Banking & Finance

Thomas Stagg, managing partner at Stagg Wabnik Law Group, LLP, focuses his practice on commercial, general and appellate litigation. He represents clients in federal and state courts in New York and New Jersey, as well as in Connecticut federal court, and has argued before New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, on behalf of international banking clients. Each year since 2003 Thomas has achieved an "AV" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, which is assigned to lawyers who have reached the height of professional excellence and who are recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. He has also been selected annually as a New York Metro Super Lawyer since 2012. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected to Super Lawyers, which is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement made after a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews. In 2012, Thomas was named by the New York State Bar Association as an Empire State Counsel® for providing more than 50 hours of free legal services to low-income individuals and in 2016 was awarded Top Legal Eagle in Litigation for Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which is assigned annually to only ten attorneys. Thomas has represented the firm's banking and credit clients in connection with Uniform Commercial Code matters and federal and state consumer credit statutes, including the Truth in Lending Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. On behalf of corporate, municipal and private clients, he has successfully litigated numerous actions involving federal and state environmental laws, class action constitutional and land use issues. He has also served as counsel to a large municipality in its negotiations with New York State for a multimillion dollar grant and regularly represents clients in trust and estates litigation and administration matters. Thomas completed advanced commercial mediation training and is an active member of the Southern District of New York Mediation Panel and the New York State Commercial Division Mediation Panel in New York, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. He has also been certified as a guardian ad litem by New York State. In addition, Thomas is registered with and has volunteered hundreds of hours to the American Bar Association's Military Pro Bono Project, a nationwide program that connects junior-enlisted servicemembers in need of pro bono legal help with volunteer attorneys throughout the nation. He is a 2015 recipient of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award. After graduating from the State University of New York at Binghamton and St. John's University School of Law, where he was Associate Notes and Comments Editor of St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary, Thomas began his legal career with the Washington, D.C. based firm of Beveridge & Diamond. His publications include, as coauthor, "Contractual Protection: An Existing Remedy for Bondholder Distress." 4 St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary 2. He lectures on environmental lender liability and has served on the Long Island Sound Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee.

As a Bankruptcy Lawyer and Business Litigator for over 30 years, I have helped countless businesses and individuals successfully work through and resolve their financial challenges. What may look to you like a disaster, I have handled multiple times. It’s a question of whether your attorney has the right toolbox and knows the right tool to solve your problem. Due to my broad experience, I have all of the necessary tools at my disposal and will share them with you. I represent debtors and creditors in all chapters of the United States Bankruptcy Code, however, I focus on keeping clients out of bankruptcy where possible. My strong suit is settling litigation and creditor claims. I have resolved millions of dollars in debt for clients at enormous savings by avoiding or resolving litigation. I have significant experience resolving businesses in wage and hour and other labor cases. Resolving such claims and saving clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. My primary area of focus is working with small and mid-sized businesses to resolve their debt and other financial issues and help them continue and move forward. I have significant experience in Chapter 11 reorganization and Subchapter V Bankruptcy cases, out-of-court debt restructures, debt settlement, and assignments for the benefit of creditors. I also handle financial problems for individuals. This includes representation in personal bankruptcy cases, out-of-court debt negotiation, and asset protection. As a full-service insolvency attorney, I am also versed in creditors’ rights and represent secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy court and the state courts. My experience representing both creditors and debtors makes me an excellent choice as I can anticipate how the other side thinks and what moves they are likely to make. I pride myself when representing creditors in getting them what they are owed. I pride myself when representing debtors in saving the business or the client’s assets and paying as little as possible. I am known as an extremely creative problem solver and an attorney who can handle tough cases on both sides of the line. I earned my Bachelor’s of Arts degree in 1982 from the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1987, I received my Juris Doctor from the University of California, where I served as the Chair of the Hale Moot Court Honors Program. I began my career in 1987 at the premiere boutique bankruptcy law firm Levene & Eisenberg. I then became a senior associate in the Banking and Finance Department of nationally recognized firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, and thereafter served as in-house counsel for City National Bank. I established my own firm in 1992 and formed Weintraub Law Corporation in 2001, now known as Weintraub Zolkin Talerico & Liu LLP. I am a member of the Los Angeles County and the Beverly Hills Bar Associations and the Individual and Consumer Bankruptcy Sub-Committee of the LA County Bar Section on Commercial Law and Bankruptcy. As a longstanding member of Provisors, an alliance of senior-level professionals from the fields of law, accounting, banking, finance, insurance, and consulting, I am able to refer my clients to trustworthy, accountable, seasoned professionals in virtually any field.

After serving as an extern at the Utah Court of Appeals, Jason began his law career as general counsel for a growing Utah company with diverse subsidiaries and locations in multiples states and product sales throughout the United States and more than a dozen countries internationally. Jason understands how important the law is to business success and employs a proactive approach to legal issues. Over his career, Jason has gained substantial experience with acquisitions, banking, corporate law, contracts, employment law, finance, insurance, mining, trademarks, pricing, regulatory compliance, and trademarks. Jason has a particular interest in real estate law and is also a licensed real estate broker. Jason’s experience as a licensed real estate broker and corporate attorney provides him a strong foundation and unique ability to serve his business clients. In his free time, Jason plays drums in a local rock band and snow skis in Park City during the winter months. He and his wife, SoonHee also enjoy camping and spending time with their four children.

Nhan Nguyen, MD, JD, MSF has been serving injured clients for over 13 years. With extensive knowledge of both law, medicine and business finance, lead attorney, Nhan H. Nguyen, MD, JD, MSF has the skill and experience to help clients navigate the complex areas of personal injury and insurance claims to help maximize damages in recovery - he has done this successfully for hundreds of clients for millions of dollars in settlement. A Vietnamese refugee immigrant from the Vietnam War, Dr. Nguyen grew up in Houston, Texas for the majority of his life and is an active contributor to the local community and youth. He volunteers as a coach for youth athletics and serves on many school and community volunteer boards and committees. With a work and professional philosophy blending eastern and western cultures, Dr. Nguyen aggressively pursues justice in a unique and compassionate way.

Andrei Armas is a founding partner of Armas & Joseph. Mr. Armas specializes in consumer protection, including banking, credit, debt collection, and deceptive business practices. Over the last 10 years, Mr. Armas has successfully litigated and fought for consumers' rights involving identity theft, unauthorized transactions, debt collection and credit reporting. Mr. Armas has also successfully represented consumers with misrepresented services and goods, including through class action litigation.

Attorney Frank Cimler is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Maryland where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and where he was a member of the Dean’s List, the President’s List and the honorary society of Alpha Sigma Lamda; he received his Juris Doctor degree from the New England School of Law where he was a member of the Dean’s List and the Honor’s Moot Court team and where he was selected to be included in “Who’s Who of American Law Students”. Attorney Cimler also obtained an LLM degree, an advanced law degree, in Banking Law and Finance from the Morin Center for Banking Law Studies at Boston University School of Law. Among other courses, Mr. Cimler has taught entertainment law at the Massachusetts School of Law and The New England School of Law; and he has been a guest lecturer at Northeastern University and a guest lecturer at Western New England School of Law. Mr. Cimler has also appeared on various legal panels in Boston, Los Angeles and New York. Mr. Cimler began his legal career as in-house corporate counsel to Fortune 500 NYSE companies such as Compugraphic Corporation (Agfa) the world’s largest digital typesetting company and then later with Prime Computer a Massachusetts based producer of mini-computers, which later acquired Computervision Corporation in 1988, creating the 2nd largest producer of computers known as CAD/CAM systems. Attorney Cimler was later appointed assistant secretary at Computervision Corporation. Mr. Cimler has extensive blue-chip legal experience in high technology, information technology and the entertainment industry among other practice areas. His client's have ranged from Fortune 500 Companies to the television show The Bold and The Beautiful, the #1 soap opera in the world, to President Barack Obama’s inaugural poet Richard Blanco, to David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, to Eric Williams of the Boston Celtics, to male and female models, to various members of multi-platinum rock bands e.g. Aerosmith, the J. Geils Band, The Cars, Godsmack, Motley Crue, Poison, Extreme, The Rascals, Meatloaf, The Outlaws and actors and actresses and Grammy award winning producers for artists such as Celine Dion and many, many others. Mr. Cimler has also managed artists such as the band, The Cars and Reeve Carney (star of Spiderman-The Broadway play, Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful’ and the Rocky Horror Picture Show). Mr. Cimler has also represented clients in the gaming world, which has led to products such as: GI Joe, Boggle and the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge, among others. In cooperation with Sir Bob Geldof, Mr. Cimler was instrumental in work which led to the 20th Anniversary Live Aid DVD, and the 2005 Live 8 concert in Barre, Ontario. In response to the Boston Marathon Bombings of 2013, Mr. Cimler was enlisted to be the TV Broadcast Producer and rights clearance attorney for The Boston Strong Concert telecast on ABC/WHEB. The concert featured dozen of artists, athletes, celebrities and comedians including Aerosmith, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, New Kids on the Block, the band Boston, Extreme, The Dropkick Murphy’s, Boyz to Men, Bel Biv Devoe, country sensation Jason Aldean, the J. Geils Band, Dane Cook, Lenny Clark, Steven Wright and Poet Richard Blanco, and many, many others. The concert and telecast were conceived to raise money for the One Fund Boston, the charity created to assist and benefit the victims of the horrible Boston Marathon Bombings. Mr. Cimler was engaged by Live Nation, the nation’s largest concert promoter, to oversee the television broadcast including all of the legal requirements such as synchronized music licensing, composition clearances, artist appearances and related matters. That work led to an unprecedented 4 hour commercial free concert telethon telecast all to raise funds for the One Fund Boston. The Boston Strong Concert was the largest contributor to the One Fund and was instrumental in helping to raise $66 million dollars in 100 days. Mr. Cimler has also been a consultant to, and officer of, various publicly traded and private entities such as a fresh salsa company, record labels, publishing companies, music video broadcasters, digital encryption technology companies, adaptive finger print technology companies and celebrity rights management companies. Mr. Cimler is also a co-founder of the Rockin’ & Roastin’ Coffee company, along with Joey Kramer, the drummer from the band Aerosmith. Mr. Cimler is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the New York based Foundation for Gender Equality http://www.foundationforgenderequality.org/executive-committee/and and the Rockin’ & Roastin’ Coffee company. http://www.rockinandroastin.com/ Mr. Cimler is the founder of the firm Cimler Law, PLLC, a New England based law firm. Previously, Mr. Cimler was associated with the prestigious Boston based law firm of Choate Hall and Stewart and prior to that with the largest law firm in the State of New Hampshire, McLane- Middleton based in Manchester, NH.

I am a graduate of the University of California, Riverside where I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. In 1985 I received my Juris Doctor Degree, Cum Laude, from Western State University. Prior to becoming an attorney, I served as an intern in the United States Senate and was employed for seven years by California Federal Savings & Loan Association, where I worked as Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of Cal Fed offices in San Bernardino and Pasadena. I have a deep and extensive trial and litigation background. I served as a Deputy District Attorney in Orange County for over two years before joining the firm of McKinley & Capeloto in Pasadena in 1988, where I was a partner from 1994 until 2001. In 2002, I joined Weintraub Law Corporation as Senior Counsel. The firm became known as Weintraub Zolkin Talerico & Liu LLP in 2023. I am proud to say that I am recognized as one of the leading consumer and small business bankruptcy attorneys in California and am a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist in bankruptcy law. I have taught bankruptcy law to attorneys at seminars conducted by the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association and Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Association. My hands-on approach to each of my cases and dedication to the highest level of client satisfaction has helped hundreds of clients emerge from bankruptcy with the goal of discharge and “fresh start” accomplished. Many of Weintraub Zolkin Talerico & Liu LLP’s clients have successfully completed Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases and received their discharge even after other attorneys told them they did not qualify for Chapter 7 relief. In addition to representing debtors and creditors in a variety of matters, I have years of experience representing financial institutions and mortgage lenders in state courts and bankruptcy courts throughout California, specializing in areas of concern to credit unions. As a member of Provisors, an alliance of senior-level professionals from the fields of law, accounting, banking, finance, insurance, and consulting, I am able to refer my clients to trustworthy, accountable, seasoned professionals in virtually any field. A member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys Association, I bring to Weintraub Zolkin Talerico & Liu LLP a hands-on background in the banking industry and extensive trial and bankruptcy court experience. I handle and supervise state court and bankruptcy litigation as well as foreclosure and receivership matters.

Thomas Loikith is Of Counsel in Harwood Lloyd’s Commercial Department, concentrating his practice in financial services law, commercial transactions, real estate, and business law. Mr. Loikith has extensive experience in representing financial services clients, representing lenders and borrowers in commercial asset-based and real estate loan transactions, and forming and counseling small businesses. Mr. Loikith received his B.A. in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, from Montclair State College in 1975. He received his J.D., with Honors, from Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 1978. Mr. Loikith was Law Secretary to Hon. Peter Ciolino, Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Passaic County for the 1978-1979 Term. Mr. Loikith has been named by New Jersey Super Lawyers® magazine as one of the top attorneys in New Jersey for 2019. The selections for this list are made by the research team at Super Lawyers, which is a service of the Thomson Reuters, Legal division based in Egan, MN. Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers undertakes a multi-phase selection process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. The decisions made by Super Lawyers have not been approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Mr. Loikith was an adjunct faculty member, teaching principally legal research and writing in the Legal Studies Department of Montclair State University, and the first-year writing program at Seton Hall University School of Law. In recent years, he has spoken at seminars regarding commercial loan documentation, Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, and the New Jersey Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. Mr. Loikith is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of New Jersey (1978), the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (1978), the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit (1981), and the United States Supreme Court (1982). Mr. Loikith is currently President and a Trustee of the Bergen County Bar Association, and Co-Chair of its Banking / Business Law Committee and Corporate Law Committee. He is also a President and a Trustee of the Bergen County Bar Foundation.

With over four and a half decades of practicing law, Attorney Brian J. Woolf, Esq. brings a wealth of legal knowledge and vast experience to his practice, having advocated for countless defendants in criminal proceedings and assisted many individuals in securing compensation for significant and life-altering injuries. Brian offers comprehensive legal services across a broad spectrum of areas including criminal defense matters. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Brian moved on to complete his undergraduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, in 1972. He then furthered his education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a master's degree in 1974, and achieved his law degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1977. Throughout his distinguished career, Attorney Woolf has been acknowledged for his professionalism and dedication to the field of law. His accolades include being named a Top Attorney in North America and receiving the Outstanding Service to the Criminal Defense Bar Award from the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He actively participates in several key legal organizations, such as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Connecticut Bar Association. Attorney Woolf's dedication to both the legal field and his clients is reflected in his continued commitment to justice and excellence in every aspect of his career and community contributions.

Ms. El Fadel is a Junior Partner with KS Attorneys at law and currently heads up our Firm’s business development, business structuring, business funding and commercial civil trial departments. As such, Ms. El Fadel is experienced in most all areas of commercial business development, commercial civil trial and appellate representation and is licensed to practice in the Federal and State Courts of Florida and the State Courts of New Jersey. Ms. El Fadel’s educational accolades range from graduating summa cum laude from the Shepard Board Law School at Nova Southeastern University to serving as the past Notes and Comments Editor for the Nova Law Review, to serving as the Chairperson for Problem Research and Development committee for the law schools moot court program. Upon entering into the practice of law with our Firm, Ms. El Fadel quickly distinguished herself as a respected and tenacious trial advocate for our clients and most recently is noted for overturning a local government ordinance through her thorough and effective constitutional law representation of one of our Firm’s clients. Accordingly, Ms. El Fadel’s primary focuses of practice are business representation, complex commercial trial, mediation and arbitration, corporate finance and structuring, corporate funding and banking, finance, corporate disputes, employment discrimination, real property litigation and insurance disputes, medical office operations, policies and organization, medical collections and insurance billing disputes, medical PIP claims and litigation, foreclosure defense and pre-bankruptcy planning as asset structuring, family law, divorce and pre and post estate litigation. On her personal time Ms. El Fadel enjoy spending time with her family, reading the latest bestselling novels and participating in community events and hot yoga. Ms. El Fadel is licensed to practice law in the States of Florida and New Jersey in addition to being a licensed attorney to practice before the Federal Courts of the Middle and Southern District Courts in Florida.