Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C.

CJ Griffin, Esq., Partner and Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was recently quoted in an Asbury Park Press article titled, “Despite District Policy to be Transparent, Lakewood Schools Leader Says She Will Not Keep Public Informed.” The article discusses how, despite its own policy mandating it to keep the public and press informed about matters affecting the district, the Lakewood School District has declared in a public meeting that it will not do so. The announcement from the superintendent of schools herself came after weeks of attempts by email and telephone calls to gather information on three key developments in the district affecting tens of millions of dollars in district funding and key programs and policies. “This is a growing problem. Once upon a time, government officials spoke with reporters, and residents, and answered basic questions or provided basic documents. Now they refuse to talk to anyone and say go file an OPRA request. Then they complain to the Legislature that they get too many OPRA requests, a problem they created. They’re public servants, spending taxpayer money. They need to serve the public and keep them informed,” said CJ Griffin. To read the full article in the Asbury Park Press, click here: https://zurl.co/ZZoU

CJ Griffin, Esq. Partner and Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was recently quoted in a New Jersey Monitor article titled, “Lawmakers May Allow More Remote Public Meetings Under Bill.” The article discusses a bill introduced that allows a “public body” to hold meetings, vote and receive public comment through electronic means. A public body, as defined by the state’s public meetings act, includes a commission, authority, board, council, committee or any other voting body that performs a public government function. Current law allows government agencies to hold remote meetings only during a state of emergency or public health emergency. CJ Griffin said the bill is a good way to make sure people’s voices are heard. During the pandemic, she said, people became more interested in what was going on in their town. “A big part of that was they could just easily attend the meetings, whereas if you go in person, it’s at 5, 6, 7 o’clock when you’re getting home from work, feeding the kids — a lot of people aren’t going to be able to make it to that meeting,” she said. To read the full New Jersey Monitor article, click here: https://zurl.co/TMPQ

Joseph C. Barsalona II, Henry J. Jaffe, and Alexis Gambale, attorneys in Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C.’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights Practice, were recently mentioned in a Law360 article titled, “Judge Locks Down Byju Entity's IP In Ch. 11.” The article discusses a recent decision by a Delaware bankruptcy judge to void transfers of an Apple App Store account linked to the insolvent U.S.-based financing arm of Indian education technology giant Byju's, as the Chapter 11 Trustee rang the alarm about "bad actors" trying to make off with the Debtors’ cash and intellectual property. To read the full article in Law360, click here: https://zurl.co/1fRX

CJ Griffin, Esq., Partner and Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was named #13 on Insider NJ’s 2024 LGBT Out 100 Power List, marking the sixth year in which Griffin was selected for this list. In recognizing Griffin, Insider NJ stated: NJ’s most credible voice for government transparency, CJ Griffin fought tooth and nail to protect NJ’s Open Public Records laws from a legislature in Trenton that’s increasingly hell-bent on doing their business opaquely and out-of-sight. In the end, there was no stopping the power-hungry Trenton Democrats from watering down NJ’s Open Public Records laws. Their insatiable desire to hoard power at the expense of NJ residents proved too inexorable a force to resist. For Gov. Murphy, who fancies himself a durable ally on LGBT issues, to sign legislation gutting ORPA suggests the limits of his allyship to marginalized communities. When she’s not defending democracy in NJ and showing Trenton what integrity and tenacity look like, CJ Griffin is Partner and Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden…. To view the full 2024 LGBT Out 100 Power List, click here: https://zurl.co/jrd7

Pashman Stein's Trusts & Estates practice group has published its monthly Trusts & Estates and Elder Law Update. This issue discusses some common misconceptions about estate planning.? To read the full newsletter, click here: https://lnkd.in/eiRKMrHn

Joseph C. Barsalona II, partner in the Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors’ Rights practice at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was recently quoted in an article in The Deal titled, “Private Credit, Investor Sophistication Drive Liquidations Down.” The article discusses how companies that are currently entering bankruptcy are opting to liquidate at the lowest level in 15 years. During the first nine months of 2024, there were 184 liquidations in Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 out of the 513 U.S. corporate bankruptcies, representing a rate of 35.9%, which is the lowest figure since 2011. Interest in inventive liability management transactions, something of a phenomenon in recent months, has also played a role in keeping deep distress away from courtrooms, said Joseph C. Barsalona II. “I've seen a lot from my secured lender clients that a lot of [secured lenders] are just exercising state court remedies rather than paying for a Chapter 11 winddown," said Barsalona. “If you do a state court foreclosure like an article 9 or a strict foreclosure, there's very minimal work and legal cost to get the asset." "In [Chapter 11] now, thanks to Purdue, you're not getting the types of releases you used to get. Everyone used to say, ‘Go into 11 and you'll get your release; that's what's worth paying for’, but you don't get that anymore because of Purdue," Barsalona said. "Lenders don't want to pay legal costs of a creditor coming in and suing for substantial control, piercing the corporate veil or fraudulent transfer — and a ton of these lenders are doing transactions like LBOs that could be avoided in bankruptcy, and want a release from all parties. Now, that's been taken away, so if it's just a Chapter 11 to wind down, and their costs will be a couple million more, they'll do [things] out of court," said Barsalona. To read the full article, click here: https://zurl.co/vhah

Roger Plawker, chair of the Attorney Ethics & Professional Misconduct practice group at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was quoted in a New Jersey Law Journal article titled, “The Narrow Path Back From Disbarment: 'You Have to Really Want to Be a Lawyer Again.'” The article discusses how in October, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued an administrative determination, allowing disbarred attorneys a chance to regain their law license for the first time in 45 years. Ethics practitioners shared their mixed feelings on the new rules. Roger Plawker said the new rules are a good start. He said he has not heard from any of his clients looking to take this path yet but acknowledged that he has clients who fear their cases will result in disbarment and are relieved by this news. "I would rather see the discretion on whether or not disbarment is appropriate on the front end," Plawker said. "More likely than not, reinstatement will be granted where cases were murky to begin with and where intent to steal was not shown." Plawker also said that being barred from practice for five years is career-ending for most lawyers. He added that he believes suspension is a more appropriate punishment for lawyers who qualify for reinstatement. He also noted that attorneys who have moved funds around to cover shortfalls often have restored the funds before their case has been investigated. "Often in those cases, the clients suffered no harm," Plawker said. "Those cases have to be distinguished from cases of knowing misappropriation." To read the full article in the New Jersey Law Journal, click here: https://zurl.co/PPw7

Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. would like to congratulate its client Plantopia Dispensary on their recent grand opening at 37 Main Street, Englishtown, New Jersey. The event featured live entertainment, local food trucks, and exclusive promotions. "We are happy to have been a part of Plantopia’s team as they navigated various local and regulatory hurdles to successfully obtain their dispensary license. We wish them tremendous success in their future operations," said Samantha Tilipman Alexander, counsel in the firm's Cannabis & Hemp Law practice. The Cannabis & Hemp Law practice group at Pashman Stein has substantial experience navigating the wide spectrum of legal issues related to the marijuana and hemp industries and is able to leverage the abilities of other Pashman Stein lawyers with experience in ancillary practice areas related to these industries. Together, the multidisciplinary team provides clients with comprehensive full-service legal counsel on all cannabis-related business and legal issues. To read more, click here: https://zurl.co/wexM Our firm is proud of the results it has achieved for clients, including the result noted here. Of course, each legal matter is unique on many levels, and past successes are not a guarantee of results in any other pending or future matters.

Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. is pleased to announce that special counsel David B. Stratton, and partner Leah Eisenberg, received media coverage in TMA New York City Chapter (Turnaround Management Association)'s News for their move to Pashman Stein’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice. Together with four associates who also joined throughout the year, the practice group has expanded to 10 full-time members, led by chair John Weiss. With offices in New York City, New Jersey, and Delaware, the group serves clients throughout the country in bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights matters. To read the full article in TMA News, click here: https://zurl.co/Gws3 Pashman Stein's Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Creditors’ Rights practice recently was named winner of the “Dealmakers” award by the New Jersey Law Journal as part of its 2024 New Jersey Legal Awards, which took place on October 29, 2024 in East Brunswick, NJ. The New Jersey Legal Awards are published by the New Jersey Law Journal. A description of the selection methodology can be found at Methodology: New Jersey Legal Awards (NJLA) 2024, here: https://zurl.co/EVQJ No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Today, we honor the courage and sacrifice of our veterans. Thank you for your service and dedication to our country. #VeteransDay