2022 Up & Coming Attorneys: Peter D. Kieselbach

Greenberg Traurig, LLP Persistence pays off in a number of endeavors, especially for Peter Kieselbach with his work as an associate in Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Restructuring & Bankruptcy and Corporate Trust Services practice groups. He regularly represents chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees in Minnesota pursuing fraud litigation claims.

In one recent case, he worked with a bankruptcy trustee to recover approximately $7 million from a technology company, its largest investor and others. It was a particularly good outcome because the debtor’s bankruptcy case started as a “no asset” case. After an investigation spanning months, Kieselbach and the Greenberg Traurig team filed a 130-page complaint with 80-plus exhibits, which quickly led to a settlement. The settlement will hopefully result in a significant distribution to creditors, including potentially paying all creditors in full. Without the efforts of Kieselbach and the Greenberg Traurig team, there would have been no payout to creditors.

“In fraud cases, you’re kind of like a detective, investigating suspicious transfers and transactions. There’s a puzzle that you have to figure out and it’s often quite complex. But eventually, you put the pieces together, and the fraud comes into focus. Once you have uncovered the fraud, you get to pursue claims against the ‘bad guys.’  It’s a lot of fun,” Kieselbach said.

In addition to representing bankruptcy trustees, Kieselbach also regularly represents parties in corporate trust matters, including municipal and corporate debt, qualified settlement funds, liquidating trusts and related defaults and restructurings. “I really enjoy corporate trust deals because of the variety. Sometimes you’re negotiating a front-end transaction; other times, you’re litigating. And there’s everything in between,” he said.

A former special education teacher and Teach for America corps member, Kieselbach actively seeks out pro bono work involving education, children and military families. In 2021, he received the Minnesota State Bar Association’s North Star Lawyers award for providing more than 50 hours of pro bono legal services.

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