Management Team

Our Executive Officers

Hon. Joseph S. Mattina, J.S.C. (Ret.), Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Judge Joseph S. Mattina Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer joined the Company upon his retirement from the bench in December 2003.  Judge Martina is a 1956 graduate of the University of Buffalo Law School and has served the Western New York legal community for more than 48 years, 40 years as a prominent jurist.  He is a former NYS Surrogate Court Judge, NYS Supreme Court Justice, Erie County Judge, Buffalo City Court Judge and Erie County Assistant District Attorney.  His distinguished career has resulted in national recognition for numerous achievements, including the Treat Award for Excellence conferred by the National College of Probate Judges (the highest award conferred on a Probate Judge in the U.S.) and was one of only 16 judges nationwide to be inducted as a charter member of the National Judicial College Hall of Fame.  Judge Mattina was also a recipient of an award in January 2004 from the Western New York Coalition of Blacks in the Courts and received, from SUNY at Buffalo Law School, the Court Community Leadership Award in 2002, the Edwin Jaeckle Award in 1998 and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991.  In addition, he was awarded the National Brotherhood Award in 1973 from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and was honored by TIME Magazine in 1974 as one of the “200 Outstanding Young Citizens of the U.S.”  Judge Mattina was named Mediator from 1969-1974 of the Affirmative Action Program under former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and was one of six judges on the NYS Supreme Court to preside over the Attica rebellion trials.  He is the author of numerous articles, including “Investment Flexibility with Security” (NYLJ 1/13/97); “The Probate Court and the Non-Probate Revolution” and a textbook entitled “Sentencing” with Judge James M. Burns of the U.S. District Court, Portland Oregon utilized by the National Judicial College and at various law schools throughout the U.S.  Finally, Judge Mattina is a Faculty Instructor at the National Judicial College for many years and Adjunct Professor at SUNY Buffalo for over 30 years.

Currently Judge Mattina is a member of the Board of Trustees of Roswell Park Cancer Research Institute, a nationally renowned cancer hospital. He was appointed to that position by the New York State Senate. Judge Mattina was also appointed by the Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals to the Independent Judicial Nominating Commission and serves on that Board. Judge Mattina is also the Chairperson of the Orchard Park Ethics Committee, as well as a member of the City of Buffalo Board of Education Ethics Committee.

Perry Weitz, Esq., Co-Chairman

Mr. Weitz, Chairman of the Company, is a founding partner of the NYC-based law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., one of the most pre-eminent plaintiffs’ law firms in the country.  Since 1986, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., has represented tens of thousands of victims in individual and class action litigation and has assumed a leading role in state and national cases involving asbestos, breast and hip implants, numerous pharmaceutical recalls, personal injury and medical malpractice cases.  He has substantial expertise in, among other areas, personal injury, mass tort, toxic tort, construction litigation, medical malpractice, products liability and consumer fraud and is a top courtroom advocate, respected legal scholar and skilled manager of complex litigation.  Mr. Weitz is also an active leader in many bar associations, legislative committees, civic groups and philanthropic organizations.  He was admitted to the New York bar in 1985, having received his law degree from Hofstra University Law School in 1983 and B.A. from George Washington University in 1981.  He is Chairperson of the New York County Lawyers Association and a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

Arthur Luxenberg, Esq., Vice Chairman

Mr. Luxenberg, Co-Chairman, is also a founding partner of Weitz & Luxenberg, specializing in all forms of personal injury cases, toxic tort claims, class actions, construction accidents, labor law, appellate practice, negligence law, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical recalls, product liability and consumer fraud litigations.  He was admitted to the New York bar in 1985, having received his law degree from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in 1984 and his B.A. with highest honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981.  Mr. Luxenberg is co-author of the Practise Law Institute Course Book, 1988 and was a Moot Court Judge at Fordham University from 1987 to 1988.  He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the New York State Trial Lawyers, the Association of Trial Lawyers of the City of New York and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

Both Mr. Weitz and Mr. Luxenberg have acted as counsel in connection with dozens of reported cases in New York State

Paul R. Cody, President

Paul Cody is President of Counsel Financial and has over 15 years of experience in the private equity and financial services areas. Prior to joining Counsel Financial Mr. Cody was a General Partner and Chief Financial Officer of Seed Capital Partners, a private equity fund with a focus on early stage technology investments and JoRon Management, a closely held private equity fund with investment interests ranging from non recourse plaintiff funding to commodity based financial products. In that capacity, Mr. Cody oversaw portfolio investment activities, lead dozens of complex equity and debt transactions and frequently assumed operating roles within portfolio companies. He is a Certified Public Accountant and began his career with KPMG LLP, one of the world’s largest accounting firms. Paul holds an MBA and a BS degree from the University at Buffalo and has also served as an adjunct faculty professor in the Jacobs School of Management. He is a recipient of Business First of Buffalo´s 40 under 40 award in recognition for his record of professional success and community involvement. Mr. Cody’s numerous community service activities include serving as Chairman of the Board of Meals on Wheels of Buffalo and Erie County, Inc., one of the 15 largest Meals on Wheels agencies in the country and extensive involvement with the Buffalo chapter of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Michael P. Callahan, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Callahan, a certified public accountant licensed in New York State, is the Company’s top financial officer.  He has over 25 years of diversified experience assisting companies in the development, growth and structuring of business and financial operations.   Mr. Callahan has served as Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer of numerous public and privately-held companies.  In so doing, he has provided expert analyses and solutions in areas involving operations, finance, organization, administration, management, SEC reporting and shareholder relations.  Mr. Callahan received a Masters in Business Administration in 1980 from Monmouth University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Fordham University in 1971.  Mr. Callahan presently serves as Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western New York and Chief Financial Officer of the Mikey’s Way Foundation.

Phillip B. Abramowitz, Esq., General Counsel

Mr. Abramowitz, a patent attorney, practiced law for more than 30 years before joining Counsel Financial Services. He has had wide experience in the private sector, government service and academia. As a litigator, he has over 100 cases reported in the Westlaw system, ranging from patent and trademark matters to personal injury and criminal cases. He is a former assistant United States attorney for the Western District of New York, and has been a clinical instructor of law at the University of Buffalo School of Law where he supervised senior law students who were given special permission to argue felony criminal appeals. Mr. Abramowitz has received the highest rating (AV) from Martindale- Hubbell.

Alan M. Friedman, Esq., Senior Legal Adivsor

Mr. Friedman, an attorney licensed to practice in the State of New York since 1973 and the State of New Jersey since 1975, acts as the Company’s chief legal analyst of law firm case portfolios and credit reviews.  Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Friedman spent more than 22 years as a member of the United States Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force in the Eastern District of New York and the Office of the District Attorney of Kings County, New York.  In connection therewith, he was responsible for the investigation, supervision and trial of complex economic, labor, construction, asbestos removal and insurance fraud cases.  He has also been senior partner, principal litigator and appellate attorney in private practice for over 8 years, specializing in all areas of litigation, including multi-million dollar commercial and real estate transactions, medical and legal malpractice cases, securities arbitrations and civil RICO cases.  Mr. Friedman is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Federal Districts of New Jersey and Connecticut.

Megan Payne, Senior Vice President

Ms. Payne reviews all new applications, analyzes the financial strength of the law firm and its partners individually, and monitors all current loans. Before joining Counsel Financial Services, Ms. Payne was employed at M&T Bank as a credit analyst and also as a commercial lender. She received a Masters in Business Administration from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester in 2002 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Rochester in 2001.

James W. Cox, Director of Financial Auditing

Mr. Cox reviews the financial performance of clients and applicants; and works with our clients on-site to ensure that adequate and appropriate funding is provided throughout the relationship.  Prior to his employment with Counsel Financial Services, Mr. Cox spent 21 years in the Commercial Lending and Investment industries.  He worked primarily as a Commercial Loan Officer and Due-diligence Consultant for several of the nation’s largest Asset-Based and Commercial & Industrial lenders as well as Venture Capital and Investment Banking firms.  In 1984 Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY; and in 1991 he earned an MBA in Management from the Lally School of Management and Technology at RPI.