Alan J. Kluger Extended Biographical Information
From national class-actions to mega-bank-failure recoveries to civic activism, Alan Kluger’s clout has placed him among Miami’s noted powerbrokers.
Recognized by clients and adversaries alike for his legal wiles, business acumen, and creative energy, Kluger has risen as an important player in the South Florida legal community, as a patron of the arts, and as a dedicated community advocate.
The University of Miami graduate has carved out a reputation as a fearless litigator in nationally renowned battles with Goliaths such as Bridgestone/Firestone, the tobacco industry, and E.I. DuPont De Numours Company. In professional liability prosecutions he’s won several seven- and eight-figure settlements and verdicts; in the U.S. government’s savings and loan-asset-recovery program he helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars for trustees in the world’s largest bank failure, BCCI, and in South Florida's then-largest bank failure, CenTrust. His involvement in savings and loan crisis-litigation led to his founding the renowned Miami-based international law firm Kluger Peretz Kaplan & Berlin.
Kluger works to help businesses develop strategies that recognize larger business issues. For example, when a highly respected national private-equity group came to him with a serious “bet the company” case, he put together a litigation team, a legal strategy, and a public relations team to get out front on a potentially damaging issue.
“By creating the public storyline and a carefully planned litigation strategy, we forced the corporate sellers to settle early, for a significant public victory,” says Kluger.
This client—like many others—now consults with Kluger early and often, implementing a business strategy that now helps avoid such litigation from occurring. That, he says, is what he does best.
A likely personal injury tort against a major automobile tire manufacturer—Firestone—became a successful major consumer class-action following Kluger’s creative analysis of the facts. Sifting the facts from a business perspective to identify the critical underlying cause, Kluger recognized the opportunity to file the law suit under the Unfair & Deceptive Trade Practice Act instead of as a personal injury tort. The defendant then settled with the class prior to trial.
Kluger now is acting as lead national counsel in a pending class-action litigation against the E.I. DuPont De Numours Company (NYSE: DD), representing more than one-third of all Americans. The suits allege that the chemical and manufacturing giant knew for more than 20 years that Teflon and its component chemicals had the potential to make people sick—and hid that fact from consumers.
In addition, the Seminole Indian Tribe engaged Kluger to dispute a multi-billion-dollar business contract and subsequently relied on him to negotiate with the State of Florida on their behalf to increase gambling options in Broward County. Kluger represents other high-profile clients across the country, including Turnberry MGM and Karen Kozlowski.
Kluger’s peers in the legal community acknowledge his skill. He’s an AV Rated Lawyer by Martindale Hubbell, listed in Top Lawyers in South Florida in Commercial and Business Litigation by South Florida Legal Guide 2007, named to "The Best Lawyers in America" for Commercial Litigation, selected as a "Legal Elite" by Florida Trends magazine, included in "Best of the Bar" by South Florida Business Law Journal, and soon to be named to Chambers USA 2007 as a top South Florida litigator.
Kluger brings the same passion he takes into the courtroom to the South Florida community and beyond. In 1993 Kluger and his wife, Amy Dean, created a private foundation, the Dean-Kluger Judaic Collection, whose initial assets consisted of over 70 Jewish charity boxes dating as far back as 1679 and representing charitable institutions of former Jewish communities around the world, including Damascus, Syria, Baghdad, Iraq, Alexandria, Egypt, Calcutta, India, Salonika, and Morocco. The Collection is currently being liquidated and the proceeds used to meet the charitable goals of the Foundation.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center appointed Kluger to serve as the Chairman of the Annual South Florida Tribute Dinner Honoring Ezra Katz as the first ever Simon Wiesenthal Legacy Award winner. The event at the Radisson Miami with some 400 attendees raised over $650,000.
Kluger and Dean’s interest in art extends to collecting—they possess a world-class collection of American Art dating from 1945 to the present—and animates their community service. Dean sits on the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and is co-chair of its development committee. They often open their home and collection for tours, events, and fundraisers, as well as to South American art dealers, drawn by their extensive collection of Latin American art.
Kluger served on the Host Committee of the International Kids Fund Latin American Art Auction 2006. The event—one of the region’s more important, high-profile charity art functions—pioneered presenting an extraordinary selection of fine artworks donated by prestigious, contemporary artists from throughout Latin America. Proceeds from the auction pay for critical surgeries, life-saving medical treatments and essential follow-up care for children without access to needed services in their native Latin America and Caribbean countries.
Kluger’s significant volunteer work in the political arena includes initiating and heading up a leadership network that recently raised $600,000 for incumbent pro-Israel candidates—both Democrats and Republicans—in the U.S. House and Senate. One of those candidates, Congressman Steny Hoyer (D., Maryland) has just been elected majority leader and will host Kluger and Dean at his 2007 inauguration. Dean first met Hoyer as an observer at the Helsinki Human Rights trial to free Soviet Jews in the mid-1980’s, organized by President Ronald Reagan. In addition, Kluger and Dean host more than a dozen major fundraisers in their home each election cycle, and were invited to attend the 2006 Presidential State of the Union Address. Kluger, passionate about the Israeli-American agenda, serves on the executive committee of American-Israeli Political Action Committee.
Kluger formerly served as the Chairman of the Florida International University Law School Development Committee of the Committee of 100, a powerful and prominent group of South Florida leaders responsible for raising funds for various schools of the University. He is currently an active committee member.
He is also a founder of the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center, served as a Trustee on the Miami Chamber of Commerce, was Chairman of the Legislative Sub-Committee for the Dade County Mental Health Task Force on Child Abuse and Family Life Education, served from 1996 to 2001 as President of the Florida Hillel Council, and was a member of the Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board.
Kluger’s varied passions—in law, public service, art, travel, and politics—inform 30 years of notable contributions to the South Florida legal, business and charitable communities. He welcomes the opportunity to speak directly with the media on any of the above topics or to provide background or expert insight for story development.
