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Chicago, IL 60606
P 312.876.7171
F 312.876.0288

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Suite 3600
Miami, FL 33131
P 305.374.3300
F 305.374.4744

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Practice

Bankruptcy, Creditors' Rights »

Commercial Solutions »

Repurchase Obligation Advisory »

James A. Chatz
Partner

Mr. Chatz is a partner with the firm and co-chair of the Bankruptcy, Creditors' Rights, and Restructuring practice group. He has substantial experience in the field of commercial insolvency and creditors' rights law, representing clients throughout the United States. He also practices in the areas of corporate law and business law, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning, and commercial litigation. Mr. Chatz spends a significant portion of his time in South Florida with the firm's Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, and West Palm Beach offices, providing his knowledge and experience as a resource to businesses and individuals with significant interests in South Florida. Leveraging the skills of our Florida-licensed attorneys, he is able to assist clients in understanding their alternatives the strategic direction of their matters and in other phases of the relationship.

Professional Activities and Achievements

Mr. Chatz has served the Commercial Law League of America as president (1984-1985) and as a member of the board of governors. He is a former member of the Political Action Committee of the Illinois State Bar Association and a current member of its Special Committee on Certification. Since 1988, he has been a member of the Illinois State Bar Association's General Assembly and also served on the Commercial, Banking & Bankruptcy Law Section Counsel Committee. Mr. Chatz served as chairman of the Bankruptcy and Reorganization Committee of the Chicago Bar Association and was a founder and vice president of the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is a member of the American, Illinois, Chicago, and Federal Bar Associations and served as chancellor of the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Inns of Court. Mr. Chatz served as chairman of the Hospital Rate Reimbursement Board of the State of Illinois and was a member of the Evanston Fair Housing Review Board.

Publications

Mr. Chatz has written extensively on bankruptcy, creditors' rights and the Uniform Commercial Code. His is a co-author of the Bankruptcy Reform Act Manual and editor of the Creditors' Rights Manual. Mr. Chatz has lectured on bankruptcy and creditors' rights before the American Bankruptcy Institute; Banking Law Institute; Commercial Law League Fund for Public Education; National Association of Credit Managers; Midwest Bank Group; Seibu Corporation, Tokyo, Japan; Missouri Bar Association; Association of Insolvency Accountants; State of Wyoming Ranchers' Association; and Cooperative Electrical Power Associations. He has been a visiting lecturer in the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and an adjunct professor of Law at John Marshall Law School. Mr. Chatz also co-authored a chapter entitled “§305 Abstention” appearing in the Norton Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law.

Education

Northwestern University, (LL.B., 1958)
Michigan State University and Northwestern University (B.S., 1956)

Bar Admissions

State of Illinois; State of Colorado; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court