Press Room

New York, NY — Tannenbaum Helpern welcomes Raj R. Mahale as a Partner in the firm’s Corporate, Capital Formation and Securities Law practice and Michael J. Riela as a Partner in its Creditors’ Rights & Business Reorganizations practice.

A corporate attorney with in-depth knowledge of emerging market matters, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, Mahale has extensive experience structuring merger and acquisition (M&A), private equity and venture capital transactions in the manufacturing, engineering, technology and chemical industries. His clients include Fortune 1000 companies, technology companies, tier 1 business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology enabled service (ITES) companies, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, family offices and private equity funds. Additionally, Mahale has represented investment funds and family offices with fund formation, fundraising, acquisitions, dispositions, restructurings, compliance and regulatory matters. He prepares and reviews fund offering memoranda and marketing materials and advises on SEC and FINRA registrations and regulatory examinations.

Mahale’s experience includes representing:

• One of India’s leading conglomerates in its corporate, IP and acquisition strategies
• Next Orbit Venture’s India venture fund in structuring a U.S. Feeder Fund
• A Fortune 500 hospitality company in its review and structuring of technology agreements
• MSME India Feeder Fund with respect to its formation and investments in the U.S. and India
• A portfolio company of General Atlantic in its Series A, B, and C financing rounds
• Morgan Stanley in reviewing and analyzing its obligations relating to various line of credit agreements with several private equity funds and REITs

Prior to joining Tannenbaum Helpern, Mahale was Chair of Cozen O’Connor’s India Practice Group and was a Partner in its Corporate practice. He is fluent in Marathi and Hindi and was ranked as one of the top corporate M&A attorneys in the U.S. and India in Chambers Global, 2013.

Tannenbaum Helpern increases its bankruptcy strength with the addition of Riela, a 15 year bankruptcy veteran.

Riela regularly advises lenders, investors and debtors on complex restructurings, distressed M&A and loan transactions and bankruptcy-related litigation matters. He has in-depth experience advising clients on corporate and real estate bankruptcies, workouts, debtor-in-possession (DIP) and bankruptcy exit loan facilities, secondary market trading of distressed debt and trade claims and Section 363 sales. His clients include banks, administrative agents, indenture trustees, hedge and private equity funds, professional service firms, trade creditors, contract counterparties, shareholders and investors.

Riela’s experience includes representing:

• Lender groups, indenture trustees and administrative agents in major Chapter 11 cases, including Nortel Networks Inc., Maher Terminals LLC, Delta Air Lines, Inc., Atrium Corporation and Legends Gaming LLC
• Purchasers of assets from distressed sellers, including acquisitions of assets from Vectrix Corporation and U.S. Aggregates, Inc.
• Commercial lenders in connection with debtor-in-possession and exit loans
• Freedom Communications Holdings, Inc. and certain of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases, involving over $700 million of funded debt and other liabilities
• Solutia Inc. and certain of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases that ultimately restructured more than $3 billion of debt and other obligations
• Defendants in preference and fraudulent transfer actions, including actions commenced by the SIPA trustee for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC
• Banks and non-bank financial institutions in bankruptcies and state law remedies involving defaulted equipment financing arrangements
• Professional services firms in numerous bankruptcy retention and fee matters

Prior to joining Tannenbaum Helpern, Riela was a Shareholder at Vedder Price and spent nine years at Latham & Watkins. He has been recently selected to serve on the 2016 Bankruptcy editorial advisory board for the Law360 publication.