Barnes & Thornburg Continues Southern California Growth With Three Restructuring Attorneys

SAN DIEGO – Barnes & Thornburg LLP has added partners Ali Mojdehi and Janet Gertz and associate Allison Rego to the firm’s San Diego and Los Angeles offices. All three join from Cooley LLP, and will be part of Barnes & Thornburg’s Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department.

“I know first-hand the caliber of this group and I’m excited to be reunited with them following Barnes & Thornburg’s entry into San Diego,” said Troy Zander, partner-in-charge of the San Diego office, which opened in early March. “The addition of Ali, Janet and Allison aligns seamlessly with our continued efforts to strengthen our financial restructuring, litigation and corporate focus. Their experience across key industries, such as high-tech, energy, real estate, and manufacturing, will play an integral role serving clients here in Southern California and nationally.”

“Companies depend on us to resolve complex matters related to finance, insolvency, restructuring, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights,” said Mark Owens, chair of the firm’s Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department. “This group’s breadth of experience with various stakeholders, including debtors, creditors, trustees, and committees in bankruptcy cases nationwide, will further differentiate our already impressive national practice.”

About the Attorneys

Ali Mojdehi advises a broad range of stakeholders across the capital structure, including debtors-in-possession, trustees, creditors, statutory creditor and equityholder committees, bondholders, financial institutions and third-party purchasers of distressed assets, on innovative and strategic transactions and restructurings in and out of the courtroom. He works in a wide range of industries, such as real estate, construction, hospitality, oil and gas, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, transportation, financial services and information technology.

Mojdehi, a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, was a former member of the Bankruptcy Rules Committee for the Southern District of California and the District of Delaware. His accomplishments include the successful pro bono representation of a federal immigration judge in a lawsuit against the Department of Justice seeking reversal of an order of recusal. He is a current member of both the American Bar Association, where he serves on the ABA’s Subcommittee on Chapter 11, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Mojdehi received his J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law, and his B.A. from the College of William and Mary.

Janet Gertz represents a variety of debtor, creditor, trustee and statutory committee constituencies, and acquirers of distressed assets on bankruptcy and insolvency matters, financial restructurings, creditors’ rights and general business litigation and appeals. In 2017, she was selected by the Southern District of California to serve a three-year term as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Gertz is a member of the Bankruptcy Rules Committee for the Southern District of California and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and California Bankruptcy Forum. Gertz received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law, and her B.A., cum laude, from California State University, Northridge.

Allison Rego provides guidance to creditors, asset purchasers, trustees, committees and debtors on matters pertaining to commercial law, bankruptcy, financial restructuring, litigation and appeals.

Rego is a board member of the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum, and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and California Bankruptcy Forum. She received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law, and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Gonzaga University.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.