Robert has led private sector restructuring engagements in a broad range of industries, including energy, telecommunications, automotive/manufacturing, real estate, gaming and hospitality, media and entertainment, retail, and aviation, as well as engagements in landmark public sector restructurings. He is creative and pragmatic in developing case strategy but also prepared to aggressively leverage litigation positions as needed to advance his clients’ goals.
Among Robert’s clients are distressed companies; independent directors, examiners, liquidating trustees, and other estate fiduciaries; ad hoc and official creditors’ and retirees’ committees; pension systems; secured and unsecured creditors; distressed-asset investors; and lessors. He has also served as a federal court receiver in an enforcement action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Most recently, Robert has served as counsel to the Examiner in the First Brands Group chapter 11 cases, involving allegations of a multibillion-dollar fraudulent enterprise in the automotive after-market parts industry and is currently serving as lead counsel to the debtors in the Hudson 1701/1706, LLC, et al. chapter 11 cases involving a multi-family housing redevelopment project in the City of New York with funded debt of approximately $450 million.
Additionally, Robert provides effective transactional advice regarding contractual risk management, agile counsel in matters involving supply chain distress, and skilled litigation representation, including in matters involving liability management transactions, fraudulent transfer actions, preference actions and other commercial and bankruptcy-related matters. Among other matters, Robert served as lead counsel to a special committee of independent directors in the chapter 11 cases of Intelsat S.A., involving the disentanglement of a series of liability management transactions among affiliated debtors of a global telecommunications service provider and negotiation of a consensual plan to restructure approximately $14 billion of debt.
Among his engagements in public sector restructurings, Robert played a central role in the two largest in-court restructuring cases in U.S. history, having served as lead counsel to the Detroit Retirement Systems in the City of Detroit bankruptcy (holding claims of $6 billion) and the Official Retiree Committee in the bankruptcy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (holding claims of $58 billion).