Karen A. Giannelli

Karen A. Giannelli advises public and private companies and financial institutions throughout the country in the areas of financial restructuring, creditors' rights and financial services, including:

• Handling creditors' rights issues for a multi-national Fortune 500 company.
• Counseling clients regarding their rights and obligations under federal and state insolvency proceedings.
• Formulating reorganization plans and other financial restructuring solutions as appropriate for debtor/fiduciary and creditor clients.

Among her recent credits, Ms. Giannelli has earned the following distinctions:

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy & Creditor-Debtor Rights.
• Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Bankruptcy/Restructuring.
• Listed in The International Who’s Who of Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal: USA: Insolvency & Restructuring.
• AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
• Past Chair and Member of Board, Turnaround Management Association's New Jersey.
• Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy.

Rutgers University School of Law - Newark (J.D., 1979)

Skidmore College; Tufts University
(B.A., magna cum laude, 1975)
Recipient, Laminan Prize in Romance Languages

State of New Jersey 1979

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1979

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 2008

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 2002

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1981

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2006

New Jersey Chapter of Turnaround Management Association; Chair (2008-2009); President (2006 - 2007); Member of Board of Directors (2003 - present)

Member, Third Circuit Nominations Panel for The American College of Bankruptcy (April 2003 - March 2007)

Advisory Board Member, ABI Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop, (2007 - 2009)

Trustee, Bankruptcy Law Section, New Jersey State Bar Association (Chair, 1999 - 2000; Officer, 1986 - 2000)

Trustee/Advisory Board Member, Women in Federal Practice in New Jersey, Inc., 1985 - present (Officer, 1985 - 1995)

Member, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit - Task Force on Equal Treatment in the Courts, Committee on Bankruptcy Issues of the Gender Commission (1994 - 1997)

Member, American Bar Association (1983 - present)

Member, Essex County Bar Association Creditor/Debtor Committee (Chair, 1991 - 1992; Vice Chair, 1990 - 1991)

Member, American Bankruptcy Institute (1991 - present)

Member, International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (1999 - present)

Member, Archives Committee of the American College of Bankruptcy

"Debtors with Environmental Liabilities May Not Be Able to Get a “Fresh Start”," In-Sites, June 28, 2010 (Irvin M. Freilich, Karen A. Giannelli, Christina C. Fullam)

"Dealing With Crisis:
Gibbons Teams Up With NachmanHaysBrownstein," The Business Advisor, August 2009 (Karen A. Giannelli, Howard Brod Brownstein, CTP)

"Ten Warning Signs That a Retail Tenant Is In Financial Distress," The Watchful Eye, December 2008

"Chapter 14: Non-Bankruptcy Claims," in the Bankruptcy Litigation Manual , Aspen Law & Business, 1992 - 2009 (Annually) (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli)

"An Appearance of Impropriety Not Enough to Disqualify Counsel," in The Bankruptcy Strategist, October 1, 1998 (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli, Sam Della Fera, Jr.)

"Compensation of Trustees, Attorneys and Accountants," in Basics of Bankruptcy and Reorganization, Practising Law Institute, 1994, 1995 (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli)

"Compensation of Trustees, Attorneys and Accountants," in Basics of Bankruptcy and Reorganization, January 1, 1993 (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli, Sam Della Fera, Jr.)

"New Jersey Bankruptcy Manual," published by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education - First Edition, January 1, 1993, 2nd ed. 2006

"Good Faith Issues: Section 1129(a)(3)" and "Post Petition Disclosure and Solicitation," in Formulating Reorganization Plans: Strategies for Success , January 1, 1992 (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli)

"Post-Petition Disclosure and Solicitation: Section 1125," Formulating Reorganization Plans: Strategies for Success, January 1, 1992 (David N. Crapo, Karen A. Giannelli)

"Secured Transactions," New Jersey Transaction Guide (Matthew Bender & Co., Inc.), January 1, 1985

Quoted in "N.J. Chapter 11s Drop Sharply Even as Total Bankruptcies Outpace U.S. Rate," New Jersey Law Journal, June 15, 2009

Quoted in "How to Handle a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing," NJBIZ, August 25, 2008

Quoted in "As New Jersey Economy Slows, Work for Bankruptcy Lawyers is Picking Up," New Jersey Law Journal, April 17, 2008

Quoted in "Crisis Management - Business in distress should know their M&A options," NJBIZ, April 9, 2007

Quoted in "Coming Back from a Business Bankruptcy," NJBIZ Finance & Growth Guide, 2006

Quoted in "Ask a Super Lawyer," Super Lawyers, 2006

Quoted in "Negotiating The Bankruptcy Maze," New Jersey Business, March 2005

Panelist, New Jersey State Bar Association Bankruptcy Bench Bar Conference, "The Changing Face of Chapter 11 or 'High Class Funerals,'" East Brunswick, NJ, April 16, 2010

Panelist, American Bankruptcy Institute, 5th Annual Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop, "Not So Fast! Creditors Committees Stake Their Claim," Hershey, PA, August 8, 2009

Speaker, Practising Law Institute, "Understanding the Basics of Business Bankruptcy & Reorganization 2008," New York, NY, December 15 - 16, 2008

Panelist, Turnaround Management Association’s 3rd Annual Northeast Regional Conference, “Communication in a Workout,” or “Why Should I Listen to You?,” Saratoga Springs, NY, August 2007

Panelist, Turnaround Management Association's 2007 Spring Conference, "The Zone of Insolvency ... Is It Still a Dangerous Place?" Dallas, TX, March 31, 2007

Speaker, Commercial Finance League, “How Are the Bankruptcy Laws Affecting ABL Lenders,” New York, NY, November 2006

Panelist, Turnaround Management Assoc. Northeast Regional Conference, "Bankruptcy Asset Purchases," Saratoga, NY, September 8-9, 2005

Panelist, American Bankruptcy Institute Mid-Atlantic Bankruptcy Workshop, "Smooth Take-offs and Safe Landings: Planning, Beginning and Ending Bankruptcy Cases," Cambridge, MD, August 4 - 6, 2005

Panelist, Turnaround Management Assoc. Mid-Atlantic Regional Symposium, "A View from the Bench," Atlantic City, NJ, June 9-10, 2005

Panelist, New Jersey State Bar Association Bankruptcy Bench-Bar Conference, "Pre-packs & Mass Torts 363 Sales of IP in Bankruptcy," Woodbridge, NJ, April 1, 2005

Speaker, American College of Bankruptcy Sixteenth Class Educational Program, "Hot Topics," Washington, DC, March 19, 2005

Speaker, New Jersey Society of CPAs, “Critical Vendor First Day Orders,” Newark, NJ, January 2004

Speaker, 2001 National CLE Conference, “Channeling Injunctions in Mass Tort Bankruptcy Cases: Strategic Perspectives,” Law Educational Institute, Inc., Vail, CO, January 2001

Speaker, NJ Governor’s Conference on Women, March 2000

Panelist, Third Circuit Judicial Conference - Recent Bankruptcy Cases, 1999

Speaker, The 1998 National Conference For Women Law Firm Partners, Business Development Associates, Inc., “Workplace Romance,” Washington, DC, October 1998

Lecturer and Contributor, Practising Law Institute, Formulating Reorganization Plans; Strategies for Success (1992): Basics of Bankruptcy and Reorganization (Annually, 1993 - 2008)

Panelist, Northeastern Region Association of Small Business Investment Companies Annual Meeting, “Restructuring - An Opportunity or a Nightmare!, Woodstock, VT, June 1992

Panelist, New Jersey Law Journal Bankruptcy Roundtable, 1991

Speaker, Annual Bankruptcy Litigation Institute, New York, New York, sponsored by Prentice Hall Law & Business, Aspen Law & Business, Glasser LegalWorks Seminars, Annually, 1989-1996

Panelist, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey State Bar Association, Bankruptcy Law Section and Essex County Bar Association, Debtor/Creditor Committee (various programs).

Listed in Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Law Firms, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, 2010

Listed in Super Lawyers, Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights
Top 50 female attorney in New Jersey, 2007-2010

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy & Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, 2003-2010

Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy

AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as a prominent leader among women and minority attorneys in the State of New Jersey, November 2003

Karen Giannelli Elected President of the New Jersey Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association

Law Secretary to Honorable D. Joseph DeVito, United States Bankruptcy Judge, District of New Jersey, 1979-1980

Bittner v. Borne Chemical Co., Inc., 691 F. 2d 134 (3rd Cir. 1982)

Matter of Triangle Laboratories, Inc., 663 F. 2d 463 (3rd Cir. 1981)

In re American Family Enterprises, 256 B.R. 377 (D.N.J. 2000)

Matter of Route 37 Business Park Associates, 146 B.R. 640 (D.N.J. 1992)

In re Elsinore Shore Associates, 91 B.R. 238 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1988)

Matter of Oliver's Stores, Inc., 79 B.R. 588 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1987)

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*No aspect of this communication has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Further information about methodologies for rating or selecting attorneys is available on our website’s Award Methodology page.