Richard Trenk Named Finalist for “Attorney of the Year” in New Jersey Legal Awards, Featured in New Jersey Law Journal Article

October 24, 2024
tisslaw.com

Richard TrenkThe New Jersey Law Journal has named Richard D. Trenk, a director at Trenk Isabel Siddiqi & Shahdanian who chairs the firm’s Bankruptcy and Corporate Restructuring practice, one of three finalists for “Attorney of the Year” in this year’s New Jersey Legal Awards. The winner will be announced October 29 at an awards dinner at the Park Chateau Estate in East Brunswick.

According to the editors, the Attorney of the Year award recognizes a lawyer who “made his or her mark on the profession, and in the law, with an achievement in the past year that goes beyond service to the client.”

On October 22, the New Jersey Law Journal published a feature story “Attorney of the Year Finalist: Richard Trenk Helping Businesses ‘Turn the Page’,” noting that “after litigating hundreds of bankruptcy cases, Richard Trenk continues to be fascinated by businesses looking for a fresh start…and stressed that his work includes helping people like employees and creditors move toward a ‘fresh start’ by salvaging financially viable businesses.”

The article highlighted Richard’s “most impactful recent case” — his representation of the Diocese of Camden, which resolved in March, three and a half years after the case was filed. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jerrold Poslusny approved the bankruptcy plan, allowing the Diocese to move ahead with a $87.5 million settlement of clergy sex abuse claims by more than 300 abuse survivors. The judge’s confirmation is believed to be one of the largest, if not largest ever in the state of New Jersey.

“This has been a multi-faceted, unique situation because on one hand, the goal of the diocese, and certainly my role as their counsel, has been to deal with the decades-old abuse claims that have mounted over many, many years,” Trenk said in a conversation with the Law Journal.

“By using the Chapter 11 structure, to be transparent as to the diocese’s assets, we negotiated successfully a plan of reorganization with the survivors which was approved by more than 90% of the survivors,” Trenk said.

Securing confirmation of the Diocese’s bankruptcy plan in U.S. Bankruptcy Court is not the only major victory Trenk has scored in 2024. Also in March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Jersey City Community Housing Corp. in a case that stemmed from an affordable housing project.

His former colleague, Kenneth A. Rosen of Ken Rosen Advisors in New York told the Law Journal that as a litigator, Trenk is aggressive and is not afraid to go after anyone. He said, in the world of bankruptcy, every bankruptcy attorney thinks they can litigate. He added that Trenk is one of the few people who actually knows how to litigate and to try a case in bankruptcy court.

Kevin J. Duffy, a partner and commercial litigator with Day Pitney in Parsippany, told the Law Journal that Trenk was his first boss in private practice and that he has been both a friend and mentor ever since. “There are lawyers for whom the law is a job and there are lawyers for whom it is a vocation—Rich falls squarely into the latter category,” Duffy said. “He instilled in me a commitment to zealous advocacy, persistence, and community engagement.”

The article states that as a law firm leader, Trenk stressed the importance of summer associate programs as critical to every firm, not just for the present but for the future. However, he noted that he feels sympathy for young lawyers in a post-COVID world to the extent that a physical connection has been lost to Zoom or Teams. “So much of the foundation of my referrals has been by being active in the [New Jersey State Bar Association] Young Lawyers [section],” Trenk said. “We used to take that for granted when we were younger and now, I think it is so important for young people to recognize off the bat that is your ticket to success.”

Highly regarded in the legal community, Trenk, who co-founded the Bankruptcy Inn of Court for the District of New Jersey and previously served as president of the Essex County Bar Association, was recently ranked in Chambers USA for the second consecutive year.

Read the full article here.

See methodology: The Supreme Court of New Jersey Committee on Attorney Advertising finds that the New Jersey Legal awards conferred by ALM may, consistent with the rules governing attorney advertising, be advertised by recipients.