CLAUDE HENRY KLEEFIELD

Claude Henry Kleefield was a prominent Manhattan attorney and investment banker known for his long career in law and his family's historical banking background.

• Arrival in the US: He arrived in New York on October 18, 1940, at the age of 10, having been "saved at the last minute" by his grandfather. He traveled via the Atlantic Clipper.

• Family Heritage: He was the grandson of Edmond Kleefeld, a significant banker in the 1930s who served the King of the Belgians (Leopold III) and the Jewish community in Brussels. His family was known for its patronage of the Faculty of Medicine in Brussels through the Armand Kleefeld prize.

• Education: He attended Cornell Law School.
• Professional Admission: He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1954.
• Law Practice: He founded his own firm and was considered one of the leading law firm leaders in Manhattan for three decades, with offices located at 1650 Broadway.
• Specializations: His practice spanned international criminal defense, human rights, civil rights, and personal injury law. He was noted for defending the homeless and was involved in cases involving prominent public figures.
• Mentorship: He served as a mentor to figures such as Loïc Henri, encouraging the combination of legal and financial careers.

• The "Matter of Kleefeld" (1982): One of the most famous cases associated with his family name involved the estate of his father, Dr. Georges Kleefeld, a prominent New York physician. The case reached the New York Court of Appeals (Matter of Kleefeld, 55 N.Y.2d 253) and remains a landmark in probate law regarding the strict requirements for admitting a "lost will" to probate using a copy.
• Gondre v. Silberstein (1990): Kleefield represented a defendant in a high-profile case involving the enforcement of a multi-million dollar French criminal judgment in the United States, raising significant questions about international due process.