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James A. Beldner is a partner in the Cooley Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice. He joined Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman in 1998, which was merged into Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in 2006. He is resident in the New York office.
Mr. Beldner has successfully handled numerous bankruptcy matters on behalf of debtors, creditor committees, employee, retiree and other official committees throughout the country, relating to all aspects of the Chapter 11 process which include, debtor-in-possession financing and cash collateral hearings, fraudulent conveyance/transfer actions, preference actions, severance and retention hearings, claims litigation, asset purchase and disposition hearings, and plan disclosure and confirmation hearings.
Mr. Beldner's practice has afforded him the opportunity to represent clients in some of the most significant and complex bankruptcy proceedings across the country. Mr. Beldner's recent representations include:
- The Official Tort Claimants Committee in the chapter 11 cases of Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York. St. Vincents is one of New York City's largest healthcare providers with 10,600 employees and annual revenue of $1.55 billion. The Tort Claimants Committee represents debt approximating $220 million.
- The Official Enron Employment – Related Issues Committee pending in the Southern District of New York wherein Mr. Beldner was successful, among other things, in obtaining a $60 million severance settlement return for 4,500 employees who were terminated by Enron at filing. Mr. Beldner was lead counsel in the pursuit and recovery of an additional $30 million in accelerated deferred compensation payments made to insiders within 90 days of Enron's bankruptcy filing.
- OpTel, Inc. and its 23 affiliates in their Chapter 11 case in the District of Delaware. As a result of confirmation, $500 million in bond and trade debt was restructured and compromised while the company emerged as a privately held cable television provider to multiple dwelling units located in the South and Western United States.
- Hvide Marine and its 160 affiliates in its Chapter 11 cases in the District of Delaware. A successful confirmation restructured $250 million of secured debt and $750 million of trade and bond debt. The company maintained vessels and other marine assets all around the world – in the Far East, Middle East, Africa, South America as well as the United States. Mr. Beldner handled a multitude of maritime, labor and international law issues during the case.
- The Official Fee Committee in the Adelphia Communications Co. cases pending in the Southern District of New York. This committee advises the Bankruptcy Court relative to the filing and allowance of fee applications on behalf of over 50 professional firms.
- The successful representation of the Central Bank of Albania in restructuring approximately $500 million of debt owed to numerous European banks.
In addition to the above, Mr. Beldner has represented debtors, creditor, employee and other official committees in cases such as Adelphia, LTV, Okura & Co. (America), Metromedia Fiber, Willoughby's Camera, Quorum Communications, Interliant, Aroostock Theatres, Coordinated Apparel, Finova Capital Corp., Manhattan News, Abco Insulation, Giant Supply Co., John Grace Co., Lansing Conduit Corp., Northstar Contracting, Hatzel & Buehler, Martin Paint Stores, X-Air Corp., Danaco Contractors, Inc., Penguin Construction, Wolf and Munier, Star Telecommunications, and Barcode (New York).
Mr. Beldner earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1973. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in 1969.
A member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Mr. Beldner has addressed various media groups affiliated with the American Newspaper Publishers Association and has participated in seminars with various law firms in the United Kingdom relative to American bankruptcy law and the British insolvency statute. Mr. Beldner is the author of various articles for the National Law Journal and the New York Law Journal as well as "Bankruptcy Goes to Hollywood" printed in the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Journal of the New York State Bar Association.
Mr. Beldner is admitted to practice before the New York State Bar, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, the Federal District Courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Education- Brooklyn Law School
JD, 1973 - University of Pittsburgh
BA, 1969
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States Supreme Court
Admissions
Memberships
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- American Bar Association
- Commercial Law League
- New York State Bar Association
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