Bankruptcy News - A Panel Discussion

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, January 13, 2015 (Newswire.com) - The Florida Chapter of Commercial Finance Association (“CFA”) is pleased to announce a special South Florida event on Tuesday January 20, 2014 featuring well-respected bankruptcy attorneys Mariaelena Gayo-Guitian and Carlos E. Sardi and distressed company investor Gary Nacht, as they discuss changes to bankruptcy law and impact of these changes . Attendees are encouraged to attend this special education event, in combination with a networking luncheon at the Lauderdale Yacht Club. Join us and bring your colleagues to this CFA educational and networking event.

Bankruptcy News - A Panel Discussion:

Bankruptcy law changes and impact

Bankruptcy trends FL

Bankruptcy trends US

Trends in alternative solutions to corporate restructurings

Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 12:00 noon (registration begins 11:30am)

Reception, Presentation and Luncheon

Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club, 1725 SE 12th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

$45 for CFA Members (and affiliate group members); $65 Non-Members and day of event. Visit www.cfa.com/florida for information and registration. Also register for this event at http://tinyurl.com/FloridaCFAEvents.

Genovese Joblove & Battista, P.A., one of the largest boutique practices in Florida, provides clients throughout the nation with exceptional services in select areas of law. Each of the firm's senior lawyers, as a reflection of his or her knowledge and professionalism, enjoys the highest professional ratings. At GJB, these outstanding attorneys join in a common commitment to represent our clients' interests to the best of our ability.

At GJB, its’ large depth of resources and experience is able to handle the most complex litigation matters, but small enough to recognize the value of each client. GJB (www.gjb-lsw.com) practices in all Florida courts and handles federal proceedings nationwide. We are also involved in a number of cross-border insolvency and litigation matters. Its’ attorneys handle large and complex litigation in a number of areas including bankruptcy, insolvency, receiverships, franchise litigation, general commercial litigation, white collar, real estate, employment litigation, class actions, and securities litigation. In addition, GJB provides advice and consulting services in government affairs and counsel in municipal law.

Mariaelena Gayo-Guitian, Partner, Fort Lauderdale (Genovese, Joblove & Battista, P.A.)

Mariaelena Gayo-Guitian specializes in all areas of bankruptcy, business reorganization, and creditors’ rights.  Ms. Gayo-Guitian has handled numerous Chapter 11 reorganizations and liquidations on behalf of debtors, creditors, committees and trustees.  Ms. Gayo-Guitian also has experience and expertise in handling adversary matters involving objections to discharge, dischargeability of debts, fraudulent transfers, preferences and related bankruptcy litigation. Additionally, Ms. Gayo-Guitian has represented trustees and creditors in bankruptcy cases under Chapters 7 and 11.   She also specializes in the representation of both assignors and assignees in assignment for the benefit of creditors’ in State Court proceedings.

Ms. Gayo-Guitian is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named as a Super Lawyer by Florida Super Lawyers magazine.  Ms. Gayo-Guitian is included in the South Florida Legal Guide “Top Lawyers” and Best Lawyers in America, in the area of bankruptcy, business reorganizations and creditors’ rights. Additionally, she was a Daily Business Reviews’ 2011 finalist for “Most Effective Lawyers” and 2012 finalist for “Top Dealmakers of the Year.” She is also a frequent lecturer and presenter on bankruptcy, restructuring and related issues at conferences and seminars sponsored by the American Bar Association, The Florida Bar and the Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Ms. Gayo-Guitian is an active member of the Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association and Bankruptcy Judicial Liaison Committee of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar.    She is a current member and Past President of the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association and is a member of the University of Miami Law Alumni Association Board.  She is also a member of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), American Bankruptcy Institute and American Bar Association.  Ms. Gayo-Guitian currently serves as a director of the High Road Foundation a non-profit organization founded and managed by South Florida individuals interested in advancing the talents of "stand-out" youth with financial need. 

Ms. Gayo-Guitian is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Federal Circuit Court in Washington, D.C., and the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern District of Florida.  She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1988 from the University of Miami School of Law and her Bachelors in Business Administration and Political Science from the University of Miami graduating cum laude in 1985.  After graduating from law school Ms. Gayo-Guitian served as law clerk to the former Chief Bankruptcy Judge, Sidney M. Weaver, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida.

Carlos E. Sardi, Partner, Miami (Genovese, Joblive & Battista, P.A.)

Carlos E. Sardi practices in the areas of bankruptcy, commercial litigation, creditors' rights, insolvency, reorganization and restructuring. Mr. Sardi has represented debtors, trustees and creditors in bankruptcies under Chapters 7 and 11 cases. He has also defended alleged debtors in involuntary bankruptcy cases. More recently, Mr. Sardi successfully achieved the dismissal and obtained a multi-million dollar judgment against a major national bank in a jury trial for damages and punitive damages resulting from the “bad faith” filing of such type of case. Mr. Sardi also represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters including legal and accounting malpractice, officer and director liability, contract disputes, fraudulent transfer actions, preference transfer actions, and debt collection matters.  He also specializes in the representation of assignors, assignees, and creditors in assignment for the benefit of creditors’ proceedings and receivers in both State and District court receivership proceedings.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Sardi interned for Judge J. Gerald B Cope, Jr., Florida Third District Court of Appeals. Prior to law school, he was a Financial Analyst for Xerox Corporation where he was instrumental in negotiating large deals by improving the financial status of the corporation.

Mr. Sardi is active in professional organizations such as the American Bar Association, Dade County Bar Association, Cuban American Bar Association, Venezuelan American Bar Association, Put Something Back Program of Miami-Dade County, and the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida. He also serves as a Director At Large for the Bankruptcy Bar Association of South Florida and has also served in the Bankruptcy Committee of the Dade County Bar Association. Mr. Sardi has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by the Florida Super Lawyers magazine. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Barry University teaching a course in bankruptcy law and has lectured for the National Business Institute. Further, Mr. Sardi has served in the Mentor Program at the University of Miami School of Business. Mr. Sardi is a member of the Florida Bar and admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern District of Florida. He received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University in 2004, where he was selected for the Moot Court Honor Society and the Nova University Law Review. Mr. Sardi earned an M.B.A. from the University of Miami in 1987 and also earned a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of Miami in 1985.

Gary Nacht

Gary Nacht is Chairman and CEO of Synergy Enterprises, LLC based in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  His specialty for more than 15 years has been the quick and highly discrete acquisition and turnaround of distressed and underperforming companies.  Most of his acquisitions have been subsidiaries or divisions of larger parent companies who no longer had the time or were willing to dedicate the resources necessary to execute a turnaround themselves, or just wanted a quick, painless way to remove an unwanted orphan from their portfolio. Mr. Nacht has also expanded his services to include a “Quick Strike,” immersive advisory for business owners in distress but not yet willing to  entertain a possible sale or restructuring, or who can’t afford the prohibitive (and counter-intuitive) cost of retaining traditional Tier 1 restructuring firms. Acquisitions and advisory clients have ranged from $50 million in sales to over $1 billion, with especially deep experience in retail, distribution and manufacturing.