Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency

Archer’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Group has decades of experience advising clients on insolvency matters and is widely recognized for its work with debtors, trustees, committees, receivers, and foreign fiduciaries. We respond quickly, negotiate effectively, and deliver practical, cost-effective solutions.

With attorneys based in New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Texas, we are strategically positioned in key bankruptcy venues to meet our clients’ needs. Our team supports clients across industries, drawing on the firm’s experience in taxation, labor, property, pension, securities, trade, finance, environmental, and corporate law to deliver seamless, end-to-end solutions.

Domestic Restructuring and Business Solutions

We represent companies and high-net-worth individuals in restructuring their businesses, both out-of-court and in Chapter 11 proceedings. Our services include advising economically troubled clients in negotiated workouts with lenders and other creditors, Chapter 11 restructurings, and orderly liquidations. We bring deep experience in both the transactional and litigation aspects of insolvency matters and focus on delivering cost-effective solutions to their financial problems.

Our insolvency attorneys draw on the firm’s finance, real estate, tax, corporate, M&A, employment, and litigation practices to address a full range of restructuring issues, from operational and governance matters to complex disputes and cross-border claims. Our clients span diverse industries, including AI, manufacturing, logistics, real estate, hospitality, gaming, aerospace, retail, technology, petroleum, services, restaurants, biotech, pharmaceuticals, finance, alternative energy, and entertainment.

For more information on bankruptcy restructuring, please request our Chapter 11 outline.

Cross-Border Restructuring and Insolvency

We represent foreign debtors, liquidators, trustees, and fiduciaries in global insolvency proceedings, including Chapter 15 matters involving foreign jurisdictions such as China, Russia, Hong Kong, Europe, North, and South America. Our attorneys have secured U.S. recognition of multiple foreign insolvency proceedings and navigate multi-jurisdictional frameworks to preserve assets, stabilize operations, and coordinate effective international restructurings.

Our attorneys bring a sophisticated understanding of the challenges non-U.S. entities face when seeking U.S. relief and actively participate in international restructuring organizations, including INSOL International. The practice is led by Stephen Packman, an inaugural Fellow of INSOL, a Fellow of the Centre for International Legal Studies, and a member of the ABI Committee on Cross-Border Insolvencies. His leadership underscores the firm’s commitment to excellence, responsiveness, and efficiency in both domestic and international matters.

For more information, please request our cross-border insolvency summary.

Chapter 7 Trustee and Receivership Representation

We have extensive experience representing Chapter 7 trustees and court-appointed receivers, and have counseled many trustees, receivers, and liquidators in complex insolvency cases throughout the country and abroad. We assist fiduciary clients in identifying and monetizing assets, including litigation claims, and in pursuing recoveries for lender liability, professional malpractice, breaches of fiduciary duty, and fraudulent or preferential transfers. In certain cases, litigation may be handled on a contingency basis.

Fiduciary Duty Litigation

We represent trustees, plan administrators, liquidators, committees, lenders, and other fiduciaries, as well as officers, directors, and other defendants in director and officer (D&O) litigation matters and related claims. Our attorneys maximize recoveries, protect fiduciaries from liability, and resolve disputes efficiently, using flexible fee arrangements tailored to each engagement, including hourly, contingency, or hybrid structures. Our experience with insurance carriers and complex coverage issues ensures comprehensive, specialized representation.

Avoidance Litigation

Archer handles avoidance litigation for debtors, trustees, committees, and other fiduciaries, pursuing estate assets through fraudulent transfer, preferential payment, and other avoidance claims. We manage large-scale multiparty projects across multiple jurisdictions and pursue cost-effective pre-litigation resolutions when appropriate. Our attorneys have successfully prosecuted and defended avoidance actions nationwide, generating substantial recoveries while managing high-volume litigation complexities. This experience allows us to anticipate issues early and develop strategies that maximize recoveries and protect client interests.

Our work has earned consistent recognition from leading industry publications. Chambers USA ranks Archer’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Group among the top performers, noting that the team is “a tightly run unit that is easy to deal with,” with “solid experience representing trustees and debtors.” Clients also consistently praise the group’s cost-effectiveness and high-level representation in complex matters.

Creditor Committee Representation

Our team has represented creditors’ committees in Chapter 11 cases in the busiest bankruptcy venues throughout the U.S., including New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Texas. Archer has deep, long-standing committee experience. We know how to maximize recoveries for creditor bodies in Chapter 11 cases. We are efficient and mindful of costs and fees, particularly in “thin” cases.

For more information, please request our committee primer.

Subchapter V Restructuring

Subchapter V of Chapter 11, enacted as part of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) and effective February 2020, provides a streamlined and cost-effective restructuring path for small businesses. The firm’s insolvency attorneys have been actively involved in Subchapter V cases since the statute’s inception and bring substantial experience serving as Subchapter V trustee and representing companies, creditors, and other stakeholders in these proceedings.

Natasha Songonuga serves as a court-appointed Subchapter V trustee in both the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Since Subchapter V’s inception, she has been appointed in over 100 cases, working with debtors, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, and other parties in interest to facilitate the reorganization process. Through these appointments, she has extensive experience guiding cases through the unique framework of Subchapter V, including supervising debtor operations, assisting in the development of consensual plans of reorganization, and helping parties reach negotiated resolutions that allow small businesses to emerge from Chapter 11 on a sustainable footing.

In addition to trustee experience, the firm’s bankruptcy lawyers regularly represent creditors in Subchapter V cases, advising them on protecting their rights and maximizing recoveries within the streamlined process.

Our team brings a practical understanding of Subchapter V proceedings and works effectively with debtors, trustees, creditors, and the court to move cases toward efficient and successful resolution.

Representative Matters

Chapter 11 Debtors:

• Plastic Suppliers Inc. and affiliates. Chapter 11 Plan confirmed, District of New Jersey
• Lobster Boys and affiliates. Chapter 11 Plan confirmed, District of New York

Foreign Representatives and Chapter 15 Debtors:

• Alan Tang, Houston, Texas
• Matt Ng and John Lees, (Manley Toys Chapter 15), New Jersey
• Terry Kan, New York
• Topoint Chapter 15, New Jersey
• DeCoro Chapter 15/Chapter 11, North Carolina

Committees:

• Zigi USA Chapter 11; New York
• Occasion Brands; New York
• NBG Chapter 11; Houston, Texas
• Kidkraft Chapter 11; Dallas, Texas
• Nova Wildcat Chapter 11, Delaware

Subchapter V:

• In re (Regus) RGN-GROUP HOLDINGS, LLC, et al., Delaware
• In re Factom, Inc., Delaware
• In re ViajeHoy, LLC d/b/a Havana Air, Delaware
• In re House Spirits Distillery LLC, Delaware
• In re Interchange Logistics LLC, New Jersey
• In re Italian Kitchen Inc., New Jersey
• In re Sticky's Holding, LLC, et al, Delaware
• In re Soleply LLC, New Jersey