Rocco Cavaliere is a partner and vice chair of the Firm's Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Practice. Rocco is an advocate for distressed companies and high-net-worth individuals in their most perilous times, helping them preserve enterprise value, restructure their obligations and achieve other objectives. He devotes a large part of his practice to representing clients that need workouts or bankruptcy relief. He also often represents creditor committees, unsecured creditors, secured creditors, landlords, license parties, shareholders and corporate officers and directors, and other parties in interest, in protecting their rights and preserving value in a bankruptcy case or in an out-of-court restructuring.

When a Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 case is commenced, it is common for debtors in possession or trustees to investigate the reasons which led to the bankruptcy filing and then possibly pursue litigation against third parties that may be blamed for the debtor’s demise. Rocco is often called on by Chapter 7 trustees and other estate representatives to assist in such investigations and commence lawsuits when the pursuit of claims may benefit the bankruptcy estate. Rocco also has significant experience representing defendants in bankruptcy court adversary proceedings, involving many causes of action such as fraudulent and preferential transfers, equitable subordination, turnover, and breach of fiduciary duty and related director and officer claims.

Rocco is a mediator on the Mediator Panels for the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey. Rocco has successfully mediated numerous matters over several years.  In this role, he applies his extensive experience in contentious bankruptcy matters to a mediation context to help other parties achieve a successful and cost-effective settlement of their own legal disputes.

Distressed situations also create opportunities for parties to purchase a debtor company’s assets, including real estate, in a section 363 sale or through a plan of reorganization. Rocco regularly represents purchasers in all aspects of a sale transaction (including “loan to own” scenarios) in a bankruptcy case and in out-of-court workouts.

Prior to joining the Firm, Rocco received his legal training as an associate in the Business Restructuring and Bankruptcy Department of Blank Rome. In January 2017, Rocco was named co-chair of the New York County Lawyers’ Association’s Bankruptcy Law Committee.