Stradley Ronon announced that it has significantly expanded its New York office with the hiring of three prominent finance and restructuring attorneys, led by partner Mitch Brand, who will join longtime partner Gary P. Scharmett as co-chair of the firm’s finance and restructuring practice group. Brand comes to the firm from Otterbourg P.C. where he practiced for 33 years and was a partner and co-chair of that firm’s special situations practice group. Stephen Alpert and Harris Diamond, both of whom were also previously with Otterbourg, join Brand in Stradley Ronon’s New York office as counsel.
The lateral hirings considerably bolster the firm’s New York office, which has moved to expanded space at 100 Park Avenue to accommodate the growth. The enhanced New York presence will provide Stradley Ronon clients with seamless access to a deep bench of experienced finance and restructuring attorneys in the nation’s financial hub. With more than 200 attorneys and seven expanding offices throughout the mid-Atlantic, Stradley Ronon continues to focus on the recruitment and retention of exceptional lawyers with the industry-specific expertise needed by its clients.
“While we have had a presence in New York for many years, the growth of our office there with the additions of Mitch, Steve and Harris marks an exciting time for the firm and tremendous opportunity for our clients,” said Stradley Ronon Chairman William R. Sasso. “As the nation’s financial center, New York is a natural fit for our firm’s skillset and our growing client base in financial services; and we believe the office is ripe for further expansion as clients continue to seek sophisticated, high-quality counsel at a value that is often lacking at the larger New York firms.”
Brand brings with him more than 30 years of experience representing lenders and financial institutions in the structuring, negotiation and documentation of syndicated and non-syndicated financing transactions. His clients include hedge funds and private equity firms, commercial finance companies, banks, and other institutional and individual investors. Brand’s client representation includes advising on general corporate lending; leverage finance; structured finance; asset-based and cash flow lending; second lien, mezzanine and unitranche loans; debtor-in-possession financings; Chapter 11 exit financings; debt restructurings; and loan workouts.
“While it was a difficult decision for me to leave Otterbourg after 33 years, I am looking forward to continuing my career with Stradley Ronon and its wide-ranging platform of services. With regard to the finance and restructuring group, I have worked in the same space as Stradley Ronon attorneys for years and have always been a great admirer of the firm’s stellar reputation and collegial culture,” said Brand. “There is a natural synergy between Stradley’s financial services capabilities and my practice areas. I am excited to introduce my contacts to the firm’s comprehensive services and capabilities, particularly Stradley’s extensive practices in financial services and securities regulatory investigation and enforcement, structured finance and derivatives, private equity and hedge funds, health care and energy, among other areas.”
“Mitch and I have been independently representing some of the same clients for years and it’s a great pleasure to welcome him, Steve and Harris to the firm,” said Scharmett, Partner-in-Charge of Stradley Ronon’s New York office and co-chair of its finance and restructuring practice group. “While Stradley Ronon has had a presence in New York for several years and our finance and restructuring practice has been representing clients in New York for more than 25 years, these additions solidify our commitment to growing our office by adding leading practitioners in our areas of core competency.”
“Mitch shares the same commitment to client service, cost-efficiency and value that our firm prides itself in,” said David H. Joseph, Stradley Ronon business department chair. “His pragmatic, no-nonsense approach coupled with his deep transactional expertise will resonate with our client base.”
Brand received his B.S., summa cum laude, from Union College and his J.D. from Emory University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law.
Alpert represents asset-based and commercial lenders in structuring, documentation and closing of secured asset-based and cash flow financing transactions, loan workouts and restructurings, and liquidations. His clients include major money center banks, foreign banks and their U.S. subsidiaries, investment banks, commercial finance companies, asset-based lenders of national and regional standing, and hedge funds. He received his A.B., cum laude, from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Diamond focuses his practice on secured and unsecured financing, financial and corporate restructuring, and creditor representation. He counsels clients regarding a wide array of proposed financing transactions, and also advises clients on asset protection during the restructuring and bankruptcy processes. He received his B.S., cum laude, from the University at Albany and his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With seven offices throughout the mid-Atlantic region, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.