COOPER ERVING & SAVAGE - Key Persons
Carlo A. C. de Oliveira focuses his practice in the areas of civil rights, labor and employment, public sector, student education rights, criminal law, municipal law, and immigration. Carlo is an experienced litigator and has obtained successful rulings for clients in these areas of law. Carlo has argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department.
Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Carlo graduated magna cum laude from Columbia-Greene Community College, with an Associate Degree in Science in 2000, and magna cum laude from Hartwick College, with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science in 2001. He then attended law school at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, Maryland. While in Law School, Carlo represented clients before the United States Immigration Court, Baltimore, Maryland and, in recognition of his work, he was presented with The Ward Kershaw Fund Award for outstanding skills of advocacy on behalf of a client. Carlo has also completed two and a half years of a vigorous five-year Bachelor of Law program at Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil.
In 2018, Carlo was nominated for an Associate Fellowship in the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society whose membership is limited to less than one-half of one percent of North American lawyers, judges and scholars. Carlo was also selected by Super Lawyers as a top ranked employment and labor attorney in Albany, New York in 2017. He is also a proud member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the New York State Bar Association, and the Albany County Bar Association.
Carlo joined Cooper Erving & Savage LLP in November 2013 and has contributed to strengthen one of the firm's core practice areas: employment law and civil rights litigation. Carlo has tried cases to verdict in both State and Federal Court.
Carlo is married to Donna, an elementary school teacher. They have two daughters, Chloe and Cameron. Carlo is also actively involved in his community. He presided over the Ravena Soccer Club Board and volunteers as a coach during the year.
Practice Areas
Civil Rights
Caroline W. T. Lang is a partner who focuses her practice in the areas of Trust and Estate Administration, Estate Planning, and Creditor Rights and Banking. Through her Trusts and Estates practice, Ms. Lang works with families at all phases of life to plan for the future and to ensure that testamentary plans are carried out in an efficient and compassionate manner. Ms. Lang coordinates statewide foreclosure, settlement conferences in her commercial practice. Ms. Lang is admitted to practice in New York State and the four United States Districts of New York.
Ms. Lang is a 2013 magna cum laude graduate of Albany Law School, where she earned an honors concentration in Estate Planning. While at Albany Law, Ms. Lang was a member of the Government Law Review, was the recipient of the Dean's Fellowship and the Singleton Memorial Scholarship, and was an ACES Teaching Fellow for Property for two years. While at Albany Law School, Ms. Lang was admitted to the limited supervised practice of law through the Health Law Clinic. Ms. Lang represented clients before the Social Security Administration at disability determination hearings and drafted estate planning and guardianship documents for terminally ill clients of the Health Law Clinic.
Ms. Lang earned a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Barnard College in 2010. Ms. Lang is from the Capital District; she graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 2006.
Practice Areas
Trust and Estate Administration
David C. Rowley, the managing partner at Cooper Erving & Savage LLP since 2014, focuses his litigation practice in the areas of tax assessment litigation, personal injury litigation, and commercial and business litigation. In addition, Mr. Rowley has held the positions of Menands Village Justice from 2001 to 2012 and Town of Colonie Board Member from 2012 to 2017. He received his law degree, cum laude, from Albany Law School Union University, where he was a member of the Justinian Society. Mr. Rowley received his master's of business from Union College and graduated with his bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Williams College. He was honored as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Mr. Rowley is a lecturer in the fields of litigation tactics and tax assessment law. He is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the New York State Bar Association. Mr. Rowley is admitted to practice law in New York, U.S. District Court Northern District of New York, U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, and U.S. District Court Western District of New York. View Representative Cases.
Practice Areas
Tax Assessment Litigation
Jim Linnan has devoted his legal career to the representation of people who have been seriously injured as a result of accidents or medical errors. Jim has prosecuted numerous Medical Malpractice and personal injury cases and when settlement was not an option, he has tried those cases to a verdict. He has been named to the NY Jury Verdict Reporters Medical Malpractice Lawyer Hall of Fame for his verdict in Sohl v. Fox Hospital. Additionally, he was named Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America and has been recognized by National Trial Lawyers Top 100, Super Lawyers and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Practice Areas
Medical Malpractice
Job Titles:
- PARTNER
- Member of the New York State Bar Association
Kelly L. Malloy-Pogoda is a partner at Cooper Erving & Savage LLP, where she focuses her practice in the area of residential and commercial real estate. Kelly received her J.D. from Albany Law School Union University, where she was a member of the Justinian Society and graduated cum laude. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Vermont in 1986. Kelly was honored as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Kelly is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association, and the Capital District Women's Bar Association. She has been an active volunteer in the Legal Project for nearly ten years.
Practice Areas
Real Estate
Matthew E. Minniefield is a partner at Cooper Erving & Savage LLP where he focuses his litigation practice in banking and creditor's rights, labor and employment, tax certiorari, and immigration law.
Prior to joining Cooper Erving & Savage, Mr. Minniefield was an associate at an Albany law firm focusing on corporate law and commercial real estate matters. Before that, Mr. Minniefield was a Senior Court Attorney at the New York State Court of Appeals where he drafted comprehensive reports for the Judges of the Court analyzing the pertinent statutes, regulations, and case law, and recommended whether to grant, deny, or dismiss leave in civil motions for leave to appeal. He also drafted memorandum opinions for civil appeals selected for sua sponte merits disposition.
During law school, Mr. Minniefield worked as a law clerk for Cooper Erving & Savage where he prepared diverse memoranda, pleadings, and dispositive motions for partners involving banking law, tax certiorari, personal injury, employment discrimination, environmental issues, landlord tenant, and premise liability. Mr. Minniefield was the Managing Editor of the Western New England Law Review and a national finalist in the ABA Negotiation Moot Court Competition.
Practice Areas
Banking
Michael A. Kornstein joined Cooper, Erving & Savage in 1978 upon his admission to the bar and became a partner in 1983. Mr. Kornstein's practice is concentrated in the areas of banking, creditor's rights, bankruptcy and real estate matters.
Mr. Kornstein represents several financial institutions and has actively participated in work-outs, foreclosures and bankruptcies for the past 31 years. Mr. Kornstein has represented the Resolution Trust Corporation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in several liquidation matters including the foreclosure of a building contained in a regional shopping center, a real estate work-out involving an office building located in the City of Albany whose rehabilitation was financed through the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds issued by the City of Albany Industrial Development Agency, and the foreclosure of several garden apartment complexes.
Mr. Kornstein has also represented major financial institutions in the foreclosure of numerous residential and commercial properties, including office buildings, apartment complexes, hotels and marinas. Mr. Kornstein has also represented the NYS Housing Finance Agency and State of New York Mortgage Agency in the foreclosure of several assisted living facilities and their subsequent sales.
Mr. Kornstein has extensive bankruptcy experience in representing creditors, and on behalf of a local financial institution supervised the liquidation of Sounds Great, inc., a 14 outlet electronics retailer, which resulted in the retirement of a $3.7 million obligation owed to the Bank. Mr. Kornstein represented a financial institution in the Bennett Funding Group bankruptcy.
Mr. Kornstein also has extensive experience in representing financial institutions in transactional work as well, including residential and commercial real estate lending. He has served as his client's sole attorney for all loans transactions involving a privately held multi-million dollar wine manufacturer and distributor, preparing documents and closing asset-based loans, term loans, mortgage loans, and line of credit loans. Mr. Kornstein has also participated as bank counsel, underwriter's counsel and trustee's counsel in several industrial revenue bond transactions.
Mr. Kornstein received a bachelor's degree with honors from Union College in 1973 and graduated from Albany Law School in 1977, where Mr. Kornstein was a member and associate editor of the Albany Law Review. Mr. Kornstein has lectured at continuing legal education seminars sponsored by the New York State Bar Association in the area of mortgage foreclosures and also served as an adjunct lecturer for the Albany Chapter of the American Institute of Banking. Mr. Kornstein is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association, and the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association.
Practice Areas
Real Estate
Phillip G. Steck focuses his practice on litigation with a concentration in civil rights, employment, and commercial cases and has successfully advocated in major case trials and appeals for both plaintiffs and defendants. He has appeared before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York State Court of Appeals, Appellate Division, Third Department, as well as all Federal and State Courts in New York State. Mr. Steck also lectures on employment and civil rights law for bar associations, private companies, and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Steck is also a member of The New York State Assembly, representing parts of Albany & Schenectady counties.
Mr. Steck has been practicing employment and civil rights law for 25 years. He has wide-ranging experience in all of the employment-related matters listed on the firm's employment law website www.employeerightsalbany.com.
Practice Areas
Employment and Civil Rights Litigation
Susan is a partner in the Albany firm, Cooper Erving & Savage LLP, where she has practiced through the firm's various incarnations since graduating from Albany Law School. While at the Law School, Susan was a member of the Law Review and the recipient of several academic scholarships. Susan is a magna cum laude graduate of Russell Sage College where she was elected to Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Epsilon. She is active in a number of Bar organizations: the Albany County Bar Association where she has served as Director, Officer and President, the New York State Bar Association where she has served as a Member of the House of Delegates and the Nominating Committee, and the Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York, Inc. where she has served as a Director. In addition, Susan is a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and chairs the Nominating Committee for the Third Judicial District.
Susan has served a number of community organizations including the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce, Inc. as counsel, Emma Willard School as Trustee, Albany Roundtable, University at Albany Foundation and Council of Community Services as Director. She is currently chair of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation for the greater Capital Region, Inc. She has been named in Who's Who in American Law, Super Lawyers and other publications. Susan has concentrated in Trust and Estate Planning, Administration and Litigation and their relatives, Elder Law and Not-for-Profit organizations, for a number of years. Accordingly, she is a member of both the Trusts and Estates and Elder Law as well as the Business Corporation Sections of the State Bar. Susan is a frequent lecturer to community organizations and bar associations, both at the local and state levels.
Terrance P. Christenson focuses his practice on complex litigation with a concentration in commercial and industrial real property tax assessment law. Mr. Christenson has represented numerous business clients and several municipalities with respect to real estate tax assessment challenges. The type of properties involved include shopping centers, office buildings, apartment complexes, banks, factories, warehouses, public utilities including hydroelectric plants and reservoirs, medical buildings and substance abuse rehabilitation facilities. He has lectured on this subject for various groups including the Business Owners Management Association (BOMA). Mr. Christenson also handles complex commercial and corporate litigation matters. View Representative Cases.
Practice Areas
Commercial Litigation
Timothy B. Thornton joined the firm on June 15, 2022 as an "of counsel" attorney. He was formerly a partner at the firm of McNamee, Lochner, PC, where he had served as Chair of the Trusts and Estates and Elder Law department for more than 20 years. His practice is concentrated in the areas of Probating of Wills, Estate, and Trust Planning and Administration and Elder law planning. He also has considerable experience in the areas of Estate and Gift tax planning and real estate matters.
Mr. Thornton has represented several trust companies in estate and trust matters, including Bank of America and its predecessors Fleet Bank and State Bank of Albany, the former Chemical Bank, Trustco Bank, Key Bank, Ballston Spa National Bank and several others. He has represented numerous families and individuals as well as family-owned businesses.
Practice Areas
Estate and Trust Litigation