Ann Marie Uetz is a partner and former vice chair of Foley’s national litigation department, leveraging an extensive network of business leaders and professionals across the country to deliver strategic counsel and effective client solutions. She represents clients across an array of industries, including private equity-owned portfolio companies, in key initiatives relating to financial distress. Her practice focuses on workouts, distressed transactions including 363 sales, bankruptcy proceedings as debtor or creditor, receiverships, and other matters involving financially troubled businesses.
Ann Marie also advises lenders, special servicers, and other financial stakeholders in connection with distressed commercial real estate assets and loan portfolios to develop practical solutions that preserve value, manage risk, and facilitate successful restructurings both in and out of court. Her experience includes loan workouts, receiverships, foreclosures, asset recovery strategies, bankruptcy matters, and enforcement of lender and creditor rights across a broad range of commercial real estate asset classes.
Ann Marie is particularly sought after for her work on behalf of manufacturers at the intersection of bankruptcy law and the Uniform Commercial Code. She is a go-to lawyer nationally for manufacturers facing complex issues related to supply contract negotiations, breach, surcharge and capacity issues, stop ship situations and pricing disputes. These transactions often include tripartite agreements among a supplier, customer and secured lender, designed to solidify the commitments of each party to keep the supplier operational. These agreements commonly consist of access and accommodation agreements and subordinated participation agreements. Ann Marie has negotiated these agreements routinely in troubled company situations and is deeply familiar with the issues which underlie these agreements.
Ann Marie is one of the authors of Foley’s biweekly Automotive Update, analyzing trends and future developments in the automotive supply chain. Ann Marie is included in Best Lawyers in America®, and has been recognized by the National Law Review as a Go-To Thought Leader for “Transportation Law” and by JD Supra as “No. 1 Top Author: Transportation.” She has also been a sought-after interview source including for The Wall Street Journal, Automotive News and CNBC on topics relating to the manufacturing supply chain, financial distress and tariffs.
Ann Marie Uetz is an accomplished trial lawyer with extensive experience developed over the course of three decades, leading complex real estate, bankruptcy, restructuring, receivership, and commercial disputes. She represents manufacturers and upper and middle market companies in other industries as debtors, creditors, special servicers, and other stakeholders in high-stakes litigation and contested proceedings.
Her trial experience includes Chapter 11 plan confirmation trials, numerous evidentiary hearings in bankruptcy cases, bench and jury trials, and contested receivership appointments involving bankruptcy, breach of contract, and real estate issues. She is well versed in presenting complex financial and business issues before judges and juries in both state and federal courts.
Known for her strategic judgment and her keen ability to balance aggressive advocacy with a practical approach to advocacy, Ann Marie combines her strong courtroom presence with business-focused solutions to help clients achieve successful outcomes.
Representative Experience
- Counsel to the Debtor in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California
- Counsel to the Debtors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Venture Industries, Blue Water Automotive Systems and Intermet Corporation
- Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Gissing North America, LLC in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Loves Furniture Inc. in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 automotive bankruptcy case of Shiloh Industries in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
- Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 case Capitol Bancorp Ltd.
- Counsel to the lender and stalking horse purchaser of assets through a 363 sale in the automotive chapter 11 case of Jack Cooper Holdings, Co. (sale approved, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia)
- Counsel to secured lender regarding the default of a company operating skilled nursing facilities and a related prescription medication service provider in multiple states. Negotiated and finalized an agreement to take out and pay her client in full
- Counsel to the court-appointed receiver for Wilbanks Energy Logistics, which operated as a full-service energy logistics company until being placed into receivership. Less than sixty days after the appointment of her client as the receiver for Wilbanks, Ann Marie led and completed the sale of the assets of Wilbanks and its affiliates
- Counsel to a government-sponsored enterprise in more than 40 class action lawsuits filed in Michigan and across the country involving exemption from payment of real-estate transfer taxes (Published Appellate Decision in favor of Foley’s client: County of Oakland and Andrew E. Meisner; Genesee County and Deborah Cherry, Michigan Department of Attorney General and Michigan Department of Treasury v. Federal Housing Finance Agency, et al., 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 10032, Nos. 12-2135/2136 (6th Cir. May 20, 2013))
- Counsel to a government-sponsored enterprise in connection with the receiver appointments and completed non-judicial foreclosures, and related guaranty litigation, for more than ten properties included in a $300MM national loan portfolio, including the largest multi-family receiver appointment and foreclosure on record in the state of Michigan
Awards and Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation (2013-Present), Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2019-Present)
- Leading Lawyers: Top Lawyers in Michigan, including in 2020, in the following areas: bankruptcy & workouts, commercial litigation, and creditor’s rights
- Super Lawyers®, business litigation, bankruptcy, and real estate (2008-Present)
- JD Supra Readers’ Choice Awards, Transportation category (2024)
- DBusiness Magazine’s list of Top Lawyers in the areas of bankruptcy, business law and real estate law
- Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 20 Women in the Law (2012)
- Crain’s Notable Women Lawyers in Michigan (2017)
- Crain’s Most Connected List, representing the 100 most connected businesspeople in metro Detroit
Affiliations
- Graduate of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit XXV
Community Involvement
- Served as a director on the Board for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2008 through 2014, which tenure included the organization’s overall debt restructuring and reorganization
- Served as a director on the Board of the Society of Automotive Analysts
- Served as a director on the Board of First Tee of Greater Detroit, whose mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf
- Pro bono outside general counsel for Cap & Conquer, a non-profit startup whose mission is focused on a scalp-cooling technology to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy treatment
- Pro bono outside general counsel for The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities in Chicago, Illinois, a non-profit voluntary association of organizations supporting services to persons with developmental disabilities
- Pro bono outside general counsel for Life Remodeled, whose mission is to repurpose properties into one-stop hubs of opportunity filled with nonprofit organizations that provide youth programs, workforce development and human services to tens of thousands of members of the community
- During high school and college, Ann Marie worked as a summer camp counselor and business manager for the CYO Girls Camp in Port Sanilac, Michigan
- Ann Marie is a member of the Saugatuck Yacht Club in Saugatuck, Michigan
Foley Automotive Update
Foley Automotive Update
Foley Automotive Update
Foley Automotive Update
Foley Automotive Update