Dale C. Christensen Jr.

Dale C. Christensen Jr. is senior counsel in Seward & Kissel’s Litigation & Investigations Group. He has practiced at the Firm since 1979 and became a partner in 1984.

Dale has a wealth of litigation experience and has successfully litigated civil matters throughout the State and Federal judicial systems, including a number of precedent setting cases. He is also sought for his counsel in both preparing for and avoiding litigations before they ensue. While successfully handling numerous cases at the trial level, Dale is also recognized for his skills and advocacy at the appellate levels of both State and Federal courts. He has consistently been recognized for his legal skills as a New York “Superlawyer” and by Legal 500, and retains Martindale Hubbell’s highest AV rating.

Dale has litigated a wide variety of disputes on behalf of a broad range of clients, in such areas as banking, insurance coverage, products liability, environment, real estate and employment law. In the past several years, much of Dale’s practice has focused on representing the interests of major domestic and international banks and financial institutions in many types of commercial disputes. He has recently successfully represented many of the most recognized names in domestic and international banking in disputes involving the restructuring or bankruptcy of, for example, Enron, Lehman Brothers, Victoria Finance, Asia Pulp and Paper and LyondellBasell Industries, Inc., to name just a few.

Dale’s recent practice representing such major banking and other financial institutions often involves both commercial and bankruptcy litigation by corporate trustees, collateral and administrative agents, and trust administrators relating to both asset backed and corporate finance transactions. This has included the litigation of claims involving both commercial backed and residential mortgage backed securities and the structures in which they are often found, including CDOs, CBOs and other SIVS.

Dale also continues to represent major insurance carriers and policy holders in their disputes over coverage, including recent representations growing out of the World Trade Center tragedy, the life settlement industry and various environmental and mass tort suits. In addition, he is a member of the Firm’s Energy Finance Restructuring Team, a highly focused and specialized cross-disciplinary team dedicated to energy sector bankruptcies and restructurings.

Dale has always been actively involved in both the public and professional communities. He has represented the interests of the New York City Council in constitutional disputes in the New York State courts. He was appointed by two City Council Speakers to be one of the five-member New York City Campaign Finance Board, a national model for public financing of political campaigns. Dale has also served as an administrator for the New York County Democratic Party’s Judicial Screening Panel. He has served as a Trustee of The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church and currently serves as its Chancellor. He has also served as a Director and Past President of the Dartmouth Lawyers’ Association and the Seafarers and International House, Inc. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of Trustees for NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn. He is also currently a Director of The United Hospital Fund.  He also serves as the Special Master for the Appellate Division 1st Department Mediation Program.

Dale is a member of the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and the Dartmouth Lawyers’ Association.

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