Richard D. Trenk

As chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Corporate Restructuring practice, Richard has litigated hundreds of bankruptcy and business reorganization cases to successful outcomes. Of note, Richard recently tried to conclusion bid litigation involving over $100 million, and he has handled Chapter 11 real estate, manufacturing, and retail cases involving more than $500 million in value. Richard is often called upon as an expert witness in bankruptcy-related matters. As a co-founder of the Bankruptcy Inn of Court for the District of New Jersey, he has promoted legal excellence, civility, professionalism, ethics, and specifically the application of these ideals to the Bankruptcy Bar of the District of New Jersey.

As the co-chair of the firm’s Government Representation practice, Richard brings significant experience with municipal and government issues. He has served as the Township Attorney for the Township of West Orange for more than 25 years and as special counsel for numerous municipalities.

Richard strategizes all issues to achieve the most economic and efficient outcome while vigorously representing the interests of his clients.

Highly regarded in the legal community, Richard is a former president of the Essex County Bar Association, one of the largest legal professional organizations in the State of New Jersey. Also, he has actively served in numerous leadership positions with the New Jersey State Bar Association and American Bar Association.  He also served as chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association and Essex County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

In addition, Richard is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy topics and has given presentations for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Association of Trial Lawyers of America, New Jersey Chapter (ATLA), Rutgers University School of Public Administration, the New Jersey Judicial College, the New Jersey State Bar Association Bankruptcy Law Section, the Essex County Bar Association, Bergen Community College, and the National Association of Women Judges.

​Richard serves as a professional advisor to the Board of Directors of New Jersey Shares, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to assisting New Jersey middle- and fixed-income households experiencing difficulty paying for utility services. He continues to volunteer for non-profit organizations including the March of Dimes, Advocates for Children of New Jersey, Community Health Law Project, Legal Services Foundation of Essex County, Discovery Charter School, Community Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity.  Richard has been Chair of the Board of Trustees of Advocates for Children of New Jersey and the Community Health Law Project.

Richard is a founding board member of the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation and continues to serve.  The John S. Mulholland Family Foundation was founded on December 3, 2013, to serve the working poor of inner city Washington, D.C. The Foundation is incorporated in Delaware and the District of Columbia and is a 501(c)(3) public charity.  The Foundation’s mission is to ensure that food pantries in the poorest sections of the District of Columbia have the necessary means to provide food assistance to food insecure, working poor families.