Thomas W. Halm, Jr. - Receivership Bio

Thomas W. Halm, Jr is a partner in the Creditor’s Rights/Bankruptcy department and a member of its Litigation Division, in the Princeton, New Jersey office of Hill Wallack LLP, a law firm that has built a reputation for problem-solving and aggressive advocacy. With three (3) offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the firm combines comprehensive commercial capabilities, extensive government experience and in-depth knowledge in a number of industry sectors to provide cross-disciplinary solutions. Hill Wallack LLP has been designated Special Counsel for Complex Litigation by the New Jersey State Attorney General for 2009-2011.

Mr. Halm has extensive experience in New Jersey state receivership matters and has worked closely with state and federal authorities in receivership cases over the last several years.

Representative Matters

• Mr. Halm currently serves as Receiver for James Hankins, Jr., The Hankins Group, Ltd., Hankins Private Client Group, LLC, and Hankins Life Settlement LLC in a multimillion-dollar securities fraud case brought by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities before the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, General Equity Part, Monmouth County. In this matter, he is responsible for winding up the affairs of the corporate defendants and locating and liquidating all assets of the defendants for distribution to the defrauded investors and creditors. Tom has liquidated the minimal assets left in the estate including a house and its contents in Palm Beach County, Florida; resolved a dispute with the receivership entities’ commercial landlord and auctioned off the contents of the entities’ office; located secreted assets and liquidated same; and instituted legal actions which have recovered close to $600,000.00 to date for the receivership estate.
   
• He served as lead counsel to the state court appointed Receiver for Wellesley Services, LLC, et al., one of the largest securities fraud cases in New Jersey history. While serving in that capacity, Tom was responsible for all aspects of the case including, but not limited to, complying with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 14A:14-1, et seq. in establishing procedures for investors and creditors to file proofs of claim and provide information concerning the fraud; forensic examination of extensive bank account transactions; tracing real property transactions to determine potentially voidable transactions; and prosecuting claims for fraudulent conveyance and professional malpractice.
  
  At the inception of the case, all of the assets of the receivership entities had been liquidated, disbursed, or secreted with the exception of a $50,000 retainer located at a law firm which had previously done work with the receivership entities. Although the only assets of the estate were largely causes of action, Tom was able to recover a total of $10 million for return to the legitimate investors and creditors of the receivership estate and for payment of the estate’s obligations. In addition, Tom was able to locate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of secreted assets both here in New Jersey and in Detroit, Michigan and liquidate same. Tom also represented the interests of the receivership estates in the bankruptcy filings of several of the principals in the securities fraud by obtaining non-dischargeability determinations and, in one case, working with the United States Attorneys’ Office and the Chapter 7 trustee in proving that one of the principals attempted to defraud the United States Bankruptcy Court by hiding assets.
   
• Mr. Halm has worked as counsel to the state court appointed Receiver for Cambridge Partners, LLC, et al., a large Ponzi scheme which operated out of Red Bank, New Jersey. During the course of this matter, he prosecuted several fraudulent conveyance actions.

Mr. Halm is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Associations, the TurnAround Management Association, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He earned his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law, and is a cum laude graduate of the Seton Hall University,

In addition to Mr. Halm’s experiences with state court receiverships, he and his colleagues at Hill Wallack LLP have more than 20 years of experience in insolvency and fraud cases. Firm attorneys appear in the state and federal courts representing trustees, secured creditors, and creditor’s committees in matters such as New Jersey Affordable Homes, Solomon Dwek, Gary S. Klein, Kara Homes, Inc., and the Oakshire Group, LLC. The firm has a broad range of litigation capabilities, and experience in a number of disciplines, allowing us to bring comprehensive support to any size case.