Retired Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber Joining Joseph Hage Aaronson

Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC announced today that the Hon. Robert E. Gerber, United States Bankruptcy Judge (Retired), has joined the firm as Of Counsel upon his retirement from the federal bench. Judge Gerber will offer services in bankruptcy and commercial arbitration, mediation, fiduciary work and consulting.

Judge Gerber served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York for more than 15 years, presiding over a wide variety of complex chapter 11, chapter 15, section 304 and SIPA cases—including 10 with over $1 billion in debt, and many more with $100 million in debt. Law360, in a news article captioned “Storied New York Bankruptcy Judge Gerber to Retire,” noted that “Judge Gerber ha[d] held the reins on a host of complex filings that required court sessions stretching into the small hours of night, including the blockbuster General Motors case and the bankruptcies of Lyondell Chemical and cable company Adelphia,” and that his caseload carried “a collective price tag of over $1 trillion.” The Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, in its listing for Judge Gerber, reported lawyers’ evaluations that he was “extremely smart,” “scholarly in how he approaches things,” and “a real thinker.” He was named as one of the nation’s outstanding bankruptcy judges six times.

Gregory P. Joseph, the managing partner of Joseph Hage Aaronson LLC, stated “Bob and I have been good friends for over 35 years and were partners for most of that at Fried Frank before he assumed the bench. Bob is an outstanding lawyer and was a distinguished judge. We couldn’t be more honored and delighted that he is joining our firm.”

Judge Gerber added, “Because Greg never appeared in bankruptcy court, we could remain close after I became a judge. And when I had a chance to join up with him again, it was unthinkable for me to go anywhere else. He’s the gold standard in commercial litigation, and I’m thrilled to work with him again.”

Judge Gerber earned a B.S. degree in industrial engineering, with high honors, from Rutgers University (from which he graduated in 1967), and a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Columbia Law School, from which he graduated in 1970, and where, among other things, he was a James Kent Scholar. Before going on the bench, he practiced with the firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York, specializing in securities and commercial litigation and, thereafter, bankruptcy litigation and counseling. He served in the United States Air Force from 1971 to 1972, as a First Lieutenant, serving in the areas of military procurement and production and legal assistance to Air Force personnel and their families.

Judge Gerber is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he teaches Columbia’s Advanced Bankruptcy Seminar. He is a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy, and is a Fellow (and Director) of the American College of Bankruptcy.