Bob has more than 35 years of experience in resolving commercial disputes, litigation, bankruptcies, and restructuring matters and recently received a life time achievement award from the Turnaround Management Association for his extraordinary contributions to the corporate restructuring industry. He is a member of Reed Smith’s Business & Finance Department and is the leading lawyer in the firm's coal industry practice. His national practice has included appearances in more than 25 jurisdictions throughout the United States in energy ( coal, oil and gas) , aviation, hospitality, telecommunications, automotive, steel, and health care industry cases, which have resulted in extensive knowledge of state and federal regulatory agencies such as the MSHA, Federal Aviation Administration, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the FCC and environmental agencies.
Bob has recently advised on state legislation in mine safety, environmental, severance tax and other areas. He has also represented one of the nation’s largest coal company various litigation matters including an action under the NLRA against the UMWA, a breach of contract matter against a coal broker, and arbitration matters including uses involving a methane mitigation agreement, a mitigation banking program and a earn out provision. His recent representations also include the representation of an energy company with overriding royalties in gas wells under a farm out agreement and a natural gas purchase agreement with a bankruptcy debtor. He also represented a coal supplier as a non-debtor party to a coal supply agreement with a debtor which included a reclamation claim.
Other cases include representing buyers in bankruptcy section 363 sales and secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy cases. In addition, he served bankruptcy counsel in the mass tort chapter 11 case involving former producers of asbestos products. Bob has also represented a private equity firm in the restructuring of a company, including the resolution of officer and director liability claims for the benefit of the client. He has also recently represented secured creditors in: the Max & Erma's Restaurants bankruptcy case (a 70-restaurant regional chain); Shubh Hotels (a 700-room hotel); and numerous distressed aircraft loans. He routinely represents companies in commercial transactions.
Bob has written on bankruptcy and creditors' rights topics for various trade and legal publications, including West's Publishing, The Journal of Commercial Bank Lending, The American Bankruptcy Law Journal, Norton's Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law, The Bankruptcy Strategist and the Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice.
Bob has served as Chairperson for 2016 Platts 24th Annual Coal Properties and Investment Conference, the 2016 Platts 39th Annual Coal Marketing Days Conference and the 2017 Platts 40th Annual Coal Marketing Days Conference. He is a frequent lecturer on such legal topics as energy, officer and director liability, telecommunications, aviation, intellectual property, environmental, health care, real estate and bankruptcy issues. In this regard, he has made presentations nationwide for trade groups, lawyers, and students, including for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, the Third Circuit Judicial Conference, the International Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Credit Management, the American Bar Association, the Commercial Law League, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and the National Business Institute.
