Best Lawyers in California, United States for Litigation - Bankruptcy

Alan Kornfeld is a senior litigation partner. His practice focuses principally on complex litigation matters in bankruptcy courts. Mr. Kornfeld has tried a diverse set of matters, including contested confirmations, DIP financing and cash collateral motions, sale motions, rejection motions, and incentive plan motions. Mr. Kornfeld has also handled a wide variety of commercial disputes in state and federal courts and has tried adversary actions and claim objections in bankruptcy courts. He was ...

Steven J. Katzman’s unique and accomplished background includes over three decades of experience in both government service and private practice. A former United States Trustee for five federal judicial districts and federal prosecutor, Steven offers unparalleled trial, bankruptcy and complex litigation experience, specializing in complex insolvency, federal and commercial litigation. During 2003-2008, Steven was appointed as the U.S. Trustee for the Central and Southern Districts of Ca...

William Smelko is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy. William, who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As chair of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones’s post confirmation practice group, Mr. Caine oversees the entire spectrum of claims and avoidance litigation for debtors, creditors committees, trustees, liquidation or post-confirmation trusts, and defendants, from “mega cases” to smaller, individual matters. While many lawyers handle this type of work few, if any, can produce outstanding recoveries for all parties by calling upon the same case experience and litigation backgro...

Mr. Kharasch has significant experience as lead counsel representing debtors, creditors' committees, and other constituencies in chapter 11 corporate reorganizations and out-of-court workouts, and has a proven track record of confirming both creditor and debtor chapter 11 plans of reorganization. He has also been a longstanding member of the firm’s management committee. Mr. Kharasch is a graduate of the University of Illinois and received his J.D. from UCLA. He holds an AV Preeminent Pe...

David Bertenthal is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Bankruptcy. David, 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 David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mr. Fiero serves as a co-chair of the firm's Committee Practice Group and maintains a national practice representing debtors, committees, acquirers, and other significant parties in interest in complex reorganizations and financially distressed situations, both in and out of court. Mr. Fiero is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, where he was associate note editor for the Hastings Journal of Communications and Entert...

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...

For more than 20 years, David has been a member of the Panel of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustees for the Central District of California. His emphasis is acting as fiduciary, either as Trustee, Receiver or Assignee for the Benefit of Creditors, or representing such fiduciaries in federal and state Courts.

Mr. Davidson has a national practice in bankruptcy reorganizations and out-of-court restructurings. He has frequently served as lead counsel representing both public and private business entities in a variety of industries. In addition, Mr. Davidson commonly represents hedge funds and other significant holders of securities in connection with complex chapter 11 reorganizations and workouts, and has handled many insolvency-related sales and acquisitions. He is a fellow of the American College ...

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...

Peter Bertrand is Chairman of Buchalter Nemer's Board of Directors and a Shareholder in the San Francisco office. He is a member of both the Litigation, and Insolvency and Financial Solutions Practice Groups. His practice, which is national in scope, focuses on the representation of financial institutions and companies in the areas of litigation, bankruptcy and creditor rights law. He also specializes in cases involving intellectual property, trade secrets, unfair business competition and emp...