George Soumalevris focuses his practice on commercial real estate finance and structured finance litigation, as well as distressed debt disputes. He represents financial institutions, lenders, collateral managers, and special servicers in high-stakes litigation involving sophisticated financial instruments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), credit default swaps (CDS), and other securitized products. George has litigated high-profile structured finance disputes, including matters involving hundreds of millions of dollars in contested proceeds and complex disputes. His matters frequently involve novel legal issues and market-significant disputes in structured finance and distressed credit transactions, including cases of first impression that shape the interpretation of complex securitization transaction documents.
In addition to commercial real estate and structured finance litigation, George has advised clients in Chapter 11 restructurings and Chapter 15 cross-border insolvency proceedings, as well as bankruptcy-related litigation involving distressed financial assets and securitized debt structures.
As a holder of Level I of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program, George is able to analyze and litigate disputes involving highly structured financial products, valuation issues, and complex capital markets transactions, bringing a rigorous understanding of both legal frameworks and the financial mechanics underlying securitization structures.
George has also practiced law internationally, including in Greece, France, and Belgium, offering a global perspective on cross-border financial disputes.
Prior to joining the firm, George was a partner at a national law firm in New York, where he focused on structured finance and CMBS litigation.
George is a native Greek speaker and speaks French.
Experience
*Represented a CDO collateral manager and its affiliate, acting as a CMBS trust special servicer, in a $1+ billion structured finance dispute brought by a Cayman Islands issuer sponsored by a multitrillion-dollar fund, alleging breaches of contractual and fiduciary duties; secured dismissal of all claims in federal court (S.D.N.Y.), defeated injunctive relief in New York state trial and appellate courts, and obtained dismissal of the majority of fiduciary duty and tort claims.
*Represented a CMBS trust special servicer in a New York trust instruction proceeding (S.D.N.Y.) concerning the allocation of more than $700 million in trust proceeds, involving competing claims by senior and junior certificate holders; secured a landmark judgment upholding the servicer’s interpretation of the governing agreements and awarding more than $600 million in default interest.
*Represented the special servicer of a CMBS trust in Nevada state court in a market-significant dispute involving out-of-the-money CMBS investors with short CDS positions tied to the underlying assets. The dispute arose from the servicing and resolution of a distressed retail asset and challenged the servicer’s exercise of discretion under a complex securitization agreement; secured a favorable settlement.
*Represented a CMBS special servicer in a Minnesota trust instruction proceeding concerning the creation of $38 million in reserves to cover trust expenses, in a dispute involving the master servicer and senior and junior certificate holders; secured a precedent-setting ruling upholding the reserve structure and reinforcing established CMBS industry practice.
*Represented a CDO collateral manager and former investor in litigation against a CDO issuer and existing investors alleging breach of contract and tort claims; secured denial of defendants’ motion to dismiss in New York state court, leading to a favorable settlement.
*Represented CMBS trust special and master servicers in litigation brought by a junior lender alleging breach of contract and tort claims; secured dismissal of all tort claims, facilitating a favorable settlement.
*Represented a U.S. fund and its affiliates, as unsecured lenders, in a Chapter 15 proceeding seeking recognition of a Cayman Islands insolvency involving a drillship company and its affiliates.
*Represented a Hong Kong-based fund, as senior secured lender, in a Chapter 11 restructuring of a U.S. chemical company.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick
Georgetown University Law Center LL.M. (2009) With Distinction & Dean's List
University of Athens School of Law LL.B. (2005)
District of Columbia (2017)
New York (2010)
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
American Bankruptcy Institute, Member
Disclaimer
While we are pleased to have you contact us by telephone, surface mail, electronic mail, or by facsimile transmission, contacting Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP or any of its attorneys does not create an attorney-client relationship. The formation of an attorney-client relationship requires consideration of multiple factors, including possible conflicts of interest. An attorney-client relationship is formed only when both you and the Firm have agreed to proceed with a defined engagement.
DO NOT CONVEY TO US ANY INFORMATION YOU REGARD AS CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL A FORMAL CLIENT-ATTORNEY RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
If you do convey information, you recognize that we may review and disclose the information, and you agree that even if you regard the information as highly confidential and even if it is transmitted in a good faith effort to retain us, such a review does not preclude us from representing another client directly adverse to you, even in a matter where that information could be used against you.
