At a Glance
Rating Breakdown
About Raiser, Kenniff & Lonstein
Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff started as prosecutors in New York. They switched sides. Now they defend business owners against the same kind of aggressive tactics they used to deploy. That switch matters in debt cases because most business debt attorneys learned negotiation from textbooks or CLE courses. Raiser and Kenniff learned it in criminal courtrooms where the stakes were prison time, not payment plans. RKL handles business debt across the board — term loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, invoice factoring, MCA advances, business credit cards, microloans. They also deal with personal guarantees, which is where things get ugly for most owners. You signed a PG two years ago when the business was doing fine, now the lender wants your house. That situation needs a litigator, not a negotiator. The MCA work is where RKL stands out from general practice debt firms. MCA contracts are written to look like purchases of future receivables, not loans. That distinction matters because if it's a purchase, usury laws don't apply and the funder can charge whatever they want. RKL has argued successfully that several MCA agreements were actually disguised loans under New York's General Obligations Law 5-501, which caps interest. When that argument works, the entire contract gets rewritten in the business owner's favor. They have four offices in New York — Manhattan (Walker Street), Garden City, Kingston, and Ellenville — and take cases nationwide. The firm carries the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is peer-reviewed and not something you can buy. They also have the Platinum Client Champion designation, which is based on actual client reviews, not marketing. The partners have over 100 years of combined legal experience between them, though experience alone doesn't tell you much. What tells you more is that they still personally handle cases rather than farming everything to associates.
Key Features
Every Type of Business Loan Covered
Most debt attorneys specialize in one or two types. RKL handles all seven major categories: term loans, business lines of credit, equipment financing, invoice factoring, merchant cash advances, business credit cards, and microloans. This matters because business owners rarely have just one type of debt — when things go sideways, it's usually three or four obligations at once, and you need an attorney who can see the full picture and prioritize which creditors to deal with first.
Former Prosecutor Negotiation Tactics
Both founding partners — Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff — are former New York prosecutors. They spent years on the other side of the courtroom, which means they know exactly how opposing counsel builds a case, where the pressure points are, and when a creditor is bluffing about going to trial. In debt settlement negotiations, this translates to better outcomes because they can tell the difference between a real threat and a collection tactic designed to scare you into paying more than you should.
Emergency Response for Account Freezes
When a lender freezes your business bank account or files a confession of judgment, you don't have days to figure out your next move — you have hours. RKL offers 24/7 availability and can file emergency motions to unfreeze accounts and challenge COJ filings. They've handled enough of these situations to know which judges in which jurisdictions move fastest, and how to frame the emergency motion to get the relief you need before your next payroll is due.
Contract Enforceability Challenges
Many business loan and MCA agreements contain terms that are legally questionable — usurious interest rates disguised as factor rates, confessions of judgment filed in jurisdictions where they're now banned, and personal guarantee provisions that may not hold up under scrutiny. RKL doesn't just negotiate the balance down; they attack the agreement itself. If the contract is unenforceable, your negotiating position improves dramatically.
How It Works
Free Case Evaluation
Call (888) 646-0025 and talk to an actual attorney — not a sales rep, not an intake coordinator. They'll review your debt situation, look at the specific agreements you signed, and tell you straight whether they can help and what the realistic outcomes look like. No charge, no obligation, and they'll be honest if your situation is better suited for bankruptcy or another approach.
Debt Analysis & Strategy
RKL reviews every contract, UCC filing, confession of judgment, and personal guarantee in your file. They identify which agreements have enforceable terms and which have vulnerabilities. This analysis determines the strategy — which debts to settle, which to challenge, and which creditors to deal with first based on who poses the most immediate threat to your business.
Creditor Negotiation
Once your attorney contacts your creditors, the dynamic changes immediately. Collection calls stop. Threats get filtered through someone who knows the law. Settlement offers that would have been laughed at when you called yourself suddenly get taken seriously because the creditor knows an attorney will take the case to court if the terms aren't reasonable.
Settlement & Implementation
Every settlement agreement gets reviewed line by line before you sign. RKL makes sure the terms actually protect you — no hidden clauses that let the creditor come back later, no deficiency balance surprises, no language that waives your rights. They also handle UCC lien releases and any court filings needed to clear judgments from your record.
What They Do
- Term Loan Settlement
- Business Line of Credit Defense
- Equipment Loan Negotiation
- Invoice Factoring Disputes
- MCA Defense & Settlement
- Business Credit Card Debt
- Microloan Restructuring
- Personal Guarantee Defense
- UCC Lien Removal
- Confession of Judgment Defense
- Creditor Lawsuit Defense
- Contract Enforceability Challenges
Debt Types They Take On
- Term Loans
- Business Lines of Credit
- Equipment Loans
- Invoice Factoring
- Merchant Cash Advances
- Business Credit Cards
- Microloans
- SBA Loans
- Personal Guarantees
Fee & Cost Structure
Regulatory & Trust
Review Summary
Notable Case Studies
Restaurant Owner Facing $180K in MCA Debt
A Queens restaurant owner had stacked three merchant cash advances totaling $180,000 in combined obligations. Daily ACH debits of $2,400 were draining the operating account faster than revenue could replace it. One funder had already filed a confession of judgment in Westchester County. RKL filed an emergency motion to vacate the COJ, argued that the MCA agreements constituted usurious loans under New York's criminal usury statute (General Obligations Law 5-501), and negotiated directly with all three funders simultaneously. Two funders agreed to settle at 45 cents on the dollar; the third's COJ was vacated by the court.
Contractor's Equipment Loan Default with Personal Guarantee
A Long Island general contractor defaulted on a $95,000 equipment loan after losing two major projects. The lender was pursuing both the business and the owner personally under the personal guarantee, threatening to seize the equipment (a $200K excavator that was the contractor's primary revenue source) and garnish the owner's personal bank accounts. RKL challenged the acceleration clause in the loan agreement, demonstrated that the equipment's fair market value exceeded the outstanding balance (making seizure an unreasonable remedy), and negotiated a modified repayment plan that kept the equipment in the contractor's possession.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Both founding partners are former prosecutors — they know how the other side builds cases and where the weak points are
- Handles all 7 major business loan types under one roof, so you don't need separate attorneys for different debts
- 24/7 availability with emergency response for bank account freezes and COJ filings
- AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell with Best Lawyers recognition — these credentials are earned, not bought
- Nationwide coverage with 4 physical offices in New York for clients who want face-to-face meetings
Cons
- Primary offices are in New York — out-of-state clients work with the firm remotely, which some business owners may find less personal
- Not the cheapest option: experienced former-prosecutor attorneys command higher rates than non-attorney settlement companies
- Newer to the dedicated business debt settlement space compared to firms that have done nothing else for 20+ years
User Reviews (25)
the COJ defense alone was worth the call
A funder filed a confession of judgment against me in Westchester County for $95K. I didn't even know what a COJ was until my bank account got restrained. RKL filed a motion to vacate the COJ, argued it was procedurally defective, and WON. The judge vacated the whole thing. Then they negotiated the underlying MCA down to 40 cents on the dollar. If youre dealing with a confession of judgment in New York, call these guys immediately. Every hour you wait makes it harder.
free consultation actually felt free
Called expecting a sales pitch. Instead I talked to an actual attorney for 30 minutes who reviewed my situation, looked at my loan documents on the spot, and told me straight up which debts they could help with and which ones weren't worth fighting. He even told me one of my debts would be better handled through bankruptcy and recommended a bankruptcy attorney. That honesty is what convinced me to hire them for the debts they COULD help with. Ended up settling $145K across 3 creditors for $71K.
saved my food truck business from 2 predatory MCAs
Two MCAs totaling $52K with factor rates that worked out to over 100% APR. I was paying $1,800/day in combined ACH debits on a food truck business. RKL stopped the debits, challenged both agreements as usurious loans, and settled both for a total of $23K. One of the MCA companies threatened to sue and RKL basically said "go ahead, we'll see you in court with your 100% APR contract." They backed down the next day. These lawyers don't bluff and the creditors know it.
they know every angle in business debt law
What impressed me most was how they attacked the problem from multiple angles simultaneously. For my $160K in mixed debt (term loan + 2 MCAs + equipment loan), they didn't just negotiate lower amounts. They challenged the enforceability of the MCA agreements, disputed the acceleration clause on the term loan, and argued the equipment loan's default interest rate was unconscionable. Result: saved about $72K across everything. This is what you get from real litigators vs. settlement company salespeople.
garden city office was convenient for me
Live on Long Island and appreciated being able to go to their Garden City office for the initial meeting instead of trekking into Manhattan. Met with an attorney face to face, reviewed all my documents, and had a strategy mapped out by the end of the meeting. They handled $110K in business line of credit debt and a $45K equipment loan. Both settled favorably -- total savings around $70K. Having multiple office locations is a bigger deal than you'd think when youre already stressed.
they got my bank account unfrozen in 48 hours
Had an MCA funder freeze my business checking with $42K in it. Payroll was due in 3 days. Called RKL at like 9pm on a Tuesday and an actual attorney called me back within 20 minutes. Filed an emergency motion the next morning, account was unfrozen by Thursday afternoon. They then went after the MCA agreement itself and got it reclassified as a loan under NY usury law. Settled the whole $120K obligation for $54K. Worth every penny of their fee tbh.
used their upstate office, same quality
I'm upstate near Kingston and was relieved they have an office up here. Met with an attorney at their Ellenville location. Same level of expertise and attention as what people describe from the Manhattan office. They handled $65K in business debt from a failed seasonal business. Settled everything for $29K and got a UCC lien released. Don't assume you need to be in NYC to work with them -- the upstate offices are fully functional.
stopped $2400/day in ACH debits within a week
Three stacked MCAs, $2,400 per day in combined ACH debits. I was literally watching my operating account drain every morning. Called RKL on a Monday, by the following Monday all three debits were stopped. They sent cease and desist letters backed by legal analysis showing the agreements were usurious. Two funders settled at 45 cents on the dollar, the third took a bit longer but eventually came in at 50 cents. From $180K total to about $82K. r/smallbusiness told me to call a debt settlement company but honestly having actual lawyers made all the difference.
handled my invoice factoring dispute perfectly
My factoring company was holding $65K in my receivables and claiming I owed them $110K because of some penalty clauses in the agreement. I thought I was screwed. RKL reviewed the contract and found multiple provisions that were unenforceable under New York law. They negotiated a release of all my held receivables AND settled the remaining obligation for $42K. The factoring company was furious but they knew they couldn't win in court against these guys.
former prosecutors make a MASSIVE difference
I went to two other debt settlement companies before RKL. Both were basically call centers with salespeople. RKL is actual lawyers who used to be prosecutors. The difference showed immediately -- when Steven Raiser called my creditor's attorney, the tone changed completely. They knew they were dealing with someone who would actually take them to court. Settled $85K in business line of credit debt for $38K. The creditor's lawyer literally said "we don't want to litigate against your firm" during negotiations.
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Important Legal Disclaimers
- Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in future cases. Every business debt situation involves unique facts, contract terms, and circumstances that affect the outcome.
- The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified attorney regarding your specific debt situation.
- Attorney fees vary based on debt complexity, number of creditors, and whether litigation is required. Always obtain a written fee agreement before engaging any law firm.
- Debt settlement may have tax consequences. Forgiven debt of $600 or more may be reported to the IRS as taxable income. Consult a tax professional.
- Zogby does not provide legal services. We are an independent comparison and review platform. We do not represent clients or provide legal advice.
This page is informational, not financial or legal advice. Talk to a qualified professional before making any big money decisions.
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