CHRISTOPHER SOMMA - Somma Law PLLC

CHRISTOPHER
SOMMA

Somma Law PLLC – Business & Bankruptcy Law Firm

Thank you for your interest in Somma Law PLLC. I greatly appreciate it. I will give you my professional biography below, but first, I wanted you to get to know me and why I decided to start Somma Law.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

ABOUT US

I have spent the last 15 years as a lawyer practicing in the great city of Boston, Massachusetts at both large and small law firms including both Goodwin Procter LLP and Seyfarth Shaw LLP. I am licensed to practice law in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I love being a lawyer and I love problem solving. Most importantly, I love helping my clients achieve their goals, both in and out of the courtroom.

However, I have learned over the years that many legal needs go unmet. According to the 2018 Legal Trends Report, 40% of clients experience frustration when hiring a lawyer. The World Justice Project found that 77% of people in the United States did not get their legal needs met. My goal is to change all that by forming a client centered law firm. I want a firm that shows clients empathy, attentiveness, communicating the way you want, and an effortless experience. Stay turned because there are some exciting changes in store!

A little bit more about me, I am a husband, dog lover (Brady, Peggy and Stanley) and an Ironman in training. I love volunteering and giving back. I have an active pro bono practice where I represent asylum seekers to the United States. In the past I have assisted veterans of the United States military and will be doing so again in the future. I also participate in Cycle for the Cause – The Northeast AIDS Ride where I fundraise for The Center in New York City and bike 275 miles from Boston to New York to raise awareness for those living with HIV/AIDS. Please donate generously when I start fundraising next summer!

EXPERIENCE

As for my experience as an attorney, well, I have extensive experience in business litigation, bankruptcy and commercial real estate. During the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath I developed an extensive bankruptcy, insolvency and creditors’ rights practice. I have represented a broad range of businesses and corporate entities, private equity funds, as well as governmental agencies and other interested parties in all phases of the bankruptcy process including bankruptcy related transactions and litigation, debt restructuring and out-of-court workouts. In addition to acting for distressed businesses and entities across all types of business sectors in their insolvency restructurings, I have regularly represented major banks, financial institutions, trustees and creditors, as well as parties in commercial transactions resulting from insolvencies and restructuring, including liquidators and auctioneers, purchasers of assets and providers of debtor in possession financing. On the consumer side, I have represented clients filing personal bankruptcy under Chapters 7, 12 and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Additionally, I have substantial experience representing financial services companies and banks in a variety of litigation, including cases involving claims and defenses under the federal Uniform Commercial Code, Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and various state consumer protection statutes, including Massachusetts 93A and New Hampshire Unfair, Deceptive and Unfair Collection Practices Act. I have successfully litigated over two hundred financial services related cases with favorable results for my clients.

Post financial crisis I worked to expand my commercial real estate practice. I represented real estate owners, operators and investors, including REITs, private and public institutional investors, investment managers, pension funds and other tax-exempt investors, in a variety of complex commercial real estate matters with a particular focus on joint ventures, debt financings, acquisitions and dispositions as well as development and leasing.

personal note

To end on a more personal note, I am an avid foreign language learner (Spanish, Italian and Arabic) and am presently training for a Full Ironman race taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, October 2020 after completing a half Iron in September 2019. I look forward to working with you!

IN THE NEWS

CREDENTIALS

EDUCATION

J.D., 2006

University of New Hampshire

B.A., 2001 Bates College

ADMISSIONS

Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Courts

United States Supreme Court

First Circuit Court of Appeals

Second Circuit Court of Appeals

United States District Court District of Massachusetts

United States District Court District of Maine

United States District Court District of New Hampshire

United States Bankruptcy Court District of Massachusetts

United States Bankruptcy Court District of Maine

United States Bankruptcy Court District of New Hampshire