Higher Education

Admitted to State Bar of Texas 1978; also admitted to U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Education: Baylor University (J.D., 1978). City Attorney, Pharr, Texas, 1980-1990. Member: Hidalgo County (Director, 1982-1984) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Defense Research Institute. (Board Certified, Family Law and Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Languages: English and Spanish. Practice Areas: Family Law; Insurance Defense; Personal Injury; Civil Rights Litigation. Fellow of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Named Texas Super Lawyer 2011.

Ele Klein is co-chair of the M&A and Securities Group, co-chair of the global Shareholder Activism Group and serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He practices in the areas of shareholder activism, mergers and acquisitions, securities law and regulatory compliance. He represents activists, investment banks and companies in matters ranging from corporate governance and control to proxy contests and defensive strategies. His recent representations have included representing Engine No. 1 in Exxon Mobil; TCI in Canadian National; JANA Partners in Zendesk, New Relic and Mercury Systems; D.E. Shaw in FedEx and Verisk Analytics; Corvex Management at Anaplan; Trian Fund Management in multiple matters; Elliott Management in Marathon Petroleum, Akamai Technologies and Hess Corp.; Greenlight Capital in General Motors; Cevian Capital in Autoliv, ABB and LM Ericsson; Starboard Value in Papa John’s International and Acacia Research; Politan Capital at Centene Corp.; Caligan Partners in Knowles Corp. and AMAG Pharmaceuticals; venBio Select Advisor in Immunomedics; Saba Capital in First Trust; Oasis Capital in Stratus Properties; Altimeter Capital Management in United Continental Holding; SRS Investment Management in Avis Budget Group; and Anchorage in connection with board representation at Houghton Mifflin. Ele works on numerous activist campaigns and related transactions every year for some of the largest private investment groups and investment banks in the United States and abroad. In addition, he advises on private investments in public equity (PIPEs), initial public offerings and secondary offerings, venture capital financing, and indenture defaults and interpretation, and he counsels clients in the regulatory areas of insider trading, short selling, Sections 13 and 16, Rule 144, insider trading and Regulation M/Rule 105. Ele is recognized as a 2022 Dealmaker of the Year in The American Lawyer, for his work on Engine No. 1, the largest proxy fight in history, which resulted in the addition of three directors to the Exxon Mobil board of directors. He is also ranked as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, New York Super Lawyers – New York Metro Top 100 and Super Lawyers Business Edition. He has served as a moderator and speaker at numerous conferences and events addressing Shareholder Activism, regulatory and reporting issues, PIPEs, M&A deals, the capital markets and other topics of interest to the alternative investment industry. He is a regular contributor to the Shareholder Activism Insight report and The Activist Investing Annual Review, produced annually by Activist Insight in association with SRZ. Ele received his J.D. from Yale Law School where he was senior editor on The Yale Law Journal.

Jonathan J. Klein is a Partner with Parlatore Law Group who has 40 years of experience in an unusually broad array of practice areas, including complex commercial, civil, tax and securities litigation; criminal defense; appeals in all state and federal courts; corporate law; tax assessment appeals; administrative law; commercial and residential landlord-tenant law; labor and employment law; probate litigation; election law; military law; and zoning law. He brings his significant breadth of experience and knowledge to each client with whom he works. Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants in court, preparing or negotiating contracts, or advising on corporate legal issues, he has a well-earned reputation as a highly skilled, tenacious litigator and a fierce advocate inside and outside the courtroom. Mr. Klein takes pride in solving the most perplexing and complex problems facing individuals and businesses and in serving each client in a caring, patient and understanding style. He is committed to providing his clients with the highest quality of service in a time-efficient, cost-effective manner. Mr. Klein is also a seasoned appellate advocate, having briefed and argued more than 30 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2d Circuit, the Connecticut Supreme Court and Appellate Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. In his criminal practice, he has represented clients accused of white collar crimes such as bank fraud, securities fraud, embezzlement, counterfeiting, forgery and tax evasion, violent crimes ranging from murder to home invasion, narcotics, and a full range of military crimes. He also represents corporate and individual targets of, and witnesses in, federal grand jury investigations. Additionally, Mr. Klein advises clients on a full spectrum of corporate law issues, including commercial leasing and other transactions, forming corporations and limited liability companies, buying and selling businesses, and preparing and negotiating contracts of all kinds. Parlatore Law Group is passionate about helping small businesses, and Mr. Klein is equipped to advise both management and employees in labor and employment law matters, including discrimination and hostile work-place issues. Prior to joining Parlatore Law Group, Mr. Klein served on active duty in the Trial Defense Service of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, as a Senior Special Counsel in the Department of Enforcement of the New York Stock Exchange, and in private practice for more than 30 years in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He has also had the distinction of presiding over a number of Superior Court trials as an Attorney Trial Referee, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Now a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, where he and his wife enjoy spending time with 2 of their 5 children and 14 of their 24 grandchildren, Mr. Klein is proud and excited to expand his practice with Parlatore Law Group to serve clients in that area, while continuing to serve his clients in Connecticut.