Balch, Russell C.

Andrew Balbus received his J.D. degree with honors from Harvard Law School and is the only graduate of Harvard Law School to have earned an LL.M. Master of Law degree in bankruptcy law. In addition to his legal education, Mr. Balbus has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in finance from the Columbia University School of Business and a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in accounting/management science from Duke University.
 
Immediately prior to founding the Balbus Law Firm, Andrew Balbus received an LL.M. Master of Law degree in Bankruptcy law from St John's University. Because successful bankruptcy practice requires not only specialized knowledge of the complexities of the Bankruptcy Code and Rules, but also knowledge of a broad range of discrete substantive areas, including accounting, taxation, real estate, securities, finance and domestic relations, the LL.M. in Bankruptcy program integrates elements of these disciplines into a curriculum taught by distinguished academics, leading bankruptcy practitioners and sitting and retired bankruptcy judges.

Mr. Balbus is the author of three recent articles regarding the application of the absolute priority rule to individuals in Chapter 11 published in the Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law & Practice, which have been cited and relied upon by Bankruptcy Court and Appellate Court judges across the country.

Mr. Balbus is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.  He is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Lawyers (NACBA), the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) and the Hudson Valley Bankruptcy Bar Association (HVBBA).  Mr. Balbus is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma national honor societies.

Prior to obtaining his LL.M. degree, Mr. Balbus spent three decades as a lawyer, investment banker, business turnaround leader and entrepreneur.  His knowledge and experience provides clients with an exceptional perspective in negotiating and restructuring debts and reorganizing businesses.

Unique for a practicing bankruptcy lawyer, Andrew Balbus has extensive experience starting, turning around and financing businesses. In 1999, Mr. Balbus founded and became CEO of Sellers’ Market, the world’s first “drop-off” store, a retail location to which people brought anything they wanted to sell. The business took advantage of on-line technology to sell virtually anything anywhere in the world, primarily using eBay internet auctions. The concept was widely imitated in the US and abroad.

Prior to founding Sellers' Market, Mr. Balbus was President & COO of Sandberg & Sikorski, a 150-person manufacturer and distributor of fine gold and diamond jewelry. He led the company through a difficult transformation, including re-engineering its manufacturing and distribution operations, focusing on new marketing opportunities and implementing programs to improve coordination, communication and morale throughout the company. The end result was a complete turnaround and achievement of profitability levels that were among the highest in the jewelry industry.

Prior to joining S&S, Mr. Balbus spent 10 years as an investment banker, specializing in corporate finance for emerging growth companies in the US and abroad. His clients were involved in a diversity of businesses from high tech to low tech, from manufacturing to retailing, from mining gold to curing cancer. They included some well-known names, such as Benetton, Luxottica, Chaus and Office Depot. Many were located outside the US in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Ghana. On behalf of his clients, he bought and sold companies, took dozens of companies public and raised billions of dollars of debt and equity capital.

Prior to investment banking and following his graduation from Harvard Law School, Mr. Balbus practiced tax and corporate law in New York City.

Since 1999, he has been leading continuing education seminars across the country for the Center for Professional Education (www.cpeonline.com), on financial topics including, “Mergers & Acquisitions,” “How to Value a Business,” “Applying Due Diligence in Raising Capital,” and “Corporate Strategic Planning, Budgeting & Control.”