John D. Rodgers

Mr. Rodgers is Senior Counsel to Lippes Mathias LLP.  Prior to joining Lippes Mathias, Mr. Rodgers served as counsel and as a partner to several distinguished local and regional law firms; most recently Deily & Glastetter, LLP. 

 

An accomplished and highly experienced advocate and legal counselor, Mr. Rodgers possesses uncommon insight and depth gained in the course of more than 30 years’ experience in commercial and business law, business planning, diverse and often complex litigation, and business bankruptcy and insolvency related matters.  Mr. Rodgers also possesses extensive experience planning and drafting commercial agreements and documents for numerous applications.  His wide-ranging business litigation experience includes, among other matters, complex contractual disputes, commercial fraud, the enforcement of collateral documents and security interests, transactional disputes, derivative actions and defending class-action claims. 

 

In the commercial bankruptcy field, Mr. Rodgers’ experience includes representing numerous business debtors, lenders, creditors’ committees, trustees, suppliers, a Bank Committee, purchasers and significant unsecured creditors.  Notably, Mr. Rodgers was twice appointed to serve as Chapter 11 operating trustee in significant reorganization proceedings in the Northern and Southern Districts of New York.  Mr. Rodgers is also a past director-at-large of the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association. 

 

Mr. Rodgers’ is regularly recognized with an “AV Preeminent”® peer rating in Litigation, Commercial and Bankruptcy Law by Martindale-Hubbell® (Martindale.com) and Lawyers.com® and he has been repeatedly named to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers® list (2013-2021) for his achievements, twice having been honored with a “Top 25” rating among Hudson Valley attorneys. 

 

Over the years, Mr. Rodgers has authored continuing legal education materials, presented and served as a panel member for programs sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, National Business Institute, Financial Executive Institute and Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association.  In 2016 he authored a comprehensive article entitled “The Remarkable Invulnerability at the Unconditional Guaranty” published in the Fall, 2016 edition of NY Litigator Magazine (Vol. 21, No. 2). 

 

Mr. Rodgers has also contributed to the profession through participation in significant committee work.  He is an original member of the New York State Bar Association sponsored Albany, New York CDLHL (LAP) Committee, which he co-chaired in 2016-2017 and from which he has received multiple volunteer recognition awards; he served two consecutive three-year terms on the Albany County Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Judicial Qualifications, which interviews, evaluates and publishes its findings concerning the qualifications of judicial candidates within New York’s Third Judicial District, and served as a director-at-large to the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Recent Engagement of Significance 

Mr. Rodgers has successfully represented  clients in a range of complex proceedings,  including a matter where one of Mr. Rodgers’ clients sought to enforce its multi-million dollar secured claims, collateralized by more than 60 solar projects and power purchase agreements, against a large solar energy company its 43 affiliates and the receiver appointed for the company’s multiple entities.  Prosecution of the matter required Mr. Rodgers to apply both his litigation and insolvency law skills to protect and advance the client’s interests in the face of multiple challenges by the receiver, competing creditor claimant interests, and disputes with owners and end users consuming power derived from Mr. Rodgers’ client’s collateral.