Steven T. Hoort Partner Ropes & Gray One International Place Boston, MA 02110-2624 T + 1-617-951-7470 F + 1-617-235-0054 + 1-617-854-2133 secretary E-mail

PRACTICES Bankruptcy & Business Restructuring Corporate Debt Financing Litigation Bankruptcy

Steven has a national practice serving many industries in the bankruptcy context. He currently is part of a team that represents Bain Capital in the $2.15B purchase of the investment management division of Lehman Brothers, in the latter’s chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of New York. Steven recently represented Harvard Management Company in a potential $500MM+ acquisition of 210 acres of California redwood forests in the Scotia Pacific chapter 11 cases in Corpus Christi. Steve's practice has focused on acquiring businesses and assets out of bankruptcy proceedings, including purchase of substantially all assets of Communications Dynamics, Inc./TVC Communications in Delaware, Bob’s Stores by an affiliate of The TJX Companies, Inc. in Delaware, Impath by Genzyme Corporation in the Southern District of New York, the acquisition, financing and restructuring of General Roofing in Dallas, Texas and the acquisition of multiple leases and subleases in Service Merchandise, Ames II, Pharmor, and others. Steven also regularly conducts complex litigation in the insolvency context, including the defense of the Plaza Las Americas mall in Nutritional Sourcing Corporation in Delaware in litigation resisting the proposed sale of a store chain, the defense of Orbital Corporation in the Orbimage Chapter 11 case in the Eastern District of Virginia, which involved the application of the Federal Arbitration Act to stay adversary proceedings in the bankruptcy case, D&O claims, including D&O defense in St. Johnsbury Trucking that led to sanctions proceedings against the plaintiffs, prosecution of a disputed senior debt claim in the House2Home bankruptcy in the Central District of California, the defense of a leveraged buy-out fraudulent conveyance case, and recharacterization of real property leases as debt. Steve represented the bondholder committee for the Denver Aquarium (Colorado’s Ocean Journey) and in the high yield context the bondholder committee for bonds secured by residuals of securitized mortgages in Delta Financial Corporation.

Steve also represented major creditors in a number of cases, including the English administrators of Drexel’s subsidiaries on intercompany debt which was one of the largest claims in the Drexel Burnham Lambert Chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of New York.
  
Steve will be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in May of 2009.

Honors & Awards

• The Best Lawyers in America (1997-2009)
• Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2006-2008)
• Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2004-2008)

• American Bankruptcy Institute
• American Bar Association
• Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors
• Boston Bar Association (Steering Committee of the Bankruptcy Section)

• Massachusetts, 1978
• Michigan, 1977

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

• Honorable James Harvey, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (1975 - 1978)

• 1975, J.D., magna cum laude, The University of Michigan Law School; Order of the Coif
• 1972, B.A. (Philosophy), High Honors, Grand Valley State University

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