Bob is Co-Chair of Stevens & Lee’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department. He has been an active practitioner in the area of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights since 1979. He represents financial institutions, debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees and asset acquirers in all aspects of the corporate reorganization practice. Bob also regularly represents clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions as well as financings.

Bob is a Fellow in The American College of Bankruptcy and is also a Fellow in the International Insolvency Institute. Each is an invitation-only honorary professional society of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. He coordinates a semester-long class on international bankruptcy sponsored by the College and presented annually at numerous law schools in the United States. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Among his more significant representations, Bob served as lead counsel to the following:

  • Concord Hospital in its acquisition of substantially all assets of LRGHealthcare out of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding
  • Joint venture of Tower Health and Drexel University in acquisition of substantially all assets of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding
  • B. Braun in its acquisition of substantially all assets of Dextera Surgical, Inc. out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
  • Montage Mountain Resorts in its acquisition of substantially all assets of Sno Mountain out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding
  • Debtors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of The Reading Eagle Company (publisher of the Reading Eagle newspaper),
  • Debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Almacs Supermarkets, Inc.
  • Debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Bidermann Industries, Inc.
    • The Bidermann representation included reorganization of Bidermann’s French subsidiaries
  • EnerSys Delaware in connection with its successful opposition to an attempt by Exide Technologies to reject a critical trademark license agreement in Exide’s bankruptcy proceedings. The EnerSys litigation resulted in an important opinion from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit clarifying the standards for contract rejection in bankruptcy.
  • Afro-Asian Satellite Communications as acquirer in Chapter 11 proceedings of ICO Global
    • ICO Global was a Bermuda based owner and operator of communications satellites and the case included a parallel Bermuda insolvency proceeding
  • Afro-Asian Satellite Communications as largest unsecured creditor and member of creditors committee in Chapter 11 proceedings of Protostar Ltd
    • Protostar was a Bermuda based owner and operator of communications satellites and the case included a parallel Bermuda insolvency proceeding
  • Large national bank in the workout of defaulted loans of two major sports franchises
  • Large regional bank in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Associated Wholesale Grocers
  • Secured lenders in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Cellular Information Systems, Inc. ($100 million in bank debt) and C-4 Media Cable South, Limited Partnership ($30 million in bank debt)
  • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Senior Care Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries
  • Ad Hoc Committee of Unsecured Creditors in receivership proceedings of Oak Health and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. nursing homes
  • The American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow
  • International Insolvency Institute, Fellow
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Turnaround Management Association
  • Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference, Chair, 2003
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Bob has been named to The Best Lawyers in America annually since the 2007 edition in the area of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law and since 2011 in the area of Litigation-Bankruptcy. Since 2008, he has been recognized annually by international legal research publisher Chambers and Partners USA as one of the leading bankruptcy lawyers in Pennsylvania, an honor based on an intensive research process incorporating client feedback. As published in Philadelphia magazine, he was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2004 through 2020 by being selected by his peers as among the top 5 percent of lawyers in the Commonwealth. As part of this recognition, he was named one of the top 100 attorneys in Philadelphia in 2005 and 2006. Bob was named 2016 and 2019 Philadelphia Bankruptcy Litigation Lawyer of the Year.

Education

  • Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University, J.D.
  • The Pennsylvania State University, B.S.

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey

Court Admissions

  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court
  • New Jersey Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Powerful partnerships. Standout solutions.

headshot of Bob Lapowsky
Robert Lapowsky
Shareholder
robert.lapowsky@stevenslee.com
  • Valley Forge
  • Phone: 215.751.2866
  • Fax: 610.371.7958
Areas of Focus
Practice
  • Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring

Bob is Co-Chair of Stevens & Lee’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Department. He has been an active practitioner in the area of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights since 1979. He represents financial institutions, debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees and asset acquirers in all aspects of the corporate reorganization practice. Bob also regularly represents clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions as well as financings.

Bob is a Fellow in The American College of Bankruptcy and is also a Fellow in the International Insolvency Institute. Each is an invitation-only honorary professional society of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. He coordinates a semester-long class on international bankruptcy sponsored by the College and presented annually at numerous law schools in the United States. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Among his more significant representations, Bob served as lead counsel to the following:

  • Concord Hospital in its acquisition of substantially all assets of LRGHealthcare out of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding
  • Joint venture of Tower Health and Drexel University in acquisition of substantially all assets of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding
  • B. Braun in its acquisition of substantially all assets of Dextera Surgical, Inc. out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
  • Montage Mountain Resorts in its acquisition of substantially all assets of Sno Mountain out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding
  • Debtors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of The Reading Eagle Company (publisher of the Reading Eagle newspaper),
  • Debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Almacs Supermarkets, Inc.
  • Debtors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Bidermann Industries, Inc.
    • The Bidermann representation included reorganization of Bidermann’s French subsidiaries
  • EnerSys Delaware in connection with its successful opposition to an attempt by Exide Technologies to reject a critical trademark license agreement in Exide’s bankruptcy proceedings. The EnerSys litigation resulted in an important opinion from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit clarifying the standards for contract rejection in bankruptcy.
  • Afro-Asian Satellite Communications as acquirer in Chapter 11 proceedings of ICO Global
    • ICO Global was a Bermuda based owner and operator of communications satellites and the case included a parallel Bermuda insolvency proceeding
  • Afro-Asian Satellite Communications as largest unsecured creditor and member of creditors committee in Chapter 11 proceedings of Protostar Ltd
    • Protostar was a Bermuda based owner and operator of communications satellites and the case included a parallel Bermuda insolvency proceeding
  • Large national bank in the workout of defaulted loans of two major sports franchises
  • Large regional bank in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Associated Wholesale Grocers
  • Secured lenders in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Cellular Information Systems, Inc. ($100 million in bank debt) and C-4 Media Cable South, Limited Partnership ($30 million in bank debt)
  • Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Senior Care Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries
  • Ad Hoc Committee of Unsecured Creditors in receivership proceedings of Oak Health and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. nursing homes

Affiliations

  • The American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow
  • International Insolvency Institute, Fellow
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Turnaround Management Association
  • Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference, Chair, 2003
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Recognition

Bob has been named to The Best Lawyers in America annually since the 2007 edition in the area of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law and since 2011 in the area of Litigation-Bankruptcy. Since 2008, he has been recognized annually by international legal research publisher Chambers and Partners USA as one of the leading bankruptcy lawyers in Pennsylvania, an honor based on an intensive research process incorporating client feedback. As published in Philadelphia magazine, he was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2004 through 2020 by being selected by his peers as among the top 5 percent of lawyers in the Commonwealth. As part of this recognition, he was named one of the top 100 attorneys in Philadelphia in 2005 and 2006. Bob was named 2016 and 2019 Philadelphia Bankruptcy Litigation Lawyer of the Year.

Education

  • Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University, J.D.
  • The Pennsylvania State University, B.S.

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey

Court Admissions

  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court
  • New Jersey Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
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