Profile

Stephen is co-chair of the firm’s business restructuring, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy practice. He concentrates his practice on complex corporate workouts, restructuring and bankruptcies. Stephen has represented clients for more than 40 years concerning all aspects of financial restructuring and bankruptcy matters.

Stephen handles matters which include representation of borrowers in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, indenture trustees, bondholders, debtor-in-possession financing and exit facilities. He also has extensive experience advising health care institutions and higher education institutions, including colleges, universities, private high schools and charter schools. Stephen has also represented buyers and sellers of distressed assets in out-of-court transactions, including public and private sales. Stephen is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, which is an honorary public service association composed of bankruptcy judges, attorneys, professors and restructuring professionals whose members are selected by their peers and admitted based upon achievements in the profession. He has also served as an expert witness in state and federal court cases.

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  • Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy
  • Listed in:
    • The Best Lawyers in America®, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy, 1993-2025 (listed for more than 30 years)
      • Lawyer of the Year (Syracuse), Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2012, 2025
      • Lawyer of the Year (Syracuse), Litigation - Bankruptcy, 2013; 2019
    • New York Super Lawyers®, Bankruptcy: Business, 2007-2024 (listed for more than 15 years)
    • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Rated
  • Upstate New York Turnaround Management Association, Founder and Director, Former Program Director and Former Membership Director
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Onondaga County Bar Association
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Capital Region New York Bankruptcy Bar Association
  • Commercial Law League of America
  • Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association, Founder and First President

  • Quoted in "Higher Ed Law Firm Takes on Bankruptcy Trustees in Tuition Battles," The Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2016

  • Panelist, Contested Chapter 11 Confirmation Issues, 19th Annual WNY Bankruptcy Conference, June 9, 2023
  • Panelist, Resolving Mass Tort Liability in Bankruptcy Post Purdue Pharma, TMA Upstate New York Chapter, October 13, 2022
  • Distressed Institutions of Higher Education: An Exploration of Options, Employment Law Alliance, November 3, 2021
  • The Great Contraction: Managing Financial Distress with Strategic Partnerships, Mergers, and Institutional and Program Closures, NACUA Annual Conference, June 24, 2021
  • Time Bombs in Bankruptcy, New York State Bar Association, October 22, 2020
  • Lecture regarding Distress Investing, Le Moyne College Madden School of Business at Fordham Law School, June 6, 2018; June 5, 2019
  • Moderator, Sound Investing vs. Speculation: Yesterday, Today, and the Future, Upstate New York Turnaround Management Association, Manufacturer’s Association of Central New York, CenterState CEO, Upstate Venture Connect, and the Madden School of Business event, April 18, 2018
  • Panel Member, Four Part Webinar Series: The Business of Higher Education: Sustainability, January 22, 2018; The Business of Higher Education: Strategic Planning and Leadership, February 26, 2018; The Business of Higher Education: Return on Investment, March 26, 2018 and The Business of Higher Education: Sustainability, Leadership, Assessment and Action, April 30, 2018
  • Panel Member, Beyond Quick Fixes: Building a Sustainable Small College Business Model, Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers, October 2017