Robert L. LeHane

Partner

Location
New York
Phone number
(212) 808-7573
Location
New Jersey
Phone number
(973) 503-5900

For over 20 years Bob has been representing secured and unsecured creditors, landlords, asset purchasers, vendors, intellectual property licensors, creditors’ committees, lenders and trustees in all aspects of restructuring, bankruptcy and corporate reorganization. His extensive experience includes asset sales, avoidance actions, liquidations and appeals in the retail, restaurant, real estate, telecom and energy industries. He also represents clients with private wealth, corporate formation, trust, estate and succession planning issues. Bob enjoys solving the multidimensional and unique challenges of restructuring, bankruptcy and corporate reorganizations. Given his longstanding experience, he is able to quickly analyze client risks, minimize exposure and create advantages and opportunities moving forward.

Ranked as a leading bankruptcy lawyer in Chambers USA, Bob is singled out by clients for his enviable grasp of issues surrounding landlords’ rights in bankruptcy, as well as his effective courtroom style.” As a result, he is frequently retained to counsel landlords with large portfolios of leases in retail bankruptcy cases across the country. Bob’s team takes a lead role protecting landlord rights, working with his clients to ensure debtor compliance with leases and the Bankruptcy Code in connection with debtor-in-possession financing, lease auctions and chapter 11 reorganization plans. Bob frequently participates in the unsecured creditors’ committee process on behalf of landlord clients and has successfully defended unwanted lease assignments and claim objections, terminated leases, acquired designation rights and spearheaded unique complex joint venture retail acquisitions.

Bob also chairs Kelley Drye’s Client Service and Innovation Committee, which considers innovative solutions to address client demands and challenges.

“...one of the best in the country when it comes to landlord-related issues.” Chambers USA

Retail Bankruptcy

Bob has been involved in hundreds of high-profile retail bankruptcy cases valued into the billions of dollars of assets and liabilities. A sampling of recent cases includes 24 Hour Fitness; Ascena Retail; Buffets Restaurants I-IV; CEC Entertainment (Chuck E Cheese); Forever 21; GNC; J.C. Penney; J. Crew; L’Occitane; Modell’s Sporting Goods; Pier 1 Imports; Radio Shack; Sears; Stein Mart, Inc.; Tailored Brands; Toys R” Us; Whitehall Jewelers; and Wilsons Leather.

Landlords

Basser-Kaufman; Blumenfeld Development Group; Brookfield Retail and Office Properties; Garden Commercial Properties, Inc.; Jones Lang LaSalle; Irvine Company; LBA Realty; National Retail Properties; Nuveen; Newmark Merrill Companies; Philips International Holdings; Realty Income Corp.; Regency Centers; SITE Centers Corp; Shopcore Properties; Win Properties; Tanger Factory Outlets

Official Committees of Unsecured Creditors

CEC Entertainment (Chuck E. Cheese); dELiA’s; Escada; Four Points Jewelers; Loehmann’s; The Walking Company; United Healthcare; Z-Gallerie

Ad Hoc Landlord Committees

A.C. Moore; Borders; Comp USA; Radio Shack

Asset Purchases

GGP, Inc. in connection with the 2016 award-winning joint venture acquisition of Aéropostale for over $250 million

Liquidating Trustees/Receivers

CEC Entertainment; Entrust Energy; Friendly’s; Movie Gallery; Payless; RTW Tailwinds; Entrust Energy

Bob was selected for inclusion as a leading practitioner in the Bankruptcy/Restructuring area by Chambers USA. A description of the selection methodology can be found at cham​bers​.com/​a​b​o​u​t​-​u​s​/​m​e​t​h​o​d​ology.

He was selected for inclusion in the Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law area as one of The Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.). A description of the selection methodology can be found at www​.best​lawyers​.com/​m​e​t​h​o​d​ology.

Bob was selected for inclusion in the New York Super Lawyers lists, issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at www​.super​lawyers​.com/​a​b​o​u​t​/​s​e​l​e​c​t​i​o​n​_​p​r​o​c​e​s​s​.html.

No aspect of these advertisements have been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

International Council of Shopping Centers

American Bar Association

Federal Bar Council

American Bankruptcy Institute