Uri A. Itkin is a partner in Kasowitz’s complex commercial litigation group. He has 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, and trust instruction proceedings across the country. His clients include leading hedge funds, private equity firms, investment advisors, real estate developers, corporations and family offices.
Law360 named Uri a 2018 "Rising Star" in the Asset Management category, making him one of only five attorneys, and the only litigator, recognized in this category nationwide. Uri has also been recognized by The Legal 500 as a Next Generation Lawyer, by Benchmark Litigation on its “40 and Under Hot List,” as a Rising Star by New York Metro Super Lawyers and as a Rising Star by Legal Media Group: Expert Guides. He is fluent in Russian.
Work Highlights
- 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 Sachs. Astra, which was seeking to require the distribution of $55 million in collateral appreciation to investors, rather than to Goldman, won two dispositive motions; Goldman Sachs 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.
- Tilden Park Capital Management and Centerbridge Partners in a trust instructional proceeding concerning the actions of an indenture trustee for a residential mortgage-backed securitization.
- Angelo Gordon, Waterfall Asset Management, One William Street, and Libremax Capital in contract and regulatory disputes concerning 15 Delaware statutory trusts that hold over $10 billion in student loans.
- 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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