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Lee Woodard
D: (315) 214-2010  
lwoodard@harrisbeach.com

Lee. E. Woodard

  Member

(315) 214-2010
  lwoodard@harrisbeach.com
Profile
Representative Matters
Professional and Civic
Areas of Experience
Admissions
Education
Location
Publications and Events

Lee’s focus is assisting clients in dealing with troubled debt, counseling clients in bankruptcy and financial restructuring matters.  For 28 years, he was appointed by the United States Department of Justice, through the Office of the United States Trustee, as a panel trustee for Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy matters.  In Chapter 7 proceedings, he has counseled clients in the airline industry, various manufacturing facilities and a number of retail operations.  His Chapter 11 experience includes management of a major shopping mall; a multimillion-dollar heating, ventilation and air conditioning contracting company; marine distributorship; and a telecommunications company.

Representative Matters

  • Represents Bond Surety Company throughout the country in small, medium and mega chapter 11 bankruptcies with large environmental and remediation issues.
  • Represents creditors and debtors in bankruptcies, receiverships and workouts in courts throughout the US.
  • Represented debtor in large chapter 11 case of a brewery/restaurant operation in Upstate New York.
  • Filed the first chapter 15 cross border case in bankruptcy court in the Syracuse Division of the Northern District of New York.
  • Regularly counsels commercial lending clients in complex workout and bankruptcy matters.
  • Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Bankruptcy Clinic at Syracuse University College of Law.
  • Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 Trustee for the Office of the United States Trustee for 28 years.
  • Represented a client in the financial restructuring of a closed race track into a financially viable, full-service race track, hotel and racino.
  • Assisted a purchaser of loan portfolios in the analysis of loans to determine whether to proceed by legal process or restructure them directly with the end user.

Professional and Civic

  • Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association, founding member
  • Madison County Bar Association, member
  • Onondaga County Bar Association, member
  • Cazenovia College, previous adjunct professor in business law
  • Syracuse University, Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Bankruptcy Clinic
  • Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, past-president of the board of directors

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Bankruptcy, 2012 and 2017
  • Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2016, 2018 and 2020
  • Best Lawyers, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy, since 2007
  • Super Lawyers, Bankruptcy, Creditor Debtor Rights, since 2007
  • Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association, Nicholas S. Priore Advocacy and Professionalism Award, 2014

Legal Practices

Financial Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights

Industry Teams

Automotive and Vehicle Dealerships
Construction and Surety
Financial Institutions and Capital Markets
Racing and Gaming

Admissions

New York

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, New York - Northern District

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, New York - Southern District

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Texas - Southern District

U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

U.S. District Court, District of Vermont

U.S. District Court, New York - Eastern District

U.S. District Court, New York - Northern District

U.S. District Court, New York - Southern District

U.S. District Court, New York - Western District

U.S. Supreme Court

Vermont Law School

JD 
1982

Hobart and William Smith College

BA 
1977

Location

Syracuse, NY Office
Insights
January 25, 2021

Supreme Court Holds Creditor Retention of Debtor’s Property Does Not Violate “Automatic Stay”

The Supreme Court of the United States recently issued a decision regarding the scope of the “automatic stay” codified at section 362 of the
May 7, 2020

Health Care Industry: The Fiscal New Normal?

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an obvious strain on the U.S. health care system, and not just in the area of patient care. Th
News
October 15, 2021

72 Attorneys from Harris Beach Recognized in 2021 Edition of Super Lawyers

Partners, senior counsel and associates from Harris Beach PLLC offices across New York have been named to the 2021 edition of Super Lawyers,
October 15, 2021

Harris Beach Attorneys Recognized in 2022 Best Lawyers® List; 6 Named as Lawyers of the Year

Attorneys from Harris Beach PLLC have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© for 2022 in three categories: Best Lawyer, Lawyers of
November 12, 2019

79 Attorneys from Harris Beach Named to 2019 Super Lawyers List

A total of 79 Harris Beach PLLC attorneys have been named to the 2019 edition of Super Lawyers, a peer-based rating service that recognizes
August 15, 2018

63 Harris Beach Attorneys Named to Best Lawyers® List

A total of 63 attorneys from Harris Beach PLLC have made the 2019 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest guide of its kind in th
Events
July 14, 2020

Harris Beach Attorneys Presenting “Fiscal Readiness for Long-Term Care Organizations” Webinar

Attorneys Wendy Kinsella, Kevin Tompsett, Lee Woodard and Heidi Schult Gregory will present a webinar in partnership with the New York State
External Publications
All Insights, All Publications, Legal Alert |
 January 25, 2021
Supreme Court Holds Creditor Retention of Debtor’s Property Does Not Violate “Automatic Stay”
The Supreme Court of the United States recently issued a decision regarding the scope of the “automatic stay” codified at section 362 of the...read more
Advisory, All Insights, All Publications, Covid-19 |
 May 7, 2020
Health Care Industry: The Fiscal New Normal?
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an obvious strain on the U.S. health care system, and not just in the area of patient care. Th...read more
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(866) 999-0659

Lee. E. Woodard

lwoodard@harrisbeach.com
D: (315) 214-2010
Syracuse, NY Office
Lee Woodard
https://www.harrisbeach.com/people/woodard-lee-e/

■ Areas of Expertise

Financial Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Legal Practice
Automotive and Vehicle Dealerships Industry Team
Construction and Surety Industry Team
Financial Institutions and Capital Markets Industry Team
Racing and Gaming Industry Team

■ Profile

Lee’s focus is assisting clients in dealing with troubled debt, counseling clients in bankruptcy and financial restructuring matters.  For 28 years, he was appointed by the United States Department of Justice, through the Office of the United States Trustee, as a panel trustee for Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy matters.  In Chapter 7 proceedings, he has counseled clients in the airline industry, various manufacturing facilities and a number of retail operations.  His Chapter 11 experience includes management of a major shopping mall; a multimillion-dollar heating, ventilation and air conditioning contracting company; marine distributorship; and a telecommunications company.

■ Representative Matters

  • Represents Bond Surety Company throughout the country in small, medium and mega chapter 11 bankruptcies with large environmental and remediation issues.
  • Represents creditors and debtors in bankruptcies, receiverships and workouts in courts throughout the US.
  • Represented debtor in large chapter 11 case of a brewery/restaurant operation in Upstate New York.
  • Filed the first chapter 15 cross border case in bankruptcy court in the Syracuse Division of the Northern District of New York.
  • Regularly counsels commercial lending clients in complex workout and bankruptcy matters.
  • Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Bankruptcy Clinic at Syracuse University College of Law.
  • Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 Trustee for the Office of the United States Trustee for 28 years.
  • Represented a client in the financial restructuring of a closed race track into a financially viable, full-service race track, hotel and racino.
  • Assisted a purchaser of loan portfolios in the analysis of loans to determine whether to proceed by legal process or restructure them directly with the end user.

■ Professional and Civic

  • Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association, founding member
  • Madison County Bar Association, member
  • Onondaga County Bar Association, member
  • Cazenovia College, previous adjunct professor in business law
  • Syracuse University, Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of the Bankruptcy Clinic
  • Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, past-president of the board of directors

■ Admissions

  • Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Bankruptcy, 2012 and 2017
  • Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2016, 2018 and 2020
  • Best Lawyers, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy, since 2007
  • Super Lawyers, Bankruptcy, Creditor Debtor Rights, since 2007
  • Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association, Nicholas S. Priore Advocacy and Professionalism Award, 2014

■ Education

Vermont Law School
 ,JD
 ,1982
Hobart and William Smith College
 ,BA
 ,1977

Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide a full range of legal and professional services for clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. Harris Beach is among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal and is among the BTI Elite law firms based on in-depth interviews of more than 600 corporate counsel at the world’s largest and most influential companies. Our clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately-held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals. Principal industries we represent include education, energy, financial, food and beverage, health care, insurance, manufacturing, medical and life sciences, real estate developers, and state and local governments and authorities.

Industry Teams
Automotive and Vehicle Dealerships
Cannabis
Construction and Surety
Educational Institutions Higher Ed
Educational Institutions K-12
EMS and Fire Protection Providers
Energy
Financial Institutions and Capital Markets
Food and Beverage
Health Care
Industrial and Consumer Manufacturing
Medical and Life Sciences
Municipalities and Local Agencies
Nanotechnology
Photonics
Racing and Gaming
Real Estate Developers
Science and Technology
Telecommunications and Media
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
USA Collegiate Sports
Veterinary Medicine

Practices
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Appellate
Business and Commercial Litigation
Collection Law
Commercial Real Estate
Corporate
Cybersecurity Protection and Response
Diversity Compliance
E-Discovery (e-infoSM)
Employee Benefits
Employment Litigation
Environmental Law
Financial Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
Government Compliance and Investigations
Health Law
Immigration Law
Insurance Coverage
Intellectual Property Law
International Trade Law
Internet Law
Labor and Employment Law
Mass Torts and Industry-Wide Litigation
New Markets Tax Credit
Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law
Product Liability and Comprehensive General Liability
Public Finance and Economic Development
Real Property Valuation Litigation
Residential Real Estate
Sports Law
Tax Law
White Collar Crime
Wills, Trusts and Estates

Consulting Services
HB Solutions LLC
Collegiate Sports Compliance
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
Economic Development and Public Affairs
Educational Institution Assistance
EMRG® (E-Discovery Management Resources Group)
Energy
Health and Human Services
Human Resources
Information Technology
Marketing and Communication Services
Municipal and Local Agency Assistance

HB Cornerstone LLC
Owner Representation
Design Services
Facilities Consulting
Move Management

Caetra.io
CyMetric (Cybersecurity Regulation Compliance Software)

Offices throughout New York:

Albany
677 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207
518-427-9700