Stephen Steinlight

Stephen J. Steinlight has nearly two decades of experience as a trial and appellate litigator in federal and state courts and arbitrations in an expansive range of complex business, commercial, corporate, real estate, banking, financial services, consumer finance, securities industry/broker-dealer, white-collar/regulatory, ERISA, and labor and employment matters.

Stephen has represented businesses and entities of diverse sizes and across a broad range of industries and sectors, such as financial services, banking, broker-dealers, real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, energy, utilities, education, and insurance, as well as individual executives and professionals.

He has appeared in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels in New York, New Jersey and numerous other jurisdictions, as well as in arbitrations. Stephen has also litigated before government regulatory bodies such as the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau (CFPB), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and several state and local agencies, as well as self-regulating organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Prior to joining the firm, Stephen worked at two other law firms that are listed on both The American Lawyer Top 100 (AmLaw 100) and the Vault 100 Rankings: Most Prestigious Law Firms in America.

Representative Matters :

• Defended clients in regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings before the CFPB, U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general, SEC, FINRA and EEOC.
• Litigated securities industry disputes on behalf of broker-dealers and individuals involving customer and investor claims for breaches of fiduciary duty, account mismanagement, suitability, and churning, as well as litigated intra-industry broker disputes, defended FINRA and SEC enforcement proceedings, and litigated FINRA employment law arbitrations involving issues related to Form U-4s/U-5s, promissory notes, loans, bonuses and other compensation claims.
• Litigated business and commercial disputes involving breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, business torts, fraud, misrepresentation, corporate partnership and shareholder rights, real estate, creditor rights and collections, intellectual property, insurance, and ERISA matters.

Professional and Community Involvement :

• American Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
• City of New York Bar Association
• Cornell University Class of 1998 Alumni Association
• Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network

Professional Experience :

• Law Clerk Extern to the Honorable Joseph Irenas of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
• Law Clerk to the Honorable Frank Donato of the Superior Court of New Jersey (Civil Law Division)

EDUCATION :

• Rutgers Law School, J.D., 2001, Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion (Notes Editor/Nuremberg Project Founder/Editor); Rutgers Moot Court Program (Top Oralist Prize)
• Cornell University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude in Government and with Distinction in all Subjects (Sherman-Bennett Prize), 1998

BAR ADMISSIONS : New York, New Jersey

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey