Focus:
A partner in Bernstein-Burkley’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring practice group, Harry’s practice focuses on:
- Corporate Bankruptcy
- Restructuring involving receiverships
- Mechanic’s liens
- Collection actions
- Foreclosure actions
- Lease defaults
- Uniform commercial code issues
He Represents:
In addition to helping numerous companies restructure their balance sheets outside of bankruptcy and counseling entrepreneurs on asset protection, Harry also represents:
- Corporate debtors and creditors
- Commercial lessors
- Financial institutions
- Financing companies
- Lessees
- Secured lenders
- Bankruptcy trustees
- Parties in the sale and acquisition of businesses
Notable Cases:
Throughout his distinguished 50-year legal career, Harry has had many notable cases, including:
- Representing a company in bankruptcy that had 50,000 asbestos claims, which resulted in a successful settlement with all claimants and its insurance companies
- Representing a bank in a $30 million claim against an airport security firm in Chapter 11, obtaining 100% recovery of its loan
- Representing an Ohio subsidiary of a Canadian company in its Chapter 11, successfully conducting a sale of the assets to a related entity, avoiding the liquidation of the Canadian parent and allowing the subsidiary to continue profitable operations with less than $3 million of debt
Recognition:
Harry has been widely recognized for his expertise in business bankruptcy and creditors’ rights by:
- Chambers USA
- Best Lawyers in America
- Super Lawyers
- Ohio Leading Lawyers – Ohio Business Magazine
He was also inducted as a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, an elite and prestigious membership of 740 invitation-only attorneys, judges, professors, and turnaround professionals, and served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he taught business bankruptcy.
Admissions:
- Ohio State Bar
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Awards:
- American College of Bankruptcy – Fellow, XXIII Class (2012)
- Best Lawyers in America® – Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Best Lawyers in America® – Lawyer of the Year 2022 – Cleveland, OH
- Chambers USA – Bankruptcy
- Commercial Law League of America – President’s Cup for Meritorious Service (2000)
- Martindale-Hubbell – AV-Preeminent Rated
- Ohio Super Lawyers – Bankruptcy; Creditor Debtor Rights
- Super Lawyers – Top 50 Lawyers in Cleveland
- Super Lawyers – Top 100 Lawyers in Ohio
Affiliations and Memberships:
- American Bankruptcy Institute – Member
- American Bar Association – Member
- American Board of Certification of Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights – Emeritus Director; Former Chairman
- American College of Bankruptcy – Member
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law – Adjunct Professor, Business Bankruptcy
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association – Co-Chair, William J. O’Neill Great Lakes Regional Bankruptcy Institute (2015); Former Chair, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section; Former Member, Board of Directors
- Commercial Law League of America – Editor, Journal and Bulletin Editor; Chairman, Bankruptcy Insolvency Section; Chairman, Midwest Region; Former Member, Board of Governors, Bankruptcy Section Chair, & Treasurer.
- INSOL International – Member
- Lake Erie Local Masters Swim Club – Board of Directors
- Ohio State Bar Association – Member
- Ohio University College of Business – Visiting Professor (2015)
- Ohio Masters Swim Club – Board Member
- Turnaround Management Association – Member
- S. Masters Swim Club – Finance Committee; Review Committee
- Senior Law Counsel of the Ohio State Bar Association
Education:
- Ohio University, (B.B.A. Business, 1967)
- Cleveland State University (Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., 1970)
Publications:
- “Credit Bidding at Bankruptcy Sales: A Powerful Tool, But Not Absolute” (Co-Author, ABF Journal, May/June 2014)
- “This Land Isn’t Your Land” (Co-Author, Commercial Law World, January/February 2012)
- “What Do You Mean the Lessee Sold My Equipment? It’s Mine!” (Co-Author, Lease Enforcement Attorney Network, July 2011)
Presentations:
- Retention Issues in Individual Chapter 11 Cases (Presenter, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, October 2014)
- Budgeting for the Local Master Swim Club (Presenter, U.S. Master Swimming National Convention, September 2014)
- Distressed Sales – Has Chapter 11 Become “Let’s Make a Deal?” (Panelist, William J. O’Neill Bankruptcy Institute, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, May 2014)
Testimonials:
- “I started working with Harry about 10 or 11 years ago. He came highly recommended from lawyers I worked with. Right away, we hit it off. He’s extremely knowledgeable on bankruptcy matters. It was phenomenal what he did for us. He was a tremendous help. Anyone who works with him will tell you he’s bold and very straightforward. He’ll support you and find the right people for you to work with. He has the right expertise. Even after going through the process of Chapter 11, we’ve stayed in contact, and he’s been able to help me through other matters. I think he’s one of the best. Not just in the field of bankruptcy, but in truly supporting an organization.” – Client Testimonial
- “Harry Greenfield and Jeffrey Toole of Bernstein-Burkley are two of the best bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers I have had the pleasure to work with over the past 20 plus years. Not only are they both very smart and knowledgeable about the law, they also bring a unique creativity and business sense to the table in their cases.” – Best Lawyers U.S. News review