Uri A. Itkin is a complex commercial litigator and trial lawyer with extensive experience with matters involving structured finance, complex financial products, and real estate transactions.
Uri has represented plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts, arbitrations, bankruptcies, and trust instruction proceedings across the country. His clients include leading hedge funds, private equity firms, real estate developers and investors, corporations, and family offices.
Uri is recognized in Chambers USA, where clients describe him as "a very clever, analytical lawyer with a broad range of financial and commercial knowledge," and "really great at getting things done." He is also recognized by The Legal 500 in the Plaintiff Securities Litigation and General Commercial Disputes categories and was named as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America 2020. Uri has also been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and Legal Media Group Expert Guides, and included on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List. Law360 named Uri a 2018 Rising Star in Asset Management, the only litigator recognized nationwide. Law360 also recognized Uri's group at Kasowitz as the Structured Finance Group of the Year in 2020.
Uri has an active pro bono practice and is fluent in Russian.
Work Highlights
- Leading investment managers in trust instruction proceedings in California and Minnesota concerning settlements of over $1 billion in claims arising out of residential mortgage-backed securitizations.
- Astra Asset Management, a London-based asset manager, in a trust instruction proceeding against Goldman Sachs involving Astra’s investment in an Abacus CDO sponsored by Goldman. Astra, which was seeking the distribution of $55 million in collateral appreciation to investors, rather than to Goldman, won two dispositive motions; Goldman settled with Astra on the eve of trial.
- Odeon Capital Group in a New York trust instruction proceeding filed by the securities administrator of an RMBS trust. The court approved Odeon’s proposed clarification to waterfall provisions in order to correct a significant interest distribution shortfall.
- Taconic Capital Partners in proceedings concerning its rights as the controlling certificateholder with respect to the special servicer’s proposed sale of a $90 million commercial loan out of a CMBS trust.
- A group of noteholders in the multi-billion dollar National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts, including Angelo Gordon, Waterfall Asset Management, One William Street Capital Management, and Libremax Capital, in litigations nationwide concerning the management and control of the Trusts, and as interested parties in CFPB enforcement proceedings against the Trusts.
- JDS Development in a multi-million dollar dispute concerning the transfer of air and development rights on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
- Colony NorthStar in a contractual dispute concerning the administration of a commercial mortgage-backed securities CDO.
- Prominent New York real estate developer in multiple trusts and estates-related disputes.
- Whitebox Advisors, Deer Park Road Management Company, Tilden Park Capital Management, Prophet Capital Asset Management, Tricadia Capital Management, BlueMountain Capital Management, Poet Advisors, and several other funds in obtaining a favorable settlement of their objection to the estimation of billions of dollars of residential mortgage-backed securities claims in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.
- Global A&T Electronics, a TPG portfolio company, in obtaining dismissal of fraud and good faith and fair dealing claims related to its $502 million debt exchange.
- HSBC and US Bank, as indenture trustees in obtaining multi-million dollar settlements of representations and warranties claims related to residential mortgage-backed securitizations.
- Le-Nature’s liquidation trustee in obtaining a favorable settlement in arbitration against an accounting firm.
- Chicago Fundamental Investment Partners in obtaining a favorable settlement of claims against a global banking institution arising out of a distressed corporate debt CDO structure.
- Real estate asset manager in successfully avoiding arbitration.
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