the company's operations caused personal injury and property damage claims. She also frequently handles appeals and successfully argued an issue of first impression regarding the labor law to New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals. In addition, Julia advises international clients on product liability and insurance issues for manufacturers and distributors wishing to enter the U.S. market. Julia regularly speaks at CLEs on various topics, including the firm’s annual education conference. She has also recently served as a member of both the Firm's Board of Directors and Compensation Committee, and remains active on the Firm’s Recruiting Committee. Julia’s past experiences include an internship at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York as well as employment at Housing Opportunities Made Equal, an organization dedicated to the enforcement of federal and state laws prohibiting housing discrimination. Julia was also previously awarded a two-year research fellowship with the Department of Human Resources for the City of Buffalo, where she assisted in disciplinary hearings, general grievances, and contract negotiations.