Robert J. Labate has represented creditors and debtors in complex corporate restructurings in Chapter 11 cases and under consensual, out-of-court "workout" agreements for 20 years. He is an adjunct professor at De Paul University School of Law and, in 2005, was the subject of a profile article in the national weekly business magazine, The Deal. As discussed in The Deal profile, Mr. Labate has considerable experience and a national reputation in two legal practice areas – corporate restructuring and entertainment.
As discussed in The Deal, Mr. Labate is one of the busiest corporate restructuring attorneys in the United States. Since joining McBride Baker & Coles in 2001, which merged with Holland & Knight in 2003, Mr. Labate's practice is largely on behalf of creditors and creditor committees. He writes and lectures on defending preference actions, real estate workouts and other "creditor-side" issues.
In the financial restructuring portion of his practice, Mr. Labate recently has conducted, to a favorable verdict, a two-week federal jury trial; obtained dismissal of a chapter 11 case following a bench trial on the issue of the Debtor's bad faith; represented owners of real property in workouts and chapter 11 cases; acquired debtor assets and facilities pursuant to "363" sales; created special purpose entities in connection with restructuring of lending package for commercial real property portfolios; and negotiated favorable settlement of dozens of preference actions filed throughout the country.
While his entertainment practice began on a pro bono basis, over the past 15 years, Mr. Labate has become one of the best known entertainment lawyers in Chicago, particularly in the areas of structuring and financing independent film and television production. He represents national production companies and industry professionals, including producers of nationally distributed feature and documentary films.