Former SDNY Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber Joins Zaiger Linden Roberti & Pepe

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Zaiger Linden Roberti & Pepe LLC (ZLRP), a commercial litigation boutique focused on high-stakes disputes, announced today that Hon. Robert E. Gerber, retired United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, has joined the firm as Of Counsel.

Judge Gerber brings the experience of having presided over many of the nation's largest and most consequential business bankruptcies. His work at ZLRP will focus on mediation, arbitration, consulting, and fiduciary services in complex insolvency and corporate governance matters, and in litigation in those matters and others.

"We are delighted to welcome Judge Gerber to the firm," said Co-Founding Partner Jeffrey H. Zaiger. "His depth of judgment and command of complex restructuring and governance issues will meaningfully strengthen our ability to advise, litigate, and resolve our clients' most difficult disputes."

"Judge Gerber's wisdom and experience are tremendous assets," added Co-Founding Partner Douglas J. Pepe. "I have known Judge Gerber for 27 years and have missed having the ability to consult with him on complex bankruptcy issues from our days together at Joseph Hage Aaronson. I am genuinely thrilled to work with him again."

"I'm excited to join my old friends and new colleagues at ZLRP," Judge Gerber said. "The firm's quality, commitment, and culture are an excellent fit for my complex restructuring advisory, litigation, and dispute resolution work."

Judge Gerber was appointed to the bankruptcy bench in 2000, reappointed in 2014, and served on recall status beginning in 2015. During his judicial tenure he presided over a series of landmark Chapter 11 cases, including Global Crossing, Adelphia, Ames Department Stores, PSINet, ABIZ, Basis Yield Alpha Fund, BearingPoint, DBSD North America, Chemtura, Pinnacle Airlines, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Lyondell Chemical, and General Motors. He handled ten cases with more than $1 billion in debt—and many others exceeding $100 million—and issued approximately 200 published opinions, focused principally on complex bankruptcy and corporate governance questions. Evaluations in the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary described him as "extremely smart," "scholarly," and "a real thinker," with "a caseload carrying a collective price tag of over $1 trillion."

Judge Gerber joins ZLRP from Joseph Hage Aaronson, where he was Of Counsel for a decade after leaving the bench, working alongside then-partners Douglas Pepe and Jeffrey Zaiger and the late Gregory P. Joseph. Before his judicial appointment, Judge Gerber was a litigation and then bankruptcy partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, concentrating on securities and commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and counseling. He served in the United States Air Force from 1971 to 1972, as a First Lieutenant, working in military procurement and production and, thereafter, legal assistance to service members and their families.

Judge Gerber continues as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he has taught the Advanced Bankruptcy Seminar since 2012. He is a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy and a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Columbia Law School, and a B.S. with high honors from Rutgers University's College of Engineering.

Judge Gerber is a member of the bars of New York and Connecticut. Though his practice will be a national (and international) one, he will be principally based in ZLRP's office in Stamford, Connecticut. He can be reached at [email protected].

His full biographical details can be found on the firm's website at https://www.zlrp.com.

SOURCE Zager Linden Roberti and Peppe, LLC