Founding partner of the law firm of Bellavia Gentile & Associates, LLP, Leonard A. Bellavia is a nationally recognized authority in the field of automotive franchise law and represents hundreds of automobile and marine dealerships across the country in all aspects of commercial litigation and buy-sell transactions. He has been instrumental in negotiating the sale of hundreds of dealerships. He has achieved national recognition for advocating the mass action litigation model on behalf of franchised automobile dealers, and has successfully implemented this strategy to achieve an important settlement in a litigation to recover reasonable compensation for warranty parts reimbursement. Mr. Bellavia has commenced mass action lawsuits on behalf of hundreds of dealers in the United States District Courts against DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Snap-On Tools, and the Tribune Company.

He has recently achieved an important settlement in a lawsuit to recover reasonable compensation for warranty parts reimbursement in a special mass action initiative commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of NY.

John Gentile is a partner in the law firm of Bellavia Gentile & Associates, LLP. in Mineola, New York. The firm has been handling automobile related transactions for nearly twenty (20) years and has developed a strong reputation in the industry. Since joining with Leonard Bellavia in 1991, Mr. Gentile has personally handled hundreds of buy/sell transactions over his years in practice.

These transactions have included sales to public companies; manufacturer buy-backs; voluntary terminations; sales of dealerships in bankruptcy; as well as standard dealership sales and purchase agreements. In connection with buy/sell agreements, Mr. Gentile also handles real estate matters which are often an integral part of a buy/sell transaction. His practice also includes litigation on behalf of automobile dealers in disputes with manufacturers, as well as financial workouts between dealerships and lending institutions.

Mr. Gentile has also prepared dealership valuations for his clients for both estate purposes and partner buy outs. Mr. Gentile is a frequent lecturer at automobile dealership seminars and is a quoted source in both local and national trade publications.

Steven Blatt is an associate attorney with the firm of Bellavia Gentile & Associates, LLP in Mineola, New York. He is part of the firm’s litigation practice group.

Mr. Blatt has extensive experience in the fields of complex commercial litigation and employment law. Since graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Blatt’s over twenty years of complex commercial litigation experience, in both federal and state courts, includes franchise litigation, out of trust workouts, lender liability litigation, New York State Franchised Motor Vehicle Dealer Act litigation, corporate dissolutions, breach of employment contracts, and violation of restrictive covenants not to compete.

In addition, Mr. Blatt’s has substantive experience advising companies regarding all employment related issues including wrongful discharges, terminations, wage hour matters and responding to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, State Human Rights, Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board charges and complaints.

Peter D. Baron

Jane K. Cristal

Mark W. Gaffney

Thomas A. Holman

Kevin E. Maldonado

Kenneth F. McCallion