Bankruptcy

The bankruptcy process is challenging for both debtors and creditors. You can count on us and our experience to craft creative solutions to your financial challenges. Here’s how we serve you best. We break down complicated bankruptcy situations and get to the core issues of your case while focusing on your financial objectives. This is the best way to help you to decide on the best go forward strategy for you individually or for your business.

Creditors and Secured Lenders

For creditors and secured lenders who face a host of bankruptcy related issues, the Cosenza Law Firm can help you contest, litigate, or negotiate issues such as:
  • Preference and fraudulent transfer actions
  • Claims trading
  • Objections to disclosure statements and Chapter 11 plans
  • Assumption and assignment of leases and intellectual property licenses
  • Lender liability issues
  • Claims prosecution and resolution
  • Stay relief motions
  • Bankruptcy appeals
  • Single Asset Real Estate cases

Businesses in Financial Distress

For businesses in financial distress who are contemplating a bankruptcy or other restructuring of the business, the Cosenza Law Firm can help you evaluate business alternatives and set a plan for your case such as:
  • Chapter 11 business reorganization
  • Obtaining debtor-in-possession financing
  • Resolving cash collateral disputes
  • Chapter 11 plan confirmations
  • Post-bankruptcy emergence and business planning
  • Pre-negotiated or pre-pack bankruptcy plan
  • Chapter 7 business liquidation
  • Distressed asset sale or acquisition
  • Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors
  • Workouts or out-of-court restructuring

Individuals at Both Higher and Lower Income Levels

For individuals at both higher and lower income levels who are considering personal bankruptcy, the Cosenza Law Firm can help you:
  • Get control of your financial life
  • Get a fresh start
  • Get free from debt
  • Stop harassing calls
  • Stop foreclosure
  • Stop repossession
  • Stop garnishment
For individuals and businesses who seek an alternative to bankruptcy to resolve their debts, the Cosenza Law Firm also provides debt settlement services to help you reach your financial objectives.

Corporate

Entrepreneurs - profit from our experience to help you to profit from your business.

Business Enterprises:
Start – Buy – Merge

In this fast moving business climate where pressures to stay current and competitive are high, it’s no longer realistic to rely on the hope of lifetime employment at a large corporation and retirement with a sizable pension. In this new reality, people are driven to be more creative and take on greater risk. We guide entrepreneurs in starting new businesses, or buying or merging existing businesses to reach your business goals and fuel our economy. The Cosenza Law Firm can help you with:
  • Business formation or merger (Corporation, LP, LLP, LLC, PLLC, Not-for-Profit)
  • Crafting all necessary documentation including:
    • Shareholder or Partnership Agreements;
    • Operating Agreements;
    • By-laws;
    • Corporate Resolutions;
    • Merger Agreements;
    • Employment and Consulting Agreements;
    • Employee Manuals and Policies;
    • Asset purchase agreements for those buying a business entity or business assets

Employment and Labor Issues

Once you’re up and running, you’ll need to continuously ensure that your business is in compliance with employment at labor laws at both the federal and state levels.  Look to the Cosenza Law Firm to guide you on how to comply with the laws and address any disputes your business may face under: 

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • Americans with Disabilities Act, ERISA
  • Local wage-hour and employment laws
  • Fair Labor Standards Act
  • WARN Act
  • Department of Labor investigations and audits

Business Divorce

There are a host of reasons why business partners running successful businesses may decide to break up or dissolve their business relationship.  In some cases, the business partners may no longer share the same vision for the future of the business, they may experience a breakdown in trust, or the next generation may just not be quick to take hold of the corporate reigns.

When these events occur, the Cosenza Law Firm is here to best help you through a smooth transition and resolution of business issues.

Estate Planning

To make the right decisions about your estate planning, we help you to understand what these estate planning tools can accomplish and how a custom combination of these tools can be used to devise your optimal overall estate plan.

Preserving Your Legacy

You've worked to plan and develop your professional life for yourself and your family.

Now, let us work to plan and develop a strategy to help you preserve what you've built for yourself and your family.

Selecting Your Estate Planning Goals

What are your financial needs?  What are your financial goals?

First, we learn about your personal and family financial needs of today, and what you can anticipate for tomorrow.  Then, we create a tailor-made estate plan to help you make the most of what you have for when you and your family need it most.

Plan Today for Tomorrow

Customized estate planning for you, your children, and your grandchildren can include: 

  • Wills
  • Living Trusts
  • Ongoing Trusts
  • Estate Tax Saving Bypass Trusts
  • Estate Tax Saving Marital Trusts
  • Charitable Trusts
  • Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
  • Generation-Skipping Trusts
  • Educational Trusts
  • Special Needs Trusts
  • Spendthrift Trusts
  • Family Trusts
  • Family Business Estate Planning
  • Living Wills
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Health Care Directives

Litigation

We can take them to the mat or get them to the table – your objectives drive how we customize our litigation strategy for you or your business.

Question:  What’s our litigation strategy to address the dispute you face?
Answer:  What’s your goal? 

We fight for you based upon how we can best meet the goals you set for yourself or your business.

Count on the Cosenza Law Firm to handle pre-litigation negotiations and in-court litigation of lawsuits for:

  • General commercial disputes
  • Business and contract disputes
  • Real estate disputes

Real Estate

You can count on us at the Cosenza Law Firm for your residential or commercial real estate needs.

Residential:  Buying or Selling Your Home, Condo or Co-op

Whether you're moving in or moving on to another home, count on us to help you make this smooth transition into a new life at a new location.

We walk you from door to door, handling your deal from contract to closing for residential homes, condominiums, or co-ops.

Count on us for:

  • Due diligence
  • Prepare and negotiate contracts
  • Review of title and financing documents
  • Closing process

Commercial Acquisitions, Sales, and Leasing

We handle acquisitions of commercial real estate properties.  We also work with owners, tenants and subtenants to lease office, retail and loft space.

Count on us for:

  • Acquisition and sale of commercial properties from contract to closing
  • Prepare and negotiate commercial lease agreements

Who We Are

Michele Cosenza, who has been practicing law for over a decade, is uniquely experienced in economics, finance, and law, making her well-suited to tackle cases in a wide range of legal services including bankruptcy, corporate, litigation, real estate, and estate planning.

Ms. Cosenza believes that in building her own practice and a legal team, she could be more effective in helping people deal with a variety of legal issues by providing individualized attention. The Cosenza Law Firm has allowed Ms. Cosenza to fully realize her passion for helping people to achieve their personal and professional goals.

Professional Achievements

  • Ms. Cosenza was inducted onto the Wall of Fame at Kingsborough Community College in recognition of outstanding professional achievements - April 10, 2003
  • Ms. Cosenza co-authored educational materials for American Bankruptcy Institute 2008 Bankruptcy Views from the Bench on Liquidating Cases and Asset Disposition, Sales, Auctions, Appeals:  “Chapter 11 Liquidation Cases:  Selected Issues When Chapter 11 is the Beginning of the End” - September 12, 2008.

Bar and Court Admissions / Professional Achievements/Memberships

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
  • U.S. District Courts, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts
  • State of New York
  • Court of Appeals, District of Columbia

Memberships

  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Bar of the City of New York
  • Brooklyn Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association

Ask A Lawyer

WE WELCOME YOU TO ASK US A QUESTION ABOUT THE LEGAL ISSUE YOU FACE. PLEASE CALL US AT THE NUMBER BELOW OR USE THE FORM ON THE RIGHT TO EMAIL YOUR QUESTION TO US.

Tel: (212) 328-9477
Fax: (212) 504-3283
Email: michele@cosenzalawfirm.com

Our offices are located at:
641 Lexington Avenue
14th Floor
New York, NY 10022