Edward L. Schnitzer

Partner

Edward L. Schnitzer is chair of Montgomery McCracken's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department and serves as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He focuses his practice on bankruptcy and reorganization matters. He has experience representing unsecured creditor committees, litigation and liquidation trustees, debtors, banks, equity committees, and creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy practice, with particular focus on bankruptcy litigation, including the prosecution and defense of preferences, fraudulent transfers, and other avoidance actions, claims objections, and collection and turnover actions.

Ed is a court-approved mediator in the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Delaware and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He has mediated disputes in the Health Diagnostic, Standard Register, Borders, and WP Steel bankruptcy cases. Ed is also a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Pro Bono Bankruptcy Panel and has represented individuals in need of pro bono assistance in adversary proceedings.

Upon graduation from law school, Ed served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx where he briefed and argued appeals before the Appellate Division, New York Court of Appeals, Southern District of New York, and Second Circuit, as well as tried several cases and assisted with the prosecution of a first degree murder trial. He then joined the Enforcement Division of the Securities & Exchange Commission where he investigated violations of the Federal Securities Laws. Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken, Ed served as chair of an international law firm’s bankruptcy and financial restructuring practice group.

Ed graduated undergrad from the University of Pennsylvania with cum laude honors and received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law. Ed received a Certificate of Completion, Inaugural Bankruptcy Mediation Class from John’s University of Law and the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution.

RELATED Practices

Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring

The attorneys in Montgomery McCracken’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department assist clients in all aspects of restructuring, including bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, reorganizations, liquidations, workouts, debt refinancings, adversary proceedings, and contested […]

Learn more about our Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department

Business Litigation

Montgomery McCracken’s Business Litigation Practice represents corporations and unincorporated business entities, their officers, directors, partners and managers, their financial advisors, and their shareholders and creditors in a wide array of […]

Learn more about our Business Litigation Practice

Litigation

Montgomery McCracken’s Litigation Department offers a deep bench of skilled and experienced litigators whose practice areas encompass a broad array of industries and substantive legal disciplines.  Our clients include individuals, […]

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Credentials

Selected Representations

Selected Committee Representations

  • Representing the Creditors’ Committee in the Centerstone Linen Services bankruptcy pending in Northern District of New York.
  • Represented the Creditors’ Committee in the Tuesday Morning bankruptcy in Dallas, Texas.
  • Represented the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders in the Pyxus International, Inc. bankruptcy in Delaware.
  • Represented the Creditors’ Committee in the Willowood USA Holdings bankruptcy pending in Colorado.
  • Represented the Creditors’ Committee in the API Americas bankruptcy.
  • Represented the Creditors’ Committee in the Puglia Engineering bankruptcy in Tacoma, WA.

Selected Trustee Representations

  • Serving as special counsel to prosecute avoidance actions in the Insys opioid bankruptcy pending in Delaware.
  • Representing the liquidating trustee in the Centerstone Linen Services bankruptcy pending in Northern District of New York.
  • Represented the litigation trustee in the Willowood USA Holdings bankruptcy pending in Colorado.
  • Served as special counsel to prosecute avoidance actions in the Isolux Corsan bankruptcy pending in Texas.
  • Recovered over $5 million on behalf of the Liquidating Trustee of Dewey & LeBoeuf through the prosecution of assorted Chapter 5 claims.
  • Generated over $10 million of recoveries on behalf of the Furniture Brands Plan Trustee through the prosecution of estate litigation claims.

Selected Creditor/Party-In-Interest/Mediator Representations

  • Representing insurer in multiple Catholic Diocesan bankruptcies.
  • Representing former officer seeking allowance of a late filed employment discrimination in the Westinghouse bankruptcy.
  • Represented creditor seeking allowance of a late filed claim in the Maxus bankruptcy.
  • Represented attorney in multiple disputes and discovery matters.
  • Represented numerous creditors in the Sears & Kmart bankruptcies, including negotiating critical vendor treatment, asserting reclamation rights, filing 503(b)(9) claims, asserting consignment rights, and negotiating sale of claims.
  • Represented creditors/clients in the Westinghouse bankruptcy, including the assertion of reclamation, 503(b)(9), and lien rights.
  • Served on the panels of mediators for Draw Another Circle, Advance Watch, Quicksilver, Borders, and Health Diagnostic bankruptcy cases.
  • Represented secured creditor in New Jersey bankruptcy case resulting in full recovery for the client.

Selected Avoidance Actions Defense Representations

  • Representing five defendants in mega-avoidance action filed by the J&M Chapter 7 trustee.
  • Representing factors in asserting claims and defending preference actions in various bankruptcies.
  • Representing former CFO, now a defendant in two adversary proceedings relating to a jewelry bankruptcy.
  • Represented six clients/defendants in fraudulent transfer claims arising from the involuntary bankruptcy filing of a Long Island attorney running a Ponzi scheme.
  • Defended various clients in avoidance actions in the Dots bankruptcy case seeking the avoidance and recovery of over $6 million in aggregate.
  • Negotiated dismissal of ~$1.5 million avoidance action filed against creditor in the HMX bankruptcy.
  • Represented defendants in various large bankruptcy cases, including Wet Seal, Loehmann’s, Marco Polo, HMX, Factory 2-U, Ames, National Wholesalers Liquidators, Circuit City, Metro Park, Fortunoff, and Value City.
Selected Speaking Engagements
Selected Publications
Honors & Awards
  • 2021 Large Company Turnaround and Transaction of the Year Award, Turnaround Management Association, 2021
  • Turnaround of the Year (Under $100MM) Award, The M&A Advisor, 2021
  • Corporate Turnaround of the Year Award, Global M&A Network’s Turnaround Atlas Awards, 2021
  • ABI Committee Member of the Year Award, 2020

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Education

Law School

  • Columbia University School of Law

Undergraduate School

  • University of Pennsylvania