Robert L. LeHane
Partner
- Email Address
- email hidden; JavaScript is required
- 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
- | Newport, RI
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 chambers.com/about-us/methodology.
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.bestlawyers.com/methodology.
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.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html.
Selected as one of the Irish Legal 100 by Irish America Magazine, 2022-2023. A description of the selection methodology can be found at www.irishlegal100.com/.
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