Joseph L. Sorkin
Partner
Areas of Focus
- Restructuring Litigation
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Investment Funds Litigation
- Disputes & Investigations
- Pro Bono
- Supreme Court & Appellate: Bankruptcy
- Private Capital
- Leads the firm's litigation practice.
- Experienced trial attorney, who has lead litigations in state and federal court.
- Has significant experience in a wide range of issues arising in financial restructuring litigation.
- Regularly litigates complex commercial disputes addressing issues specific to investment fund clients and financial institutions.
Joseph is a trial attorney who has consistently achieved favorable results for clients in a wide range of settings, including federal and state courts around the country, as well as arbitrations. Joseph regularly represents clients engaged in contentious disputes related to corporate restructuring and handles a full range of contested matters and adversarial proceedings in complex Chapter 11 proceedings.
Joseph’s clients include:
- Creditors
- Debtors
- Bondholders
- Hedge funds
- Institutional investors
- Financial institutions
- Ad hoc and official creditors’ committees.
Joseph devotes significant time to pro bono matters and is the chair of the New York Office Pro Bono Committee. He has supervised or worked directly on matters with The Legal Aid Society, Her Justice, The Bronx Defenders, Human Rights First, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and Lawyers Without Borders.
- Representing the official committee of unsecured creditors in Sears Holdings Corporation, et al., in connection with an investigation and prosecution of fraudulent transfer and other claims.
- Representing debtor First Energy Solutions Corp. on a wide range of litigation issues, including in connection with settlement of intercompany claims.
- Achieved dismissal of defamation complaint brought by publicly traded company against fund client who had taken a short position in and published reports about its thesis in the company.
- Obtained $10 million jury verdict as lead trial counsel in federal court litigation under the Torture Victim Protection Act, marking the first time in U.S. history a former head of state was a defendant in a U.S. human rights trial.
EducationJ.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, cum laude, 2001
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994
J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, cum laude, 2001
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994
Bar AdmissionsNew York
New York
- The Legal 500 US, General Commercial Disputes, 2020 and 2024.
- Member, board of directors, The Legal Aid Society.