Otterbourg Bankruptcy Head Receives NYLJ Distinguished Leader Award
October 17, 2019
Otterbourg Bankruptcy practice leader and former Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York, Melanie Cyganowski, has been recognized by the New York Law Journal with its 2019 Distinguished Leaders Awards for professional excellence.
This award recognizes attorneys in leadership roles who achieved impressive results in the past year. Others may fly below the radar, but this group of extraordinary lawyers had great performances while demonstrating clear leadership skills that resulted in positive outcomes.
In response to the New York Law Journal question of what were some of her proudest recent achievements, Judge Cyganowski said:
As a retired Bankruptcy Judge and public servant of many years, I am proudest of my cases that involve serving the public interest. Off the top, Texas, together with an ad hoc consortium of states, retained me to represent their interests from a bankruptcy perspective in the various opioid litigations and bankruptcy cases. Obviously, my experiences on and off the bench played a role in shaping my advice. Other public interest matters since joining Otterbourg include serving as Patient Care Ombudsman in health care bankruptcies (where I monitored patient care to assure it is not adversely impacted by the bankruptcy) and as Receiver in Platinum Partners, as a fiduciary in related SEC litigation. Also, at the very top of the list, is my appointment by the NYS Health Commissioner to serve as the first Temporary Operator of a community hospital, Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn
To read more of the interview with Judge Cyganowski please click here: https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2019/10/17/distinguished-leader-melanie-l-cyganowski/