Best Lawyers in California, United States for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
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Valerie Bantner Peo focuses her practice on creditors’ rights and commercial litigation with significant experience at the trial and appellate levels in bankruptcy, federal and state court. She regularly represents financial institutions, including agribusiness lenders and alternative lenders, software licensors, commercial landlords and tenants, equipment lessors, officers and directors, companies in distress, and creditor committees and other fiduciaries.
Ivan Kallick’s bankruptcy, insolvency and workout practice concentrates on large reorganization cases and bankruptcy litigation. He represents a broad range of stakeholders, including debtors, creditors, creditors' committees, franchisors, real estate enterprises and large corporate/institutional interests.
Jerry is a business lawyer and advisor who focuses his practice on representing clients in commercial restructuring and bankruptcy matters, business sales and purchases, commercial and real estate transactions and leases, private debt and equity trades, and related litigation, in numerous jurisdictions. Jerry has represented business owners and investors, borrowers, banks and unsecured lenders, hedge funds and private equity sponsors, vendors, commercial landlords and tenants, trustees and fi...
Michael G. Fletcher is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Michael G., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Barton practices business law, representing both public and private clients in a variety of transactions and specializing in middle-market company M&A, reorganizations, and work-outs. Mr. Barton has extensive experience in both domestic and international transactions, including Australia, Canada, and Mexico. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Barton was vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Sizzler and remained in charge of the company’s legal affairs throughout its chapter 11 r...
John W. Lucas is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. John W., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael counsels clients who have business disputes in multiple industries, with a particular emphasis in the apparel, entertainment, food and financial sectors. Michael started his career working at a top Los Angeles bankruptcy firm where he represented chapter 11 debtors and chapter 7 trustees. He then left firm practice to act as general counsel and CEO of a struggling apparel company. Utilizing his bankruptcy experience, he successfully navigated that company through bankruptcy and guided...
Mr. Glazer regularly advises hedge funds, bondholders, and other creditors with respect to a wide variety of issues affecting secured and unsecured investors in distressed debt, including covenant restrictions in credit agreements and indentures, intercreditor disputes, collateral issues, and in related litigation. Mr. Glazer counsels creditors both prior to and following the filing of a bankruptcy case, and in out-of-court workouts. He also represents various other parties in chapter 11 bank...
Benjamin King is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Benjamin, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benjamin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Pachulski is a nationally prominent bankruptcy attorney with over four decades of experience in reorganization proceedings and in dealing with a broad spectrum of bankruptcy-related issues. Throughout his legal career, Mr. Pachulski has specialized in corporate reorganization, insolvency, and bankruptcy law. He has represented debtors, significant creditors, official and unofficial committees, and creditor groups in cases around the country. Many of Mr. Pachulski’s representations a...
Mr. Saunders is an accomplished bankruptcy and transactional attorney with broad national practice experience. His range and depth of expertise includes chapter 11 reorganizations and sales, out-of-court workouts, debt/equity financings, corporate and real estate transactions, entity structure and governance strategies, employee and union matters, and litigation. He represents debtors, committees, creditors, acquirers, trustees, and examiners in bankruptcy cases. He counsels lenders and borro...
Mr. Nolan has substantial experience litigating tort, contract, and business disputes. He has successfully litigated numerous jury trials in state and federal courts as well as federal appeals before the Sixth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal. Mr. Nolan also has substantial experience representing unsecured creditors, trustees, and creditors' committees in chapter 11 and chapter 7 cases. He has prosecuted litigation to recover debtor assets in district courts and bankruptcy courts throughou...
Mr. Goldich’s legal practice primarily encompasses representation of debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, and other parties in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. He also regularly consults on conflicts and ethics issues in the firm’s chapter 11 cases and is a former chair of the LACBA Ethics Committee, on which he served for over fifteen years. In addition to playing a lead role as debtor's counsel in many successful chapter 11 reorganizations and going-concern sales, Mr. Gol...
Mr. Pagay is a business lawyer whose practice focuses on the development and implementation of strategic alternatives for and against distressed businesses. He has substantial experience representing chapter 11 debtors, trustees, unsecured creditors, creditors' committees, and other parties in the contexts of bankruptcy cases, adversary proceedings, commercial litigation, mediations, domestic and international business transactions, business reorganizations, and out-of-court corporate restruc...
Mr. Kevane is the managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office. He has worked on transactional and bankruptcy matters with clients from a variety of industries, and is listed among the "Best Lawyers in America" and "San Francisco's Best Lawyers" for his work in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law. He has also been named a "Northern California Super Lawyer" every year since 2004 in a peer survey conducted by Law & Politics and the publishers of San Francisco magazine, an honor...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.