Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Bankruptcy
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Steve has practiced in the commercial litigation and bankruptcy areas for 40 years. His practice centers around the oil and gas and maritime industries. He has represented oil field service providers, vessel providers, aviation interests, geopositioning companies, shipyards and lease interest owners in bankruptcy matters in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Delaware. Steve has also represented pipeline interests and property owners in environmental litigation. Since 2013, he has taught Inter...
In his three decades of legal practice, Sean Coughlin has focused his practice on complex business and real estate litigation, representing commercial real estate lenders and bankruptcy litigation matters. Coughlin approaches each matter with the goal of achieving the best possible business result. Coughlin has successfully litigated, arbitrated and tried hundreds of complex disputes in state court, federal court and bankruptcy court. He is admitted to all California Courts, several U.S. Dist...
Lisa Starks’ practice includes business, commercial, bankruptcy and other creditors’ rights issues, and commercial litigation and real estate matters, with a particular focus on resolving complex commercial foreclosures and receiverships. Lisa is at her best when helping clients to stabilize, rehab and sell their insolvent properties. Lisa’s creditor representation ranges from loan modification to loan enforcement in state and federal courts. These representations have led t...
Cherie Dessauer Nobles is special counsel in Fishman Haygood’s Litigation Section. She works in the firm’s bankruptcy practice group and concentrates on debtor and creditor rights. Cherie has experience in representing large, complex companies and small companies in bankruptcy. Her experience includes representation of debtors, trustees, unsecured creditors’ committees, and creditors in commercial bankruptcy and workout business cases in chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy p...
Jeffery has a multi-disciplined practice. He has been actively involved in virtually every type and aspect of bankruptcy, reorganization, workout, corporate divorce, creditor’s rights and insolvency litigation for almost thirty years. His practice regularly includes advising clients in matters of financial restructuring, loan compliance, commercial transactions, workouts and complex business problems. In addition, Jeffery regularly represents public officials, agencies, non-profits and ...
Curtis M. Plaza 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. Curtis M., who practices law in Madison, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Curtis M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bill Bensinger focuses his practice on commercial dispute litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring litigation. He represents creditors, franchisors, landlords, unsecured creditors’ committees and financial institutions in a wide variety of matters, including preference and avoidance actions, workout transactions and insolvency matters. Bill represents franchisors in bankruptcy, including matters concerning the assumption of franchise agreements, and represents landlords in bank matters ...
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...
Robbie’s practice focuses on bankruptcy law, creditors’ and debtors’ rights, and general commercial litigation. Upon graduating from law school, Robbie served as a law clerk to the Honorable Blackwell N. Shelley, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia. Before joining Spotts Fain in 2025, Before joining Spotts Fain in 2025, he was a partner at Hirschler and Hunton Andrews Kurth.
Dennis J. O'Grady 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. Dennis J., who practices law in Madison, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dennis J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Brian A. McDowell practices in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency litigation and receiverships. In bankruptcy, Mr. McDowell has primarily focused on representing debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, tenants, landlords, asset purchasers, defendants in adversary proceedings and trustees. These matters have arisen in both voluntary and involuntary Chapter 11 cases. Mr. McDowell has conducted two jury trials in the United States Bankruptcy Court. In addition to Mr. McDowell's debtor and cre...
Jonathan Sundheimer’s practice runs the spectrum of lending, bankruptcy, commercial litigation and loan restructuring. He documents loan transactions on behalf of financial institutions, and represents such institutions in the event of default through negotiations and litigation. Beyond financial institutions, he guides businesses through collections, bankruptcy and insolvency-related dispute resolution. Simply put, Jonathan counsels businesses and individuals that loan money or are owe...
Dan Sparks is head of Christian & Small’s Creditor & Lender Rights Practice Group. He focuses his practice in the areas of bankruptcy and business litigation involving creditors’ rights, consumer finance, lender liability and injunctive relief. Dan represents commercial lenders, debt buyers, corporations, Trustees, individuals and other secured and unsecured creditors in all aspects of commercial litigation, loan workouts, loan restructuring, asset recovery, foreclosure an...
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.