Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the national growth of its Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group with the addition of Brian Gart, a former managing director and general counsel of New York–based investment bank Gordian Group. He joins the Fort Lauderdale office and enhances the firm’s core strengths in complex restructurings and distressed M&A transactions in the financial services sector.
“Brian is a highly skilled and versatile lawyer with transactional, litigation and bankruptcy experience in the financial services sector,” said Andrea Hartley, chair of Akerman’s Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group. “Brian has built a dedicated practice in complex restructurings and distressed deals for private equity, hedge funds and other investment funds. His background adds important depth to Akerman’s corporate restructuring practice and significant value to clients as they look for avenues to grow and adapt in today’s global investment market.”
Gart brings more than 30 years of experience in complex business reorganization, insolvency, bankruptcy litigation, assignments for the benefit of creditors under State law, receiverships, and corporate restructuring matters, both in and out of court. Over the last 10 years, he has dedicated his practice to distressed mergers and acquisitions, helping clients buy and sell troubled, underperforming businesses. Gart represents publicly and privately held business debtors, secured creditors, official creditors’ committees, Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustees, DIP lenders, plan funders, landlords, liquidating trustees, banks and other financial institutions, indenture trustees, and equity security holders. He also represents lenders and borrowers in complex commercial finance transactions, including asset-based loans, mezzanine credit facilities, capital market transactions, DIP Loans and subordinated debt facilities.
Gart is a past chair of The Florida Bar Business Law Section and has been active in the development and enactment of Florida’s business and commercial laws, serving as a member and former chair of the organization’s Legislation Committee. He is also a past chair of the Bankruptcy/Uniform Commercial Code Committee for The Florida Bar Business Law Section. For at least a decade, he also has been consecutively ranked by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, and The Best Lawyers in America for his work in bankruptcy law and litigation, creditor debtor rights, or reorganization/distressed transactions.
Gart is the fifth partner to join the firm’s Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group this year. John Mitchell and David Parham joined the team in Dallas; Patrick Johnson and Brent Wyatt instead joined in New Orleans.
Source: www.akerman.com
