An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Leslie Corwin has broad experience with the full range of valuation, accounting, and ethical issues which typically arise in business ruptures. He has litigated issues of first impression and his practice also includes elements of securities, employment law, ERISA, real estate and bankruptcy. Les has been retained and testified as an expert witness. He continually represents international and national law firms and accounting firms, broker-dealers, investment banks, hedge funds and real estate developers in disputes, mergers and acquisitions, liquidations, dissolutions and bankruptcies. He has represented and negotiated on behalf of principals, partners and senior executives of many of the country's leading investment banks and accounting firms.
Areas of Concentration
· Partnership law
· General commercial litigation and trials
· Appellate practice
· Law and accounting firm dissolutions
· Partnership mergers, break-ups and dissolutions
· Partnership bankruptcies
· Accountants liability
· Securities arbitrations
· Real estate litigation
· Real estate brokerage commission disputes
Significant Representations
· Dawson v. White & Case, 88 N.Y. 2d 666, 649 N.Y.S. 2d 364 (1996) (Partner's right to an accounting; good will as a law firm asset)
· Graev v. Graev, 11 N.Y. 3d (2009) (Cohabitation, as used in settlement agreement, was ambiguous, requiring resort to extrinsic evidence to determine intent)
· Gibbs v. Breed, Abbott & Morgan, 710 N.Y.S. 2d 578 (A.D. 1st Dept. 2000) (Fiduciary duties of withdrawing partners)
· Smith v. Brown & Jones, 633 N.Y.S. 2d 436 (Sup. Ct. NY Co., 1995), 652 N.Y.S. 2d 951 (A.D. 1st Dept. 1995) (Standard of good faith and fair dealing in fixing partner compensation)
· Ehrlich v. Howe, 848 F. Supp. 482 (S.D.N.Y. 1994) (Partner in law firm not an employee protected by ERISA)
· Strom v. Siegel Fenchel & Peddy P.C. Profit Sharing Plan, et.al, 497 F. 3d 234 (2d Cir 2007) (law firms must afford partners same rights of fairness and notice under ERISA as company pension plans)
· Weiser v. Coopersmith, 902 N.Y.S. 2d 74 (A.D. 1st Dept. 2010) (Restrictive covenant in Accounting Firm partnership agreement reasonable)
· Liddle, Robinson & Shoemaker v. Shoemaker, 768 N.Y.S. 2d 183 (A.D. 1st Dept. 2003) (Pending contingency fee cases of a dissolved partnership are assets subject to distribution; partnership entitled to overhead expenses for collection)
· Weiner v. Hoffinger, Friedland, Dobrish & Stern, P.C., 749 N.Y.S. 2d 255 (A.D. 2nd Dept. 2002)(Partnership may not exist where business conducted in corporate form)
· Londin v. Carro, Spanbock, Londin, Fass & Geller, 478 N.Y.S. 2d 452 (Sup. Ct. NY, 1984) (Withdrawn partner is tenant in partnership in lease and entitled to injunctive relief)
· Brenner v. Nomura Securities International, 652 N.Y.S. 2d 249 (A.D. 1st Dept. 1996) (Injunctive relief and U-5 Reporting)
· In re Greenhouse (HGK Asset Management, Inc.), 656 N.Y.S. 2d 264 (A.D. 1st Dept. 1997) (Oppressed minority shareholder rights under Business Corporation Law)
· Miller v. Steloff, 686 F. Supp. 91 (S.D.N.Y. 1988) (Promissory Note as integrated instrument)
Professional & Community Involvement
· Member, Committee on Character and Fitness, Supreme Court of the State of New York First Judicial Department
· Member, The American Law Institute
· Fellow, American Bar Foundation
· Fellow, The New York Bar Foundation
· Member, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York
· Member, American Bar Association, Section of Business Law
· Member, New York State Bar Association
· Member, National Arbitration Forum's Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators
· Member, Independent Judicial Screening Committee, Supreme Court, New York County
· Member, Judiciary and Federal Courts Committees, New York County Lawyers Association
· Member, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers
· Member, Committee of NASD Regulators, Inc. on U-4 and U-5 Reporting
· Member, Law Advisory Committee, Fordham University School of Law
· Member, Board of Directors of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation
Awards & Recognition
· Listed, The Best Lawyers in America (2005-2012)
· Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, New York Super Lawyers (2006-2008, 2010-2011)
· Team Member, Law360 "Appellate Practice Group of the Year" (2011)
· Listed, The Best Lawyers in New York, New York magazine (2005-2009)
· Listed, Who's Who in American Law
· Recommended, PLC Which Lawyer? (2009 Yearbook)
· Rated, AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Noteworthy Experience
· Frequent analyst on CNN, CNBC and Fox television; The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times
Publications, Articles & Lectures
· Author, "Law Firm Partnership Agreements," (Law Journal Seminars - Press, 1998)
· Executive editor, Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report
· Board of Editors, CPA Managing Partner Report
· Author, "Changing Aspects of Law Firm Partnerships, The Age of Senescence," Law Firm Partnerships & Benefits Report, February 2011
· Author, "Get It In Writing," European Lawyer, March, 2008
· Author, "Law Firm Bankruptcies," Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, February 2006
· Author, "Written Partnership Agreements Set Forth Rights and Obligations," New York Law Journal, February 2, 2004
· Author, "The Applicability of the WARN Act to Law Firms," Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, August 2004
· Author, "Give Me Shelter, The Appropriateness of Inter-Partner Contribution Agreements,"Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, Two-Part Series, July and August 2003
· Author, "The Consequences of Selecting a Particular Form of Law Firm Organization," Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report, Two-Part Series, August and September 2002
· Co-author, "What Baggage Can Withdrawing Law Partners Carry Out The Revolving Door?"Rhode Island Bar Journal, January 2001
· Author, "Response to Loyalty in the Firm: A Statement of General Principles on the Duties of Partners Withdrawing from Law Firms," 55 Wash. & Lee L.Rev. 1055 (1998)
Lectures
· Lectured, "Partnership Structural Issues," Law Firm Managing Partner Roundtable, Hildebrandt Institute, October 21, 2011
· Faculty, "Civil Appeals," New York State Bar Association, Commercial Litigation Academy, May 6, 2011
· Lectured, "Partnerships, LLCs and LLPs," presented at ALI-ABA Conference, June 2010
· Lectured, American Bar Association, Spring 2007 National Legal Malpractice Conference
· Lectured, American Bar Association National Conference on Professional Responsibility, June 2006
· Lectured, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, 2002 mid-year meeting; 1997 mid-year meeting
· Lectured, American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Committee, 1998 mid-year meeting
· Lectured, American Bar Association, 1997 Annual Meeting
· Faculty, Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division: Second Judicial Department CLE Program, March 2004
· Faculty, Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial Department Transitional CLE Program Ethics Orientations
· Faculty, Judicial Seminar, New York State Unified Court System, July 2000
· Faculty, Trying Your Case to Win, Law Journal Seminars, May 2000
· Faculty, Trial Academy, New York County Lawyers Association and National Institute for Trial Advocacy, January 1995
· Faculty, Rock Stars of Rainmaking in the Legal Profession, New York County Lawyers' Association, January 2006; February 2007
· Lectured, Harvard Business School, Leading Professional Service Firms, June 2004
· Lectured, State Bar of Texas, Advanced Business Bankruptcy Course, May 2006; May 2005
· Lectured, National Association of Legal Search Consultants, Annual Convention, May 2006; May 2005
· Lectured, Law Firm Lateral Partner Recruitment & Retention Summit, May 2006; November 2005; May 2004; May 2003
· Lectured, Law Firm Chief Marketing Officers' Forum, December 2003
· Lectured, "Effectively Managing Public Relations for High-Profile Litigation," January 2003
· Lectured, Strategic Law Firm Operations, September 2002; October 2004
· Lectured, Law Firm Compensation Institute, November 2001; November 2000; November 1999; February 1996; November 1995; September 1994
· Lectured, New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting, Professional Passages for Solo Practitioners and Smaller Law Firms Program, January 2001
· Lectured, Washington & Lee University of Law Symposium, Withdrawals and Expulsions From Law Firms, April 1998
· Lectured, New York County Lawyers Association, Committee on Federal Courts Forum, May 1998
· Lectured, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, March 1996
· Lectured, New York State Society of CPAs, Business Valuation Conference, July 1995
· Lectured, National Conference, Institute of Business Appraisers, January 1995
Fellow: New York State Bar Foundation.