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, Fla., 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, debtor-in-possession (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, Texas; Patrick Johnson and Brent Wyatt instead joined in New Orleans, La.
About Akerman LLP
Akerman LLP is a leading transactions and trial law firm known for its core strengths in middle market M&A, within the financial services and real estate industries, and for a diverse Latin America practice. With more than 650 lawyers and government affairs professionals and a network of 24 offices, it is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The American Lawyer (2016). Akerman also is ranked among the top 60 law firms for diversity in The American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard (2016).
Akerman’s Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group serves as bankruptcy counsel or receiver in complex insolvency cases, helping parties maximize recoveries nationwide. With a leading banking and finance practice, the firm regularly represents global financial institutions, mortgage holders, and other secured creditors as well as court appointed committees, trustees, creditors, purchasers, and other stakeholders in workouts, receiverships, and Chapter 11 reorganizations. Akerman is recognized by U.S. News – Best Lawyers as a national tier one law firm in the Litigation – Bankruptcy category.
More information can be found at www.akerman.com.