Genova Burns has created a distressed assets task force to deal with a surge of issues involving multiple complex matters across lending, banking and bankruptcy, the firm announced.
The Newark-based firm has offered a range of legal services across multiple areas and industries for many years. The new distressed assets task force, headed by Matthew Kertz, aims to leverage the firm’s experience on the cutting edge of market trends and opportunities.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, Kertz said the team at Genova Burns is ready to assist clients who are looking at distressed assets in their real estate portfolio.
Kertz, chair of the firm’s Commercial Leasing Specialty, describes the task force this way.
“A task force like this involves our commercial leasing group, our lending group with the banks, and bankruptcy — that’s the troika here,” he said. “Combining all three of these things is important to create a one-stop shop for people having problems, whether it’s a loan issue, bankruptcy, leasing, etc.”
The firm is no stranger to big bankruptcy cases, having been appointed local counsel in the LTL case, better known as the Johnson & Johnson talc bankruptcy.
Genova Burns’ Bankruptcy Law team is currently representing over 20 landlords impacted by the recent WeWork Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Genova attorneys Don Clarke, Dan Stolz and Sydney Schubert will represent these individuals as the shared-space giant faces a litany of bankruptcy proceedings. This, combined with the firm’s longstanding position in the commercial real estate space, provides immediate knowledge and experience with real estate deals gone bad.
“In today’s market, it is important for businesses to have options,” Chairman Angelo Genova said. “Our familiarity with these combined specialties will give clients options other than filing bankruptcy petitions, which no one wants.”
The task force aims to help on the following issues:
- Debt and lease restructuring;
- Commercial landlord and tenant workouts and dispute resolution;
- Banking and commercial lending;
- Mezzanine loan transactions;
- Equity financing transactions;
- Cross-jurisdictional transactions;
- Bankruptcy management and litigation.
