Top Rated Bankruptcy Attorney in Braintree, MA

Honors/Awards:

• Cum Laude, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA, 1994
• Arbitrator on Legal Fee Arbitration Board, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, 2004 - Present
• Selected as One of The Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts, Law and Politics Journal, 2008
• Paul J. Liacos Distinguished Scholar, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA, 1994
• Fellow, Massachusetts Bar Foundation, 2008 - Present
• Selected as One of The Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts, Law and Politics Journal, 2009
• Selected as One of The Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts, Law and Politics Journal, 2010
• G. Joseph Tauro Scholar, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA, 1994
• Pro Bono Counsel of the Year for Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, Boston, MA, 2008

Special Licenses/Certifications:

• Member of the Panel of Professionals approved by the Massachusetts Superior Court to serve as receivers in cases filed in Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties.

Bar/Professional Activity:

• Member, American Bankruptcy Institute, Alexandria, VA, Advisory Board to Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, 2006 - Present
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
• Member, Boston University School of Law Alumni Association, Executive Committee
• Co-Chair, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, Bankruptcy Practice Group, 2004 - Present
• Delegate-at-Large, House of Delegates, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, 2008 - Present
• Member, American Bankruptcy Institute, Alexandria, VA, Advisory Board to the Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, 2006 - Present
• U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
• Supreme Judicial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Co-Chair, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, Business Law Section Council, 2009 - Present
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, Amicus Brief Committee, 2006 - Present
• Co-Chairman, American Bankruptcy Institute, Alexandria, VA, 16th Annual Northeast Bankruptcy Conference
• U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts
• Member, Board of Bar Overseers, Boston, MA, Hearing Committee, 2006 - Present
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, Business Law Section Council, 2006 - Present
• Delegate-at-Large, House of Delegates, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, MA, 2006 - 2007

Pro bono/Community Service:

• Member, Legal Affairs Committee of the Finance Council of the Archdiocese of Boston, 2008 - Present

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

• Lecturer in Law at the Law School for 2004-2005 academic year, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA. Taught first year law students legal writing, research and appellate advocacy
• Lecturer in Law, New England Law/Boston, Boston, MA, 2010 - Present
• An Old Tool for a New Job; The Use of Federal Receiverships to Liquidate Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate Finance Association, Boston, Massachusetts, May 4, 2010
• The Madoff Mess One Year Later, Massachusetts Continuing Education, Boston, Massachusetts, March 31, 2010
• Reports of the Death of Bankruptcy are Greatly Exaggerated—The Impact of General Growth Properties on CMBS Workouts and Liquidations, Massachusetts Bar Association's 2010 Annual Conference, Boston, Massachusetts March 11, 2010
• Be Careful What You Wish For—Liquidation of CMBS Loans in Federal Receiverships, Sixth Annual Caribbean Insolvency symposium, Boca Raton, Florida, February 12, 2010
• Trying Your "1st" (or Next) Bankruptcy Case, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston, Massachusetts, December 17, 2009
• Practical Strategies for Unsecured Creditors to Maximize Recoveries in Bankruptcy, Massachusetts Bar Association's Seventh Annual In-House Counsel Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, December 9, 2010
• Representing Builders, Design Professionals, and Developers in Troubled Times - The Lender's Perspective, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston, Massachusetts, June 26, 2009
• Current Trends in 363 Sales, Massachusetts Bar Association's Latest in the Law Conference, Braintree, Massachusetts, May 13, 2009
• Cram Down - A Powerful Medicine To Be Sure, But Will it Cure The Disease in the Housing Market, Boston University School of Law Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, Perspectives on the Financial Crisis Program, John Adams Hearing Room, Massachusetts State House, Boston, Massachusetts, March 11, 2009
• Workshop on Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights for Business Lawyers, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, January 20, 2009
• Symposium for Commercial Law Judges from the Russian Federation on Russian and American Consumer Bankruptcy Systems, Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, December 11, 2008
• The Perfect Storm – Judicial, Regulatory and Statutory Responses to the Current Foreclosure Crisis in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bar Association's Sixth Annual In-House Counsel Conference: Doing Business in Troubled Times, Newton, Massachusetts, December 10, 2008
• Trade Deficit – Challenges to Claims Trading in Bankruptcy, American College of Investment Counsel, New York, New York, October 24, 2008
• Post-BAPCPA Strategies for Trade Creditors, Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, October 21, 2008
• Anatomy of a Distressed Business, American College of Bankruptcy, Boston College Law School, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts April 18, 2008
• Strategies for Investing in Distressed Businesses in Bankruptcy, Wharton Restructuring Conference, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22, 2008
• A Trustee in Bankruptcy is Not an Innocent Successor – A Defense of a "Pointless Technicality," American Bankruptcy Institute's Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, Hollywood, Florida, January 17-18, 2008
• Recent Developments in Debtor/Creditor Law, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston, Massachusetts, January 2008
• Central Virginia Community College v. Katz: Reflections and Prognostications, Massachusetts Bar Association Annual Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, March 24, 2006
• Credit Concerns for Older Americans, Senior Humanities Program, Massasoit Community College, Brockton, Massachusetts, February 26, 2007
• Hedge Fund Failures: Myths, Realities and Challenges, American Bankruptcy Institute Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 9, 2007
• Strategies for Effective Legal Writing, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, February 16, 2006
• Strategies for Effective Legal Writing, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, September 26, 2006
• The Preemptive Effect of the Bankruptcy Code on State Law-Lessons from Sherwood Partners, Inc. Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors v. Lycos, Inc., Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, October 18, 2005
• Upcoming Changes in ECF and Other Practical Tips from the Clerk's Office, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, September 19, 2006
• Techniques and Strategies for Effective Legal Writing, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, August 11, 2005
• Hedge Fund Failures: Two Cheers for Liquidation in Bankruptcy, American Bankruptcy Institute's 13th Annual Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, Newport, Rhode Island, July 13 – 16, 2006
• Lecturer in Law at the Morin Center's Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law since 2008, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA. Currently teaching Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights in the LLM Program.
• Significant Changes in Chapter 11, American Bankruptcy Institute's 12th Annual Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, American Bankruptcy Institute, Brewster Massachusetts, July 14-17, 2005
• Reclamation-An Imperfect Substitute for Collateral, New York Consolidated Law Service, § 2-702 (LexisNexis), 2005
• Stoppage-An Unsecured Seller's Last Best Chance to Get Paid, New York Consolidated Law Service, §2-705 (LexisNexis), 2005
• The Pre-Paying Buyer's Illusory Property Interest in Undelivered Goods, New York Consolidated Law Service, §2-502 (LexisNexis), 2005
• Collection Law for Lenders and Credit Extenders, Lorman Education Services, Boston, Massachusetts, September 17, 2004
• Kicking Over the Chessboard—Everything a Civil Litigator Needs to Know When Another Party Files for Bankruptcy, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston, Massachusetts, April 24, 2006
• The New Bankruptcy Code Amendments: A More Even Playing Field For Preference Defendants, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Boston, Massachusetts, April 26, 2006

Representative Clients:

• Olde Center Ventures, Inc. v. Dinapoli, Middlesex Superior Court, Civil Action No. 08-0268F(retained to testify as to the reasonableness of a secured creditor's attorneys' fees incurred in connection with a Chapter 11 case.)
• New Bedford Capacitor, Inc. v. Sexton Can Company, Inc., 301 B.R. 375, Bankr. D. Mass., 2003( whether allegedly preferential transfer is a separate claim or transaction for purposes of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7015 and §546 of the Bankruptcy Code)
• Eagles v. McCabe, Essex Superior Court, Civil Action No. 07-00293D (retained to testify about an attorney's duty of fidelity and care in connection with his client's investment in a speculative real estate venture.)
• Ticketplanet.com v. TPAC, LLC, et al., 313 B.R. 46, Bankr. S.D.N.Y., 2004 (awarding summary judgment on claims of fraud, conversion, veil piercing and fraud on the court)
• In re Reading Broadcasting, Inc., 2008 WL 1828821, Bankr. E.D. Pa., March 12, 2008, (whether §1144 of the Bankruptcy Code precludes a motion under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9023 to vacate confirmation order on grounds other than fraud)
• Jensen v. Neilson, 2002 WL 32817517, C.D. Cal., Jan. 15, 2002, (whether bankruptcy court could approve terms of a settlement of fraudulent transfer litigation arising from a leverage buyout based on declarations filed under seal); Shoppers World Community Center, L.P. v. Bradlees Stores, Inc., et al., 2001 WL 1112308 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 20, 2001)(whether terms of a court-approved stipulation barring assignment of debtor's leasehold were enforceable in the debtor's bankruptcy case)
• Reported Cases: Sherwood Partners, Inc. v. Lycos, 394 F. 3d 1198 (9th Cir.) (case of first impression holding that California's longstanding preference statute was preempted by enactment of the federal Bankruptcy Code), cert. denied, 126 S.Ct. 397, 2005
• In re Reading Broadcasting, Inc., 2008 WL 3540212, E.D. Pa., August 8, 2008, (dismissing appeal of a sale order by competing bidder and largest unsecured creditor in the case on equitable mootness grounds)

Educational Background:

• University of Massachusetts, B.A. in Political Science, 1987
• Massachusetts School For Financial Studies Babson College, Wellesley, MA, 1990 - 1991