Joel L. Perrell Jr. is a partner in the firm's Baltimore office and a finance and restructuring lawyer, as well as a litigator. He represents diverse business clients in all aspects of bankruptcy cases. He has actively participated in bankruptcy cases, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, and workouts throughout the United States and abroad involving cryptocurrency, retail, manufacturing, skilled nursing and healthcare, airline, telecommunication, hotel and hospitality, commercial real estate, insurance, and other commercial businesses.
Joel is one of few attorneys in the country who has developed a practice and team focused on all aspects of the business of insurance premium finance. This secured lending product enables a company to acquire insurance with borrowed funds. The insurance premium finance product touches upon a host of business participants. Through a team of lawyers, the firm advises a full range of participants operating in the insurance premium finance space, including premium finance companies and agencies, insureds and borrowers, agents and brokers, lenders and other capital sources for premium finance companies, and premium finance software providers. The firm advises clients on regulation and compliance, legislative and regulatory monitoring, operations, obtaining and renewing sources of capital, mergers and acquisitions and related due diligence, collateral enhancement, support and protection, fraud detection and related policies, and collection and enforcement of loans both in and out of court and in bankruptcy proceedings.
Joel acts as general counsel to the National Premium Finance Association (NPFA) and has provided counsel to other trade organizations both in the United States and abroad in matters of importance to the insurance premium finance industry.
His creditors’ rights experience includes significant commercial collection matters, Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 asset dispositions, and enforcing and executing judgments in multiple jurisdictions. Joel also counsels lenders in HUD-insured long-term care and senior housing throughout the United States, ranging from large-scale, multi-state portfolio transactions to single-asset deals in inter-creditor, restructuring, and other creditor rights issues.
Joel earned undergraduate degrees in International Business and German Language and Literature from the University of Maryland at College Park and his law degree with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he served as an articles editor of the Maryland Law Review.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
Healthcare
- Representing healthcare revolving credit lender through successful confirmation of plan of skilled nursing facility, that included debtor in possession financing and payment in full upon confirmation.
- Represented healthcare term loan and revolving credit facility lenders in restructuring of senior secured term loan facility to seven operators and one owner-operator of skilled nursing facilities, including representation through an Article 9 sale process, a transfer of operations (CHOW), and a foreclosure on real property, and extension of new senior secured term loan facility and asset-based revolving credit facility to new operators.
- Represented healthcare lender related to term loan to two skilled nursing facilities through Chapter 11 proceedings, cash collateral negotiations, intercreditor and operational transfer matters, as well as recovery of the credit facility through a sale process.
Hospitality
- Represented national lender in contested Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of hotel and hospitality company, including matters related to the continuation of pre-petition receivership post-bankruptcy, the appointment of a Chapter 11 trustee, and the ultimate consensual sale of substantially all property of the estate.
Insurance Premium Finance
- Represented insurance premium finance company in CCAA proceeding in matters of first impression in the industry.
- Represented insurtech solutions insurance agency with nationwide insurance premium finance regulatory compliance matters.
- Represented start-up insurance premium finance company with regulatory registration and compliance matters.
- Represented overseas insurance premium finance and fintech software provided with entry into U.S. market.
- Represented insurance premium finance company with acquisition due diligence in premium finance space.
- Represented insurance premium finance company in defense of “wrong payor” fraudulent conveyance and preference litigation.
- Represented national trade organization with respect to proposed federal and state legislation and regulation affecting interests of businesses in insurance premium finance industry.
- Represented national trade organization as amicus curiae before federal appellate court in bankruptcy preference litigation.
Manufacturing and Distribution
- Represented corrugated paper product manufacturer in federal court arbitration proceeding against Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 purchaser of assets and obtained judgment against purchaser under successor liability doctrine.
- Represented international product manufacturer and supplier in cross-border Chapter 15 insolvency proceeding of foreign shipping companies, leading to the stoppage and recovery of goods in transit in various foreign jurisdictions.
- Represented committee of unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 proceeding of aluminum products manufacturer leading to full recovery of unsecured creditors after voluntary reduction of disputed insider claims.
Non-Profit
- Represented national lender in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding of religious non-profit organization, leading to the consensual restructure of real estate secured loans.
- Represented regional lender in involuntary bankruptcy proceeding against cyber-consulting company operating as an alleged non-profit in multiple contested hearings to determine the validity of bankruptcy filing under the Bankruptcy Code.
Retail and Shopping Center
- Represented national lender in Chapter 11 proceeding of retail shopping center leading to the consensual restructure of a multi-million dollar real estate secured loan and restructure of other obligations, as well as priming lien litigation at outset of case filing.
Telecommunications
- Represented committee of unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 proceeding of telecommunications company, leading to the reduction in insider claims, a sale process, and distribution to creditors.
- Represented specialty lender in pre-packaged bankruptcy proceedings of publicly traded telecommunications infrastructure services providers, where confirmed plan provided for $25 million exit financing and restructure of companies’ obligations, including bonds.
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Maryland, 2015-Present
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Litigation - Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2012-Present
- Recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a Local Litigation Star (Maryland), 2021-Present (Future Star, 2011-2019)
- Super Lawyers Honoree, Maryland Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2013-Present (Rising Stars list, 2009-2012)
- Maryland Legal Aid: Pro Bono Lawyer of the Month, March 2022
- Named the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" in Litigation Bankruptcy - Baltimore, 2021
- M&A Advisor, M&A Sector Deal of the Year Finalist – Technology, Media, Telecom (Between $10M and $100M), Miles & Stockbridge P.C. for the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Sale of Trans National Communications International, Inc. to Blue Casa Telephone, LLC, 2013
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Acoustic Neuroma Association, Board of Directors, 2010-2018
- Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, Peer Review Committee
- The Baltimore Courthouse and Law Museum Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors
- The Bar Association of the District of Columbia, Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee, 2007-2009
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, Dispute Resolution Panel
- University of Maryland, M Club (Men’s Varsity Soccer)
- University of Maryland School of Law, Adjunct Faculty, Secured Transactions, Payment Systems, Sales and Sales Financing, 2006-2016
