George J. Spathis

• Professional Bio
• Practice Areas
• Industries Served
• Publications
• Presentations

Professional Bio

GEORGE J. SPATHIS is a seasoned trial lawyer with extensive experience in the areas of bankruptcy and financial services litigation, having represented bankruptcy trustees, secured creditors, creditors committees, assignees, and receivers in an array of complex litigation matters in a myriad of industries.  He has prosecuted and defended large fraudulent conveyance actions in Federal Courts throughout the country and has spoken and written on numerous occasions on the topics of fraudulent conveyance, insolvency, and dealing with businesses in distress.

George also serves as outside general counsel to mid-sized companies, closely-held entities, and entrepreneurs, counseling them on litigation avoidance strategies, representing them in commercial disputes, and advising them on diverse transactional matters.  George works closely with his clients on protecting their business assets, managing their business risks, and solving their business problems. 

George was named by Chicago Lawyer as one of the City's Leading Lawyers and Leading Commercial Litigators and is consistently recognized by his peers for his legal ability and ethical standards.

Areas of Concentration

• Insolvency & Creditors' Rights
• Bankruptcy Litigation
• Financial Services Litigation
• General Counsel Services
• General Business Litigation
• Technology and eCommerce
• Manufacturing/Distribution

Memberships

• Chicago Bar Association, Member
• American Bar Association, Member
• American Bankruptcy Institute, Member
• Turnaround Management Association, Member

Representative Matters

• Lead counsel to lender in litigation to collect on defaulted notes from commercial snow removal company, resulting in an agreed expedited disposition of all collateral and substantial payments to several secured lenders;

• Defended assignee for the benefit of creditors in a $1,500,000 breach of contract action brought by a stalking-horse bidder in the United States District Court. The jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning a judgment (no liability) in defendant's favor;

• Obtained a $10,000,000 judgment at trial in the United States Bankruptcy Court on behalf of a Creditor's Committee that challenged unlawful dividends paid by a Debtor/LLC to its members/owners;

• Obtained a $2,800,000 judgment following a bifurcated trial in the United States Bankruptcy Court on behalf of Bankruptcy Trustee against a former officer of a Debtor/corporation for his fraudulent conveyance of the corporation's property and his usurpation of corporate opportunities;

• Obtained a $1,300,000 jury verdict (including sizable punitive damages) in the United States District Court on behalf of terminated beer wholesaler against importer and master distributor for violation of the Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act and tortuous interference;

• Successfully appealed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of a regional telecommunications carrier challenging a mandatory order of injunction by the Bankruptcy Court in favor of reorganizing Debtor. The Court ruled in the carrier's favor on the day after oral argument;

• Obtained a judgment at trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County in favor of the plaintiff in a shareholder dispute over ownership and control of a seventy-five year old family business;

• Represented a publicly traded gaming corporation in a R.I.C.O. action asserted against it in the United States District Court. The Court granted a motion to dismiss the action with prejudice, before discovery commenced;

• Obtained a judgment at trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County in favor of lender which purchased commercial leases for seller's breach of the master lease servicing agreement.

Practice Areas

• General Counsel, Ownership and Governance
• Litigation
• Financial Services Litigation
• Asset Protection
• Fiduciary Counsel and Litigation

Industries Served

• Banking
• Construction
• Entrepreneur/Start-Up Companies
• Financial Services
• Food/Beverage Services & Hospitality
• Healthcare
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing & Distribution
• Not-For-Profit Organizations
• Retail
• Service Companies
• Telecommunications

Publications

• New York Court Reels In Off-Shore Limited Partnerships that Failed to Make Appropriate Distributions to Former Partners, June 2003
• Avoiding Hearsay Traps in Fraudulent Conveyance Litigation, May 2012

Presentations

• "The Law of Fraudulent Conveyance," National Business Institute Teleconference, February 2009
• "Understanding LLC Related Fiduciary Obligations and the Rights of Minority Members," National Business Institute, 2007
• "Walking the Ethical Line," National Business Institute, 2007
• "Collection Realities and Pre-Suit Strategies," National Business Institute, 2007
• "Antitrust, @ssociations and the New Economy," Association Forum, January/Feburary 2002

News & Events

Cases