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Paul J. Winterhalter is a principal-level attorney in Offit Kurman’s Philadelphia office. Since 1983, Paul has represented businesses and individuals in bankruptcy matters, commercial litigation proceedings, and a variety of other engagements involving sophisticated legal representations. It is his mission to provide every client, regardless of size or stature, with the most exacting and attentive legal representation possible. With an emphasis on providing excellence in legal representation on a cost-effective basis, Paul never loses sight of financial implications for his clients on any action he recommends, and understands that clients' interests and goals are the priority.

Paul recently spoke with us about his background, his legal perspective, and the ways in which he has served his clients at Offit Kurman.

Q. Tell us about your practice.

A. My practice focuses on commercial bankruptcy work and some sophisticated bankruptcy proceedings. I also am involved in a good deal of commercial litigation and dealings with the taxing authorities, and all those facets of the practice are really interrelated because I represent businesses or the principals of the businesses when they’re having financial problems or trials and tribulations, and we work out what we want to be is the best result for them. A lot of times, when a company is struggling to meet its obligations, it’s a highly stressful time.

Q. What do you try to achieve in your work with clients?

A. When I come in, I want to have three qualities for every client. I want to be meticulous in the work that I do, I want to be caring, and also I want to be officiate in the services that are provided because, more often than not, these companies are struggling because they have a cash flow problem. They don’t have enough cash to pay all the bills or pay everyone that wants the money or that needs the money. The same thing is true with the individual shareholders, the individual principals of the company, whether it’s a moderately sized company or even a small company. The principals, more often than not, have guarantees, or they have personal obligations on the taxes. What I try and convey is that we’re going to do the best job that’s possible under the circumstances, and that we’re going to do it in an economical way so that the company can survive, can reorganize or if necessary, can wind down so that the families or the principals and their families are least affected. That’s what’s extremely important.

My practice isn’t just limited to bankruptcy, because if it was, I would be constantly in the doldrums if there were challenges. Not every bankruptcy is a negative and often there’s a lot of good reasons for filing bankruptcy, whether it’s for an individual or whether it’s for a business. I also am involved in quite a bit of commercial litigation or complicated litigation matters. For whatever reason, the more complicated the matter, it seems that it finds me. Those cases are challenging, but what we try and make certain that, again, we’re going to be most efficient in dealing with those particular issues.

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ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN

Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing, full-service law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. With over 120 attorneys offering a comprehensive range of services in virtually every legal category, the firm is well positioned to meet the needs of dynamic businesses and the people who own and operate them. Our eight offices serve individual and corporate clients in the Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Northern Virginia markets, as well as the Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City metropolitan areas. At Offit Kurman, we are our clients’ most trusted legal advisors, professionals who help maximize and protect business value and personal wealth. In every interaction, we consistently maintain our clients’ confidence by remaining focused on furthering their objectives and achieving their goals in an efficient manner. Trust, knowledge, confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.

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