Armando is a commercial and real estate litigator and is leader of the Distressed Commercial Debt Litigation team. He represents businesses and owners in a wide variety of contractual, shareholder and commercial realty disputes. He devotes a large portion of his practice to representing holders of commercial debt in all aspects of work-outs, foreclosures, receiverships and guaranty enforcement actions.
I focus my practice on the following areas:
I represent special servicers, balance sheet lenders and purchasers with respect to every aspect of distressed commercial debt, from sale and acquisition to work-out, foreclosure, receivership, and associated guaranty and lender liability litigation. I successfully sought the first federal receiver for CMBS debt in New England and represent holders in federal and state receivership proceedings throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
I represent parties in the sale and acquisition of commercial real estate and have broad experience in negotiating commercial leases of all sorts, including retail, office and industrial. I also represent commercial realty owners in title, boundary, easement, restrictive covenant, adverse possession, partition, and leasing disputes.
I represent closely held businesses and their owners in ownership, fiduciary and oppression claims in a variety of industries.
Every cycle, I advise and represent candidates before the Rhode Island Board of Elections, Rhode Island Supreme Court, Federal Court for the District of Rhode Island and First Circuit Court of Appeals with respect to election challenges and other election law issues including ballot access disputes.
Inevitable rising interest rates and the continuing decline in retail will affect the ability of maturing loans to refinance, particularly given more stringent underwriting and the reset in realty values.
Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly | June 12, 2019
This article mentions Providence Complex Commercial Disputes partner Armando Batastini for his representation of the Rhode Island Bar Association in a hearing before the state Supreme Court on whether inactive attorneys should be required to maintain a dues-paying membership with the state bar. The case has been mooted due to RIBA’s approval of a revised dues structure.
Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly | March 07, 2019
Providence Complex Commercial Disputes partner Armando Batastini, a previous president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, is quoted in this article from oral arguments he made before the state Supreme Court regarding fees charged by the Bar to inactive attorneys.
Providence Business News | September 20, 2018
Providence Complex Commercial Disputes partner Armando Batastini wrote this contributed article outlining Rhode Island’s strict law prohibiting usurious loans.
Roger Williams University, J.D., magna cum laude, class valedictorian
United States Naval Academy, B.S.
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
New York
U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island
U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
Armando was selected, through a peer-review survey, for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; and Commercial Litigation. He was named Best Lawyers® 2021 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Providence, RI. Armando has been listed in Best Lawyers since 2017. He has been recognized for exceptional standing in the legal community in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2021 for Litigation: General Commercial (Rhode Island).
Armando has also been recognized continuously since 2011 as a “Rhode Island Super Lawyer” in Business Litigation based on a peer-review survey by Thomson Reuters. Additionally, he has been recognized as a local Litigation Star continuously since 2012 by Benchmark Litigation, the definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys.
Armando Batastini is past president of the Rhode Island Bar Association; is an active participant in the Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer Program, Elderly Pro Bono Program and Armed Services Legal Project; and is the secretary and vice-chairman of the Finance Committee of the Rhode Island Bar Foundation. He is also a board member for the Boston/Providence Service Academy Business Network, and a member of the Justinian Law Society of Rhode Island. He is the recipient of the 2008 Rhode Island Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award.
