Bankruptcy

  • October 31, 2024

    Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot

    Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.

  • October 31, 2024

    MVP: Fried Frank's Rachel C. Strickland

    Rachel C. Strickland, partner and global chair of the restructuring department at Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, represented two Georgia election workers in a bankruptcy lawsuit against Rudolph W. Giuliani and advised NanoString Technologies Inc. on its asset sale, earning her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Bankruptcy MVPs.

  • October 30, 2024

    Calif. Panel Axes $10.6M Abex Asbestos Verdict

    A California appellate panel has thrown out a $10.6 million asbestos verdict against Pneumo Abex LLC and ordered a new trial, finding that the trial court erred in granting a directed verdict that rejected the now-bankrupt braking lining manufacturer's sophisticated user defense.

  • October 30, 2024

    Equifax Doesn't Report Ch. 7 Discharges, Suit Says

    Credit reporting bureau Equifax was recently hit with a proposed class action accusing it of failing to note discharged debts when debtors converted their bankruptcy cases from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7.

  • October 30, 2024

    American Tire Floats Ch. 11 Sale Plan To Wrap Up In December

    Bankrupt tire and wheel seller American Tire Distributors Inc. proposed a Chapter 11 bid and sale process that it intends to wrap up by the end of December, with a group of secured lenders serving as a stalking horse.

  • October 30, 2024

    FTX Witness Who Saw Bankman-Fried's 'Evil' Avoids Prison

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed FTX's former chief engineer to avoid prison Wednesday, crediting his trial testimony against the crypto exchange's founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his ongoing cooperation and his relatively small role in the $11.2 billion fraud.

  • October 30, 2024

    Canadian Lender Seeks Ch. 15 With Wind-Down Or Sale Plans

    A Toronto-based specialty lender and 13 affiliates filed for Chapter 15 recognition of their Canadian insolvency proceedings on Wednesday, with Chesswood Group Ltd. blaming a rise in interest rates and U.S. regional bank failures for heavy losses that added to its over $148 million in debt.

  • October 30, 2024

    MVP: Kirkland's Steven Serajeddini

    Steven N. Serajeddini, a restructuring partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, has kept busy over the last year handling some of the largest and most complex bankruptcy cases in the country, including the sprawling insolvencies of flexible workspace provider WeWork Inc. and cancer healthcare company GenesisCare, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Bankruptcy MVPs.

  • October 29, 2024

    Alameda Research Wants Crypto Exchange To Return $50M

    Alameda Research, the crypto trading affiliate of the bankrupt FTX digital asset empire, has sued the operators of KuCoin cryptocurrency exchange in Delaware bankruptcy court seeking the return of $50 million of assets that continue to be held on the platform despite the debtors' requests.

  • October 29, 2024

    Defunct Pot Co. CEO Says 'Grifter' Is Trying To Stop Settlement

    The founder of a defunct marijuana greenhouse claims the $1.5 million settlement it made with a class of investors has been stymied in unrelated legal action filed by a "sophisticated grifter" looking for personal gain, urging a Colorado federal judge to push aside the bankruptcy action.

  • October 29, 2024

    Republic First Bank Discriminated Before It Failed, NJ Says

    New Jersey authorities said Tuesday that they have concluded that the former Republic First Bank redlined local communities of color in the state in the years before it failed, findings they have taken up with the bank's receiver, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

  • October 29, 2024

    Baseball Bat Cos. Reach Deal To End Fla. Trademark Battle

    A baseball bat company owned by ex-MLB player Yoenis Céspedes has settled an intellectual property lawsuit against several businesses over baseball bats, months after a Florida federal judge handed the former New York Mets outfielder's business a preliminary injunction in the case.

  • October 29, 2024

    Purdue Creditors Can Sue Sacklers For $11.5B

    Creditors of bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP will get the right to sue the company's owners — certain members of the Sackler family — and others for $11.5 billion, should they choose to do so, a New York judge said on Tuesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    4th Circ. Unclear On LeClairRyan Founder's Tax Liability

    A Fourth Circuit panel appeared confused and noncommittal Tuesday as it wrestled with a narrow question of contract interpretation that could determine whether Gary LeClair of defunct LeClairRyan PLLC is on the hook for massive tax bills tied to the firm's collapse.

  • October 29, 2024

    MVP: Latham's George Davis

    George Davis, global chair of Latham & Watkins LLP's restructuring and special situations practice, negotiated successful prepackaged Chapter 11 plans for Joann Inc. and Audacy and helped Mallinckrodt navigate two bankruptcy cases tied to opioid litigation, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Bankruptcy MVPs.

  • October 29, 2024

    PE-Owned Implant Maker Plagued By Lawsuits Hits Ch. 11

    Joint implant maker Exactech Inc. on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with an offer from its lenders to take over the company, as a wave of lawsuits tied to product recalls weighs on the private equity-owned firm.

  • October 28, 2024

    Judge Hopes To Avoid Vote Issue Repeat In Talc Ch. 11 Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Monday told a pair of talc producers that the proposed creditor voting procedures on their joint Chapter 11 plans will need some work to avoid a repeat of the voting problems that derailed a previous attempt to settle asbestos injury claims.

  • October 28, 2024

    Creditors Get Ponzi Finding In Wash. Bankruptcy Trial

    A Washington state bankruptcy judge has found that real estate investment firm iCap Enterprises Inc. had operated as a Ponzi scheme, opening up the door for creditors to bring lawsuits and deduct some part of the losses from their taxes, attorneys for the official committee of iCap's unsecured creditors said Monday.

  • October 28, 2024

    Yellow Corp. Says Failing Biz Excuses WARN Act Duty

    Bankrupt trucking firm Yellow Corp. told a Delaware judge Monday that it should get early wins in suits brought by laid off employees, saying that because the company had ceased most business operations, it was excused from notification obligations surrounding the firing of thousands of workers.

  • October 28, 2024

    NJ Diocese Gets Insurer's Abuse Coverage Suit Tossed

    A New Jersey federal court tossed an insurer's suit seeking to escape coverage for more than 200 sexual abuse lawsuits brought against the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, saying Monday the suit "relies on a strictly hypothetical controversy that may never occur."

  • October 28, 2024

    NY Firm Sued Over Botched $5M Art Collector Ch. 7 Dispute

    A family enmeshed in New York's art world is suing their former attorneys in relation to a dismissed bankruptcy proceeding with an art collector over a breach of contract, alleging the attorneys' incompetence lost them $5 million when they moved the case from state court to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.

  • October 28, 2024

    Attys Seek $48M Fees For Hooking $152M In Tuna Fixing Deals

    Lawyers for a class of consumers that sued three of the largest tuna producers accusing them of conspiring to fix tinned fish prices asked a California federal court to approve nearly $50 million in legal costs after a settlement this summer ended nearly nine years of multidistrict litigation.

  • October 28, 2024

    Mich. Firm Can't Get More Fees From Nassar Suits, Jury Finds

    A Michigan federal jury said Monday a personal injury firm already got what it was owed as local counsel for survivors of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse, rejecting the firm's claims against a Colorado firm for another $500,000.

  • October 28, 2024

    Linklaters Adds 4 A&O Shearman Finance Partners In NY

    Linklaters LLP announced Monday the addition of four partners from the recently merged Allen Overy Shearman Sterling to the firm's finance division, deepening its U.S. capital markets and restructuring offerings in New York.

  • October 28, 2024

    MVP: Brown Rudnick's Jeff Jonas

    Jeff Jonas of Brown Rudnick LLP's bankruptcy practice helped spearhead the successful dismissals of Johnson & Johnson's first two bankruptcies tied to talc injury claims and the bankruptcy of a 3M subsidiary facing injury claims over military earplugs, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Bankruptcy MVPs.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Using Primacy And Recency Effects In Opening Statements

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    By understanding and strategically employing the primacy and recency effects in opening statements, attorneys can significantly enhance their persuasive impact, ensuring that their narrative is both compelling and memorable from the outset, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

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    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

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    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Expect More Restaurant Ch. 11s As COVID Debt Comes Due

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    The wave of restaurant bankruptcies is likely to continue in the coming months as companies face the looming repayment of COVID-19 pandemic-era government loans, an uncertain economy and increased interest rates, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.

  • Mitigating Risk In Net Asset Value Facility Bankruptcies

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    In times of economic turbulence, parties to bankruptcy proceedings that involve net asset value facilities can mitigate risk by understanding the purpose of the automatic stay, complications it can create for NAV facility lenders and options for relief, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Tax Traps In Acquisitions Of Financially Distressed Targets

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Parties to the acquisition of an insolvent or bankrupt company face myriad tax considerations, including limitations on using the distressed company's tax benefits, cancellation of indebtedness income, tax lien issues and potential tax reorganizations.

  • 7 Steps To Take Before Responding To Claim Objections

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    When counsel is notified of an objection to the proof of claim in a bankruptcy case, they should contact the client and begin discussing the cost and benefit of responding.

  • Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Bankruptcy counsel should consider several strategies when representing either a debtor or lender in single asset real estate debtor Chapter 11 cases, which generally arise when a debtor is forced to file for relief to stop an impending foreclosure sale.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

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