Joel I. Sher

Joel I. Sher leads a national practice focused on financial restructuring, bankruptcy litigation, and complex commercial disputes. He advises debtors, creditors, investors, and committees in high-stakes Chapter 11 matters and major restructurings. His work includes guiding clients through negotiations, litigation strategies, and distressed-asset transactions across multiple industries.

Joel built his academic foundation at the University of Maryland (B.A., 1974) before earning his Villanova University School of Law (J.D., 1978). These degrees supported the development of his analytical approach to insolvency matters and helped form the basis for his long career in financial restructuring and bankruptcy litigation.

Joel has represented clients in restructuring matters involving real estate, mortgage REITS, retail, development, manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, and health care. His work also includes major out-of-court restructurings, large-scale business reorganizations, and litigation in federal and state courts across the country, achieving significant financial recoveries for clients.

Joel has handled numerous prominent cases, including serving as Chapter 11 Trustee for TMST, Inc., overseeing the sale of its servicing platform, and leading litigation that produced substantial distributions. He also represented parties in matters involving mortgage-backed securities, major retail chains, national real estate portfolios, energy companies, and physician management groups, as well as multiple creditor committees in complex reorganizations.

Joel I. Sher has been recognized in Chambers USA for his restructuring and bankruptcy litigation work and has been repeatedly listed in Best Lawyers in America®. His practice experience extends to serving as a Panel Trustee and acting as an operating trustee and liquidating agent for businesses in the United States and Europe, where he managed asset sales, financial disputes, and operational wind-downs.

Law Office Affiliations

• Chairman and Partner, Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler
• Member, Maryland State Bar Association
• Member, Baltimore City Bar Association
• Member, Baltimore County Bar Association
• Member, Association for Commercial Finance Attorneys
• Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
• Member, Commercial Law League of America
• Member, Baltimore Chapter of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of Maryland

Licensed State

• Maryland

Education

• Villanova University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Maryland
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges