Joseph A. Gershman is a partner of Rich, Intelisano & Katz. His practice focuses on complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation. Mr. Gershman is rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings as an AV Preeminent attorney, its highest designation, with his peers recognizing him as “an excellent lawyer” and “an outstanding litigator”. He is also a recipient of The Legal Aid Society’s 2013 Pro Bono Publico Award for outstanding service to the Society and its clients.
Mr. Gershman has extensive experience within the areas of complex commercial, securities, real estate and bankruptcy litigation, as well as commercial and securities arbitrations. He has represented financial services firms, hedge funds, real estate companies, law firms, litigation trusts, creditors committees and individuals in a broad variety of commercial disputes, including disputes involving securities fraud, contractual breaches, partnership disputes, lender liability claims, RICO claims, antitrust claims, and efforts to recover assets for the creditors of insolvent companies. Prior to becoming a partner at Rich, Intelisano & Katz, Mr. Gershman was a partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, and an associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel.
Mr. Gershman received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1996, cum laude, where he was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and Co-Chair of the Tenant Advocacy Project. He received his A.B. from Princeton University in 1990, cum laude, where he majored in public policy, attending the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is a member of the New York State Bar, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. Mr. Gershman is a member of the Federal Bar Council, where he serves on the Second Circuit Courts Committee.
Representative Engagements Include:
- Successful representation of creditors committee of Bayou Hedge Funds resulting in largest FINRA arbitration award at that time against Goldman Sachs
- Represented Adelphia Recovery Trust in a series of lawsuits in the Southern District of New York, including a multi-billion lender liability lawsuit against several hundred financial institutions involving claims for constructive fraudulent conveyance, fraud, and aiding and abetting fraud and breach of fiduciary duty
- Obtained jury verdict as lead trial counsel for client, a commercial real estate broker, in contractual dispute involving unpaid real estate brokerage commissions
- Lead trial counsel in a AAA arbitration between members of an LLC providing services to the financial industry resulting in confirmed arbitration award for client
- Successfully obtained complete dismissal of all claims against securities trader in contract dispute involving securities repurchase transactions, which dismissal was affirmed on appeal
- Represented securities trader in contractual dispute involving securities repurchase transactions and successfully resolved litigation in Hong Kong and the Southern District of New York
- Succeeded in obtaining complete dismissal of all claims in contractual dispute between investors in company developing artificial intelligence driven-software products for the logistics industry
- Lead counsel for plaintiff in contractual dispute between real estate developers also involving claims for misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information
- Successful representation of broker-dealer as plaintiff in securities lending contractual dispute involving New Jersey RICO claims in federal court in Minnesota
- Succeeded in getting plaintiff to withdraw all claims against real estate developer client during discovery in contractual dispute regarding “no shop” clause in contract
- Successful representation of hedge funds in contractual dispute involving settlement of trades of cable company stock in the “when-issued” securities market
- Successful representation of investment bank which had been sued as underwriter of securities of healthcare company in lawsuit alleging securities fraud