• Thomas T. Janover leads Kramer Levin’s Claims Trading and Investment Advice practice, a team of lawyers widely regarded by peers and clients as one of the finest in this area. An experienced industry leader, Tom is regarded as one of the “deans” of distressed investing. For more than 25 years, he has represented numerous hedge funds, investment banks and commercial banks in the purchase and sale of securities of and claims against companies undergoing financial restructuring, in bankruptcy or in other distressed circumstances.

    When the market for these investments was nascent, he was one of the first lawyers to advise and represent hedge funds, at a time when few market standards for pricing or documents existed for these transactions. As the claim trading market grew, Tom was instrumental in bringing standardization to the market, working with the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (LSTA) and other market participants to establish or author standard documentation for the purchase and sale of bank and trade claims. He has also spoken and written about legal issues involved in the trading of claims and distressed securities and on settling transactions on LSTA and Legal Marketing Association documentation.

    Each year, Tom and his team advise 40 or more funds and other investors in thousands of transactions in connection with the purchase and sale of billions of dollars of bank claims, trade claims and swap claims, as well as privately traded securities of troubled companies. Some of Tom’s most notable recent transactions have involved FTX Trading, Enviva, Yellow Trucking, Cineworld, PDVSA, Credit Suisse AT1 Bonds, Rackspace, Talen Energy, Bausch Health, Apex Tool, Stanford Financial, Peterson Health, Envision, Travelport Finance and Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities.

    In addition to his work with investors in distressed companies, Tom represents clients in litigation funding and investments in real estate tax liens, and he advises clients on compliance with federal securities law and the use of “big boy” letters and other trading issues.

    Legal 500 has recognized Tom for leading a claims trading team “widely regarded as one of the best in the market.” The publication quotes sources describing him as “highly responsive and commercial” and the “best in his field.”

    Credentials

    Education

    • J.D., Fordham University School of Law, 1986
      • Commentary Editor, Fordham International Law Journal, 1985-1986
    • B.A., cum laude, University of Pennsylvania, 1983

    Bar Admissions

    • New York, 1987

    Court Admissions

    • U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York, 2000

    Professional Affiliations

    • New York City Bar Association
  • *No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the Super Lawyers selection methodology can be found here.