Five Cole Schotz Attorneys Receive Top Marks in Chambers USA 2010 Rankings

HACKENSACK, N.J. (June 15, 2010) - June 14, 2010--Cole Schotz (www.coleschotz.com) is pleased to announce that five of its attorneys ranked among the leading practitioners in New Jersey and Delaware in Bankruptcy and Real Estate in Chambers USA 2010: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. The firm’s New Jersey-based Bankruptcy/Restructuring and Real Estate practices once again earned high marks placing in Band 1 and 2 respectively, while the Delaware Bankruptcy/Restructuring placed prominently for the second consecutive year.

Firm attorneys were also recognized for their achievements.  Michael Sirota placed in Tier 1 while Gerald Gline also ranked prominently in the New Jersey Bankruptcy/Restructuring table. Norman Pernick placed in the top tier in Delaware for his work in Bankruptcy/Restructuring and Kate Stickles was recognized as a rising star in the practice. Richard Abramson was also named a leading lawyer, placing in the guide’s top tier for Real Estate work in New Jersey.

“Delivering value and quality results is our top priority, and we are honored that our clients recognized our efforts by providing such positive feedback to help us achieve these notable rankings,”said Michael Sirota, co-managing shareholder of the firm.

Chambers USA 2010 is the eighth annual edition of the guide, a well-respected legal directory, compiled based on in-depth interviews with key in-house counsel and private practice attorneys. Chambers ranks law firms and individual attorneys in bands from one to six, with “Band 1” as the highest ranking. Cole Schotz attorneys selected by Chambers and Partners include:

Michael D. Sirota secures a prestigious Tier 1 ranking in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in New Jersey for the third consecutive year. Chambers notes, “Co-managing partner and co-chair of the practice Michael Sirota is considered to be the team's leading light. He led the representation of Tarragon and is described as ‘an outside-the-box thinker, who can devise creative solutions to any stalemate.’”

Norman L. Pernick ranks in Tier 1 in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Delaware and according to Chambers, “Group co-chair Norman Pernick is hailed as a leader of the bankruptcy Bar. He is highly esteemed for his work as co-counsel on large matters and impresses sources with his ‘ability to view issues from multiple angles to ensure the highest-value result is attained by clients.’"

Richard W. Abramson ranks in Tier 2 in Real Estate in New Jersey and is recognized by Chambers, noting, “Richard Abramson chairs the real estate group, and recently represented a real estate opportunity fund on the purchase of a significant construction mortgage loan. His key focus is on acquisitions, financing and commercial leasing. Interviewees describe him as a ‘fantastic leasing lawyer, with first-class client service skills.’”

Gerald H. Gline makes his debut in the Chambers guide in the third tier in Bankruptcy/Restructuring New Jersey. According to the publication, “Gerald Gline debuts in the table this year. Sources praise his debtor representation skills and highlight his expertise in healthcare-related cases.”

Kate Stickles also enters the rankings, honored as a “Up and Coming” attorney for her work in Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Delaware. Chambers notes that, “Up-and-comer Kate Stickles represents reorganized debtors, committees and trusts in bankruptcy-related litigation, including preference actions and fraudulent conveyance actions.”

Cole Schotz honored practice areas include:

Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 1 – New Jersey) – According to Chambers, “This firm's New Jersey office houses arguably the state's leading debtor-side group. The team's preeminence in this area is demonstrated by work such as its recent representation of real estate developer Tarragon Corporation in its New Jersey Chapter 11 filings.”

Real Estate (Band 2 – New Jersey) – Chambers notes, “This real estate group covers acquisition, development and financing. Its core strength is leasing and much of its work involves retail, office and industrial leasing. Recent matters includes acting for Infragistics on the acquisition, renovation and financing of an existing office/warehouse facility in South Brunswick.”

Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Band 3 - Delaware) – Chambers says, “Focusing almost exclusively on representing debtors, this relatively new bankruptcy and restructuring team continues to impress. The group frequently picks up conflict work, including acting against financial institutions. It also handles official committee and major creditor representations, primarily in a lead counsel role. It served as debtors’ counsel for J.G. Wentworth in its prepackaged Chapter 11 case - the company’s stay in bankruptcy lasted just under two weeks. It has also recently represented Ritz Camera Centers and Barzel Industries.”

Chambers and Partners, based in London, began as general book publishers in 1969.  Since 1990, they have published the Chambers Guide to the UK legal profession.  Chambers’ staff of full-time researchers now prepares renowned directories which assess and rank the world’s leading lawyers according to their reputations amongst peers and clients.  The USA Guide was first introduced in 2003.  The annual Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business is based on in-depth interviews with leading private practice attorneys and key in-house counsel.

About Cole Schotz

Cole Schotz serves clients throughout the U.S. with offices in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland and Texas. The firm represents closely held businesses and individuals as well as Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 1928, the firm has grown to 120 attorneys who work in eight primary areas of practice: Litigation; Real Estate; Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring; Tax, Trusts & Estates; Corporate, Finance & Business Transactions; Employment; Environmental; and Construction Services.

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