Ann Marie Uetz is a partner and vice chair of the firm’s national Litigation Department, working with an extensive network of business leaders and professionals across the country. She has more than three decades of experience as a trial attorney representing manufacturers in all aspects of the supply chain. She has extensive and unique knowledge of the manufacturing supply chain in a variety of industries. She has become 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.
Ann Marie’s work is integral to the firm’s focus on the manufacturing sector. She is one of the authors of Foley’s Automotive Update, published biweekly and analyzing trends and future developments in the automotive supply chain. Ann Marie is recognized by the National Law Review as a Go-To Thought Leader in the areas of “Transportation Law” and “COVID-19: Manufacturing Impact”, and was recognized by JS Supra as “No. 1 Top Author: Transportation.” She has also been a sought after interview source on topics including the United Auto Workers strike and its impact on the automotive supply chain.
In addition to her focus on the manufacturing industry, Ann Marie represents debtors, creditors, and lenders in all facets of workouts and formal restructurings and bankruptcies. Ann Marie focuses that practice on bankruptcy and business litigation, two of Foley’s practice areas recently ranked by U.S. News—Best Lawyers® as “national First-Tier” practices in recognition of excellence in client service. She is a member of the firm’s Manufacturing Sector, including its Automotive Industry Team, as well as a member of the Finance & Financial Institutions and Transactions practices.
Much of Ann Marie’s work focuses on distressed debt workouts, representing debtors, creditors, lenders, and receivers and CROs in all phases of workouts. Her team has led debtor and creditors’ committee interests in multiple industry sectors, including manufacturing, energy, and health care.
Ann Marie Uetz is an exceptional attorney, and has been pivotal in the support of our organization. . . . Bright, insightful and focused, and an extremely valuable extended member of our team.
— a Foley client, commenting on Ann Marie’s representation for
Best Lawyers in America®
Bankruptcy and Business Litigation Practice
Ann Marie is a former vice chair of the firm’s national Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practice, which BankruptcyLaw360 has fittingly ranked as one of the top 10 bankruptcy practices in the nation. She represents clients in restructuring, bankruptcy, and business disputes across the country. She also advises clients on the strategic sale and acquisition of distressed assets, both inside and outside of the court process. In the manufacturing sector, she provides counsel to customers and suppliers regarding their contracts and their best business position both prior to and after a bankruptcy filing by one of their suppliers or customers.
Ann Marie has extensive and unique knowledge of the manufacturing supply chain, including manufacturing and technology agreements. This includes supply contract negotiations, drafting supply contracts, surcharge and capacity issues, stop-ship situations, and pricing disputes. These transactions often include tripartite agreements among the troubled supplier, its significant customers, and its secured lenders to solidify the commitments of each party to keep the supplier operating while the workout (or bankruptcy) is progressing. 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 them and the underlying issues.
Ann Marie Uetz’s trial experiences span from real estate developments to Chapter 11 cases and contested receiverships. She has tried more than eight bench trials seeking rezoning of real estate for certain developments and one jury trial for breach of contract. In the past twenty years, Ann Marie’s trials have focused primarily on bankruptcy matters, including: more than three contested plan of reorganization trials in Chapter 11 cases (these are bench trials and otherwise follow the federal rules of evidence); more than 20 contested evidentiary hearings in Chapter 11 cases (again, these are akin to bench trials and follow the federal rules of evidence; more than ten contested receivership appointments on behalf of lenders/special servicers (about half of these included evidentiary hearings); and more than five jury trials on various business issues outside of bankruptcy (e.g., insurance coverage, breach of contract, trespass/real estate matters). She mainly focuses her trial practice in real estate and bankruptcy. Ann Marie is known as a thoughtful and pragmatic strategist who works tirelessly to get her clients the best outcome possible.
Representative Experience
- Counsel to the Debtors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Venture Industries, Blue Water Automotive Systems and Intermet Corporatio
- 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 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 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 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
- Lead counsel to several defendants in the matter of Jonathan Kattola, et al. v Ammar Kattoula, et al., Wayne County Circuit Court Case No. 2021-010003-CB (claims regarding ownership of cannabis business)
- Lead counsel to plaintiffs in the matter of Green Skies-Healing Tree LLC, et al. v. Jeff Radway, et al., Oakland County Circuit Court Case No. 2023-199132-CB (claims regarding breach of joint venture and investments agreements regarding cannabis business)
- Lead 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
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
- a list that draws nominations from over 21,000 attorneys
- 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
- Director on the Board of the Society of Automotive Analysts
- 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
- 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
- Pro bono outside general counsel for Cap & Conquer, a non-profit startup whose mission is to raise funds to help subsidize Cold Caps, a scalp-cooling technology to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy treatment, for those who cannot afford the 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
MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers Annual Conference 2024