In troubled times, businesses face greater challenges. Those challenges may come from within, or they may be related to your customers’ or suppliers’ circumstances. In this Department, our experienced lawyers advise, counsel and advocate for our clients in all manner of distressed situations across many industries. Our clients are secured lenders and creditors, servicers, trade creditors, creditor committees, insurers, lessors of real and personal property and purchasers of distressed debt, assets or companies. We also represent companies trying to restructure their businesses and finances.  When our clients are unable to restructure outside bankruptcy, we represent them as debtors in their bankruptcy proceedings. 

• Debt restructuring, workouts, and out-of-court arrangements.
• Commercial and real estate loan modifications, amendments, and extensions.
• Pre-bankruptcy protection planning.
• Collateral protection and perfection analysis.
• Bankruptcy and bankruptcy reorganizations in all phases.
• Lien priority disputes.
• Filing and defending proofs of claim.
• Litigating fraudulent conveyances and preferences.
• Enforcement of security interests and mortgages, including UCC public and private sales.
• Repossessions and foreclosures.
• State and Federal receiverships.
• Loan sales.
• Analysis and enforcement of negotiable instruments, letters of credit, and payment orders.
• Mechanics liens.
• Landlord and tenant disputes.
• Protection of claims in connection with third party sales.
• Confessions of judgment.
• Mediation and arbitration proceedings.

We have significant experience in bankruptcy and insolvency matters and represent our clients in cases across the United States.  We deal with all issues whether simple or complex, in Chapters 7, 9 11, 12 and 13 cases and out-of-court restructurings.  Clients use our services for matters including:

• Claim analysis and protection.
• Preparing, filing, and defending proofs of claims.
• Debtor-in-possession (DIP) lending and cash collateral matters.
• Adequate protection.
• Relief from the automatic stay.
• Preference, fraudulent conveyance, voidable transfer analysis, and litigation.
• Plan negotiation preparation, objections, and confirmation issues.
• Section 363 sales.
• Discharge issues including channeling injunctions.
• Post-confirmation litigation.
• Post-confirmation trust-related matters including mass tort claims and defenses.
• Providing consulting and testifying expert analyses and opinions.

We have experience in a wide variety of practice areas and industries including:

• Agriculture
• Aircraft lending
• Asbestos and mass torts
• Commercial and industrial
• Energy
• Government lending
• Health care and hospitals
• Hospitality
• Municipal
• Real estate, including commercial leasing and single family, multi-family residential development

Representative Experience:

Including the cases presided over by Honorable Judith K. Fitzgerald (Ret.), our bankruptcy attorneys have been actively involved as counsel or expert consultants in many significant corporate cases including:

• Allegheny Health, Education, and. Research Foundation (AHERF)
• American Pad & Paper Co.
• Armstrong World Industries
• August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Judith K. Fitzgerald as state court receiver
• Austin
• Becker Boiler Co.
• Bethlehem Steel
• Birmingham Steel
• BMC Liquidation Company
• Boy Scouts of America
• Brockway Pressed Metals
• Busy Beaver Bldg. Centers, Inc.
• Center City Hospital, LLC d/b/a Hahnemann University Hospital, St. Christopher’s Healthcare, LLC, and SCHC Pediatric Associates, LLC
• Chemtura Corporation
• City of Harrisburg Chapter 9
• Colonial Chevrolet Co., Inc.
• Color Tile, Inc.
• Combustion Engineering, Inc.
• Consolidated Steel Services, Inc.,
• The Covenant at South Hills
• CSC, Ltd.
• DCK/TTEC, LLC
• Envirosolutions
• Equipment Acquisition Resources
• Federal-Mogul Corporation
• Fleming Cos.
• Fleming Steel Company
• The Flintkote Company
• Forman Enterprises, Inc.
• Forman Industries, Inc.
• Forum Health
• Frasers Boiler Service, Inc.
• Georgetown Steel
• Global Industrial Technologies
• Greater Erie Industrial Development Corp.
• Imerys Talc America, Inc.
• Innovative Communications Corp.
• Italian Oven
• James F. Humphreys & Associates, LC.
• Just For Feet, Inc.
• K&J Coal Co., Inc.
• Kaiser Aluminum Corporation
• K-Mart
• Lehman Brothers
• Le-Natures
• Levinson Steel Co.
• Lewis Equipment Company
• LTL Management LLC.
• The LTV Corp. (LTV Steel)
• Lyondell Chemical Company
• Maronda Homes
• Mid-Valley, Inc.
• National Steel Corporation
• North American Refractories Co. (NARCO)
• Owens Corning
• Papercraft Corporation
• Peregrine Systems, Inc.
• PHP Healthcare Corporation
• Pilgrim’s Pride
• Pittsburgh Corning Corporation
• Pittsburgh-Canfield Corporation and W-P Coal Company
• Protea Biosciences, Inc.
• Protea Biosciences Group, Inc.
• Repsol Oil & Gas USA, LLC
• RG Steel
• Shannopin Coal Co.
• Skinner Engine Company
• Somerset Regional Water Resources
• Three Rivers Ice Cream Service Inc.
• United States Mineral Products Company
• USG Corporation
• W.R. Grace & Co.
• Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corp.(Wheeling-Pitt Steel)
• WorldClass Processing, Inc.
• YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh