Howard N. Spiegler

Howard Spiegler is a partner and handles all aspects of commercial art matters, both in the litigation and transactional areas.

He has been involved in several of the best-known and most important litigations brought on behalf of foreign governments and heirs of Holocaust victims and others to recover stolen artwork or other cultural property. Howard settled a long-standing litigation brought on behalf of the Estate of Lea Bondi Jaray to recover a Schiele painting confiscated by a Nazi agent in Austria in the late 1930's, which resulted in the recovery of the full value of the painting by the Estate. Howard was also involved in the recovery by the heir of the famous Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker of 200 Nazi-looted artworks from the Dutch Government and the recoveries on behalf of the Republic of Turkey of numerous valuable antiquities. He was also involved in the action brought on behalf of the heirs of Kazimir Malevich, the world-renowned 20th Century Russian artist, to recover Malevich artworks from the City of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the resolution of which resulted in the recovery by the heirs of five important and valuable Malevich paintings.

Howard handles all types of art transactions, often with the assistance of other attorneys at Herrick, including counseling its clients on international trade issues, loans, museum and private exhibitions, organizing and structuring business entities, trust and estate matters, insurance issues, tax questions, criminal law concerns, and other matters.