Eric J. Haber is special counsel in the Firm's Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy practice group. He joined Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman LLP in 1998, which was merged into Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in 2006. He is resident in the New York office.
Mr. Haber has wide-ranging experience in all aspects of bankruptcy practice. His Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating is AV Preeminent reflecting the highest ethical standards and legal ability.
He has defended and prosecuted hundreds of preference and other avoidance actions in courts throughout the United States and also serves on the panel of mediators in the bankruptcy courts in Delaware and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. As a result, Mr. Haber has a deep understanding of the strategies to be employed in such litigation from a variety of different perspectives.
Mr. Haber has also been the mediator for hundreds of preference and fraudulent conveyance lawsuits seeking recovery of varying amounts from as low as $10,000 to as high as $19 million. They span a wide variety of industries and include cases such as Delphi Automotive Systems, WP Steel, Greenwich Sentry Partners, Quebecor World (USA), Tower Manufacturing, Value City Department Stores, BearingPoint, Ultimate Electronics and Penn Traffic. He was recently named to the panel of mediators in the Lehman Brothers case for claims arising out of defaulted mortgages, as well as the panels of mediators for avoidance actions in the Kodak and Residential Capital cases. Mr. Haber also serves as a member of the American Arbitration Association Roster of Neutrals and the MWI Bankruptcy & Finance Panel.
Recent matters handled by Mr. Haber include:
Resolution of preference actions seeking recovery of $19 million and $2.4 million when serving as mediator in the Quebecor World (USA) bankruptcy case.
Resolution of preference actions seeking recovery of $7.1 million and $2.1 million when serving as mediator in the Delphi Automotive Sytems bankruptcy case.
Resolution of preference action seeking recovery of $3.0 million in WP Steel bankruptcy case.
Defense of preference actions seeking recovery of $30 million from Graphic Communications Holdings, $11 million from Logitech Inc. and $2.5 million from D&H Distributing Co. by the Circuit City Stores bankruptcy trustee.
Mr. Haber has been involved in several bankruptcies on behalf of distressed investors, representing debenture holders in the Composite Technology, Horizon Natural Resources and Universal Food cases and the equity committees in the Seitel, Peregrine Systems and Bush Industries proceedings.
In addition, he also has significant experience representing creditors committees in a variety of industries including retail and barter-related businesses such as BTWW Retail, The Sharper Image, Norstan Apparel, MRI North America, Filene's and Montgomery Ward. Mr. Haber also has experience representing debtors in the Bayonne Medical Center and Okura & Co. (America) proceedings.
Mr. Haber was named as one of the New York City Bankruptcy Assistance Project's Champions for 2013-2014 and one of its In-Court Champions for 2007-2008. He is an active participant in the firm's pro bono program. Mr. Haber also received a 2012 Empire State Counsel Award reflecting over 50 hours of pro bono service.
Previously, Mr. Haber was a partner in Siegel Sommers and Schwartz, a nationally recognized boutique bankruptcy firm, which merged into Kronish Lieb in 1998. He also served as staff attorney in the SEC's Reorganization Division in which he worked on bankruptcies of public companies.
He was an instructor at the American Bankruptcy Institute's Bankruptcy Mediation Training programs. In addition, Mr. Haber has written articles on preferences, mediation and other bankruptcy issues and has spoken at several organizations, including the New York Institute of Credit and a webcast for The Knowledge Congress.
Mr. Haber earned his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1983. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1979, cum laude. Mr. Haber is admitted to practice in the State of New York and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
