Fox Rothschild LLP announced retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey Raymond T. Lyons has joined the firm as counsel in the Princeton office effective July 1.

“Judge Lyons is recognized and renowned for his significant and breakthrough mediation work in bankruptcy cases. His steadfast dedication to helping effect amicable resolutions in highly complex cases is lauded by both the business community and the bankruptcy bar,” said Douglas J. Zeltt, managing partner of the firm’s Princeton office. “We are truly honored to have him join our team and provide his strategic insight in bankruptcy mediation to the benefit of Fox clients.”

With more than a decade of judicial service, Lyons is highly regarded for his mediation services in bankruptcy and financial restructuring cases before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware. At Fox, Lyons will devote his efforts to assisting clients in mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

Among his most well-known and significant mediations is the Chapter 11 case filed by bank holding company Washington Mutual, Inc. following the largest bank failure in history.  The mediation, which was covered by major news outlets across the country, led to a bankruptcy exit plan valued at $7 billion and spawned mediation with additional groups of claimants. Lyons was lauded in the official court transcript for his dedication and commitment to effecting an agreeable resolution to the benefit of all parties involved in the matter.  

Prior to his appointment to the bench in 1999, Lyons spearheaded the bankruptcy department of a major New Jersey law firm, primarily representing secured lenders and other creditors in corporate Chapter 11 cases. During the economic downturn and banking crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s, he represented the Resolution Trust Corporation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in bankruptcy matters and commercial litigation.

An active participant in bar activities, Lyons is former chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Pro Bono Services Committee.

In 1999, he received the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Legislative Services Award for his work in spearheading the passage of a law providing counsel to indigent children and parents in guardianship and parental rights proceedings.  In 1997, he was recognized by Legal Services of New Jersey with the Equal Justice Award for his role as chair of the NJSBA Bankruptcy Law Section’s Pro Bono Bankruptcy Committee.

Lyons was also an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Seton Hall University School of Law, for a significant period of time, teaching courses on banking law and legal writing.

Lyons received his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law in 1981, his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1973 and his B.A. in Mathematics from Lehigh University in 1970.