'Wonderful Lawyering' Saves Amerijet International From a Hard Landing

'Wonderful Lawyering'
Saves Amerijet International From a Hard Landing  

  MIAMI—When a leading cargo airline, Amerijet International, Inc., had its largest charter contract canceled and several planes idled just weeks before 9/ll and faced financial disaster, its Miami-based law firm KPKB stepped in to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, find sustaining venture capital, and achieve court confirmation—all in just 85 days.

     “Tell me that isn’t a miracle,” said Amerijet owner David Basset.

         KPKB won the cooperation Ameriject’s  biggest creditor, Bank of America; brought together Basset and another client, HIG Capital, a large venture capital firm; and devised a reorganization plan that satisfied creditors, allowed Basset to retain a third of his company, and put laid-off workers back on the payroll in 55 locations worldwide.

    Basset said he saw “wonderful lawyering” from the KPKB team. “It’s important that I have 400 employees that still have jobs,” said Basset, as well as “an excellent investment partner, a great law firm, and a company that’s going to survive.”