Charles M. Forman

Lawyer information

Practice Areas

Debtor Representation

Mediation

Real Estate & Transactional

Trustee & Fiduciary

Career

Charles M. Forman, senior member of Forman Holt, is a nationally recognized leader in the field of insolvency and bankruptcy law in the region with more than 40 years of experience as an attorney for the debtors and creditors in addition to his service as a member of private panel of trustees appointed by the United States Department of Justice. Mr. Forman also has served as attorney for numerous other trustees and as a court-appointed fiduciary in various court proceedings.

In his capacity as a trustee, Mr. Forman has administered more than 20,000 Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 cases, including many of the most complex cases that have been filed in this region during the past four decades. The cases he has overseen include household names such as Linens ’n Things, Workbench Furniture, Russ Berrie Toys and Upsala College. During the course of his 40 year career he has administered approximately one-half billion dollars in assets and distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to creditors in order to satisfy their claims against the various bankruptcy estates which Mr. Forman has administered.

Mr. Forman was named “Master of Disaster” by The Bergen Record for his skill and achievements in handling complex and challenging bankruptcy cases.

His assignments have included serving as trustee for NJ Affordable Homes, a $100 million real estate Ponzi scheme, and Omne Staffing, a $350 million per year employee staffing company.

The United States Department of Justice recognized the excellence of Mr. Forman’s performance as a trustee when it awarded him the Director’s Award for Outstanding Achievements by a Private Trustee. Mr. Forman is the only panel trustee ever to be recognized by the Department of Justice for his service.

In 2016 Charles M. Forman received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The New Jersey Law Journal. In 2020 he was recognized by Best Lawyers of America as Lawyer of the Year for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization. In 2021 he was recognized by Best Lawyers of America as Lawyer of the Year for Litigation.

Mr. Forman is founder of the firm. His combined background in business, law and engineering and his creative approach to problem solving have served him well in connection with the many varied and complex assignments he has handled including matters in the areas of telecommunications, manufacturing, real estate, employee benefits and health care, the retail industry, securities law and other complex areas.

In addition to serving as an attorney and a fiduciary, Mr. Forman also has been a court-approved mediator on the panel of mediators for the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. In that capacity he has been called upon to mediate numerous complex matters for the courts in New Jersey.

Professional Memberships

NJ Bankruptcy Lawyers Foundation – President

New Jersey Institute of Technology Alumni Association – President (two non-concurrent terms)

Independent Alumni of NJIT – President (Current)

New Jersey Bankruptcy Inn of Court – Master

Federal Bar Association of New Jersey – President

American Bankruptcy Institute – Advisory Committee, Mid-Atlantic Section

New Jersey State Bar Association

New York State Bar Association

District of Columbia Bar Association

Essex County Bar Association

Bergen County Bar Association

American Bar Association

American Bankruptcy Institute

Turnaround Management Association

Commercial Law League of America

Mensa

Education