MEMBERS OF FIRM
Kenneth N. Klee (Member) born Los Angeles, California, 1949; admitted to bar, 1975, California and District of Columbia; 1996, New York; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second, Seventh and Ninth Circuits and for the District of Columbia Circuit; U.S. District Court, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Central Districts of California and Eastern District of Wisconsin; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Stanford University (B.A., with great distinction, 1971); Harvard University (J.D., cum laude, 1974). Phi Beta Kappa. Captain, Ames Moot Court Competition Team, 1972-1973. Member, Board of Editors, Harvard Journal on Legislation, 1973-1974. Author: Bankruptcy And The Supreme Court[italicsoff], LexisNexis (2008). Co-Author: Business Reorganization in Bankruptcy, West (1995; 2d ed. 2001; 3d ed. 2008). Co-Author: Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Law, ALI/ABA (4th ed. 1995). Author: Bankruptcy Chapter of Glickman Franchising, 1985. Co-Author: "The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 Business Bankruptcy Amendments," 38 U.C.C.L.J. 1-71 (2006); 28 Calif. Bankr. J. 270-341 (2006). Author: "Teaching Transactional Law," 27 Calif. Bankr. J. 295-311 (2004). Co-Author: "Asset-Backed Securitization, Special Purpose Vehicles and Other Securitization Issues," 35 U.C.C. L.J. 23 (2002). Author: "One Size Fits Some: Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases," 87 Cornell L.Rev. 1285 (2002). Author: "Tithing and Bankruptcy," 75 Am. Bankr. L.J. 157 (2001); Co-Author: "Sovereign Piracy," 56 Bus. L. 635 (2001); Co-Author: "State Defiance of Bankruptcy Law," 52 Vand.L.Rev. 1527 (1999). Consulting Editor, 1979 and Contributing Editor, 1980, Collier on Bankruptcy . Author: "Restructuring Individual Debts," 71 Am. Bankr. L.J. 431 (1997); Author: "Barbarians at the Trough: Riposte in Defense of the Warren Carve-Out Proposal," 82 Cornell L. Rev. 1466 (1997); Author: "The Future of the Bankruptcy Rules," 70 Am. Bankr. L.J. 277 (1996); Author: "Adjusting Chapter 11: Fine Tuning the Plan Process," 69 Am. Bankr. L.J. 551 (1995). Co-Author: Creditors' Committees Under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code," 44 S.C. L. Rev. 995 (1993). Author: "Cram Down II," 64 Am. Bankr. L.J. 229 (1990). Author: "Timber, Ahlers, and Beyond," 1989 Ann. Surv. Bankr. L.1. (1989). Co-Author: "Ignoring Congressional Intent: Eight Years of Judicial Legislation," 62 Am. Bankr. L.J.1 (1988). Co-Author: "Caveat Creditor: The Consumer Debtor Under the Bankruptcy Code," 58 N.C.L. Rev. 681 (1980); 54 Am. Bankr. L.J. 275 (1980); "A Lending Officer's Primer on the New Bankruptcy Code," 97 Bank. L.J. 388 (1980). Co-Author: "Secured Creditors Under the New Bankruptcy Code," 11 U.C.C.L.J. 312 (1979); "The Impact of the New Bankruptcy Code on the 'Bankruptcy Out' in Legal Opinions," 48 Fordham L. Rev. 277 (1979). Author: "All You Ever Wanted to Know About Cram Down Under the New Bankruptcy Code," 53 Am. Bankr. L.J. 133 (1979); "Legislative History of the New Bankruptcy Law," 28 De Paul Law Review 941 (1979); 1 Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law 21 (1979). Articles: Defining Success in Business Bankruptcies (submitted to the Bankruptcy Review Commission). Professor of Law, Bankruptcy and Business Reorganizations, Creating Value through Renegotiating Business Agreements, University of California at Los Angeles, July 1997. Robert Braucher, Visiting Professor from Practice, Harvard Law School, 1995-1996: Bankruptcy and Chapter 11 Business Reorganizations. Visiting Lecturer of Law: Bankruptcy and Business Reorganizations, University of California at Los Angeles, 1979-1985, 1987-1994, 1997; University of Southern California School of Law, 1983. Associate Counsel, Committee on the Judiciary, 1974-1977 and Consultant, House Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, 1977-1979, 1981-1982, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983-1985. Member, Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, 1992-2000. Member, 1979, Executive Committee, 1985-1988, 1992-1999, 2005-2008, Chairman of Committee on Legislation, 1992-1999, Vice Chairman of Committee on Legislation, 1999-2001, National Bankruptcy Conference. Member, Board of Governors, Financial Lawyers Conference, 1981. President, Financial Lawyers Conference, 1986-1987. Lawyer Representative from Central District of California to Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, 1987-1991 and 2001-2003. Member: Los Angeles (Member, Executive Committee, 1982-1984, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Sections) and American (Member, 1980 and Chairman 1985-1987, New & Pending Legislation, Subcommittee, Section on Business Law) Bar Associations; The State Bar of California (Chairman, Bankruptcy Law Consulting Group to Board of Legal Specialization, 1989-1993); American Law Institute (Adviser, Transnational Insolvency Project, 1995-2000; Article 9 Receivables - Commercial Financing Task Force, 1997; International Adviser, Transnational Insolvency: Principles of Cooperation, 2006); American College of Bankruptcy (Member, Judicial Nominations Committee, 1997); American Bankruptcy Institute; National Bankruptcy Conference (1978; Member, Executive Committee, 1985-1988, 1992-1999, 2005; Chair, Committee on Legislation, 1992-1999; Vice-Chair, Committee on Legislation, 1999-2001). Reported Cases: In re FCC, 217 F.3d 125 2d Cir. 2000; In re Southeast Banking Corp. v. First Trust of New York, 179 F.3d 1307 11th Cir. 1999; Chemical Bank v. First Trust of New York (In re Southeast Banking Corp.), 93 N.Y.2d 178; 710 N.E.2d 1083; 688 N.Y.S.2d 484; 34 Bankr.Ct.Dec.326 (1999); In re Southeast Banking Corp. v. First Trust of New York, 156 F.3d 1114 (11th Cir. 1998); Maxwell Communication Corp. plc v. Societe Generale (In re Maxwell Communications Corp., plc.) 93 F.3d 1036 2d Cir. 1996; In re Rubin, 769 F.2d 611 9th Cir. 1985; In re Biane, 20 B.R. 659 B.A.P. 9th Cir. 1982; 203 North Lasalle St. Pshp. v. Bank of America Nat'l Ass'n, US District Court for Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, LEXIS 19425 (1999); 203 North Lasalle St. Pshp. v. Bank of America Nat'l Ass'n, US District Court for Northern Didstrict of Illinois, Eastern Division, LEXIS 19692 (1999); Batlan v. Transamerica Commer.Fin.Corp., 237 B.R. 765, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, 1999; In re 203 North LaSalle for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, 1999; In re 203 North LaSalle St. Pshp., Chapter 11, 246 B.R. 325; 2000 Bankr.LEXIS 201; 35 Bankr.Ct.Dec.219 (2000); In re Standard Brands Paint Co., 154 B.R. 563 Bankr. C.D. Cal. 1993; In re Resorts Int'l, Inc., 145 B.R. 412 Bankr. D.N.J. 1990; In re Texaco Inc., 92 B.R. 38 S.D.N.Y., 1988; In re Western Real Estate Fund, Inc., 75 B.R. 580, Bankr. W.D. Okla. 1987; In re Nextwave Pers. Communs. v. FCC 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 19617, District of Columbia Circuit (2001); Lacrosse County Dist. Atty. v. Nelson (In re Nelson), 258 B.R. 374, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4942, Western District of Wisconsin (2001); Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors v. Henry Mayo Newhall Mem. Hosp. (In re Henry Mayo Newhall Mem. Hosp.), 282 B.R. 444, 2002 Bankr. LEXIS 918, 48 Collier Bankr. Cas. 2d (MB) 1716, Ninth Circuit (2002); In re Phoenix Bus. Park Ltd. Pshp., Chapter 11 Proceedings, 257 B.R. 517, 2001 Bankr. LEXIS 46, 37 Bankr. Ct. District of Arizona (2001); McKinnis v. McKinnis (In re McKinnis), 287 B.R. 245, 2002 Bankr. LEXIS 1503, Eastern District of Missouri (2002); In re Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Cybergenics COrp. ex rel. Cybergenics Corp. v. Chinery, 330 F.3d 548, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 10703, Bankr. L. Rep (CCH) P78,861,41 Bankr. Ct. Dec98, Third Circuit (2003); Raima UK Ltd. v. Centura Software Corp. (In re Centura Software Corp.), 281 B.R. 660, 2002 Bankr. LEXIS 960, Northern District of CA (2002); In re Dow Corning Corp., 244 B.R. 634, 1999 Bankr. LEXIS 1792, 35 Bankr. Ct.Dec. 166, Eastern District of Michigan (1999); In re Greate Bay Hotel & Casino, Inc., 251 B.R. 213, 2000 Bankr. LEXIS 837, District of New Jersey (2000). Transactions: Represented Majority Equity Holder in Einstein/ Noah Ch. 11; /Represented Equity in 203 N.La Salle Ch. 11 on Remand; PG&E National Energy Group Bondholders' Committee; Regents of the University of California as class plaintiff in Enron Ch. 11 and WorldCom Ch. 11; Iridium Ch.11 Creditors Committee Special Litigation Counsel; Pennzoil Co. in Texaco Chapter 11; Griffin Resorts, Inc. Noteholders' Committee in Resorts International, Inc. Chapter 11; Charter Medical Secured Bondholders' Group out-of-Court Restructuring; Bally's Inc. Junior Bondholders' Group Out-of-Court Restructuring; Orion Pictures Bondholders' Group out-of-Court Restructuring; Creditors Committee Papercraft Corp. Chapter 11; Debtor in Possession Standard Brands Paint Co. Chapter 11; Debtor in Possession in 400 S. Hope Street Assocs. Chapter 11; Creditors' Committee Del Taco, Inc. Chapter 11; Equity Security Holders' Committee Liberte' Chapter 11; L.A. Kings, Ltd. out-of-court restructuring: Apollo Advisors in Hillsborough Chapter 11; Barney's Inc. Special Counsel to Debtor. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Insolvency; Corporate Reorganization; Commercial Litigation; Expert Witness.Email: Kenneth N. Klee
Michael L. Tuchin (Member) born Los Angeles, California, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, California. Education: Stanford University (A.B., with honors and distinction, 1987); University of California, Berkley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 1990). Editor, California Bankruptcy Journal. Extern to the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Member, Board of Governors and Past-President, Financial Lawyers Conference. Member, Board of Directors and Past-President, Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum. Member, Board of Directors, California Bankruptcy Forum. Member: Los Angeles County (Member, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section) and American (Member, Business Law Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of California (Member, Business Law Section). Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Insolvency; Corporate Reorganization; Commercial Litigation.Email: Michael L. Tuchin
Lee R. Bogdanoff (Member) born Van Nuys, California, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, California, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Southern, Northern and Central Districts of California. Education: University of California at Davis (A.B., 1982); Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California (J.D., 1985). Phi Beta Kappa; Order of the Coif. Regents Scholar. Associate Editor, California Law Review, 1984-1985. Author: Article, "The Labrum Case: Is a Lease an Asset or a Liability (or neither or both) Under Bankruptcy Code Insolvency Analysis?", 12 Distressed Business & Real Estate News Letter, 1999; "The Purchase and Sale of Assets in Reorganization Cases - of Interest and Principal, of Principal and Interests," The Business Lawyer, 1992; "Exemptions Under the Bankruptcy Code: Using California's New Homestead Exemption as a Medium for Analysis," 72 California Law Review 922. Law Clerk, Hon. David R. Thompson, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1985-1986. Member: American Bar Association (Member, Business Law Section); The State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Insolvency; Corporate Reorganization; Commercial Litigation.Email: Lee R. Bogdanoff
David M. Stern (Member) born New York, N.Y., 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, California. Education: Columbia University (B.A., cum laude, 1972); Stanford University (J.D., 1975). Order of the Coif. Member, Stanford Law Review, 1973-1975. Law Clerk to Hon. Ben C. Duniway, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1975-1976. Author: "Mediation: An Old Dog With Some New Tricks," 24 Litigation Journal 31, Summer 1998. Co-Author: "California Civil Discovery Practice," Cal. CEB, 1988, 2d Ed. 1998. Elected, Alternate Delegate, 1987 and Full Delegate, 1988 and 1989 to Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Co-Chair, 1990; Elected, 1989, 1991 and 1993 to Board of Governors, Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Dinner Program Chair, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 1993-1994. Conference Chair and Treasurer, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, 1995-1996; Vice President, 1996-1997; President, 1997-1998. Member: Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; The Financial Lawyers Conference; Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Reported Cases: In re Dominguez, 51 F.3d 1502 (9th Cir. 1995); In re Dominguez, 995 F.2d 883 (9th Cir. 1993); In re Recticel Foam Corp., 859 F.2d 1000 (1st Cir. 1988); Computer Communications, Inc. v. Codex Corp., 824 F.2d 725 (9th Cir. 1987); In re Shaw, 16 B.R. 875 (Bankr. 9th Cir. 1982). Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Commercial Litigation.Email: David M. Stern
Daniel J. Bussel (Member) born New York, N.Y., 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, California; 1986, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit; 1988, U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern District of California; 1990, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., magna cum laude, 1981); Stanford Law School (J.D., 1985). Order of the Coif. Nathan Abbott Scholar. Law Clerk: Hon. Stephen G. Breyer, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 1985-1986; Hon. Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, 1986-1987. Co-Author: "The Plaintiff's Burden in Defamation," 25 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 825, 1985; Contract Law and Its Application, 6th ed. Foundation Press, 1999; Bankruptcy, 6th ed., Foundation Press, 2002. Author: "The Limits on Assuming and Assigning Executory Contracts in Bankruptcy," 74 Am. Bankr. L. J. 321 (2000); "Plain Meaning Cases Lead to Costly and Flawed Amendments to the Bankruptcy Code," Am. Bankr. Inst. J., July-August 2000; "Textualism's Failures: A Study of Overruled Bankruptcy Decisions," 53 Vand. L. Rev. 887 (2000); "Current Developments in American Bankruptcy Law: Reforming Consumer Bankruptcy," Pt. I, 25 J. of Japanese Institute Int'l Business Law, Kokusai Shoji Homu, 927, September 1997 and Pt. II, 25 J. of Japanese Institute Int'l Business Law, Kokusai Shoji Homu, 1073, October 1997, in Japanese; "Coalition Building Through Bankruptcy Creditors' Committees," 43 UCLA L. Rev. 1547, 1996; "Bankruptcy Appellate Reform: Issues and Options," 1995-1996 Norton's Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law 257, Clark, Boardman & Callaghan, 1995; "Liability for Concurrent Breach of Contract," 73 Wash. U.L.Q. 97, 1995; "Power, Authority and Precedent in Interpreting the Bankruptcy Code," 41 UCLA L.Rev. 1063, 1994. Visiting Professor of Law: University of California, Los Angeles, 1991-1992; University of Miami School of Law, Spring 1997. Professor of Law, 1996-2001 and Acting Professor of Law, 1992-1996, University of California, Los Angeles. Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel, James C. McKay, 1987. Member: Bankruptcy Mediation Panel, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, 1995; ASUCLA Board of Directors; American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review Advisory Board; The Shepard Board Foundation Board of Trustees. Member: Los Angeles County (Member, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Committee, 1997) and American (Member: Business Bankruptcy Committee, 1988; Executory Contracts Subcommittee, 1988; Joint Task Force on Bankruptcy Court Structure, 1994; Special Committee on Transnational Bankruptcy, 1992) Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Financial Lawyers' Conference (Member, Board of Governors, 1995-1998 and 2000-2002); Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution. Reported Cases: AEG Acquisition Corp 127 BR 34 (C.D.Cal. 1991) aff'd 161 BR 50 (9th Cir, B.A.P. 1993). Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy.Email: Daniel J. Bussel
Thomas E. Patterson (Member) born Winnipeg, Canada, 1960; admitted to bar, 1987, California. Education: University of Manitoba (B.A., with honors, 1982); Oxford University, England (B.A., with first class honors, 1984; B.C.L., with first class honors, 1985). Author, "Current Issues Involving Adequate Protection in Real Estate Bankruptcies," 22 California Bankruptcy Journal 75, 1994. Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer in Law, University of Chicago, 1985-1986. Represented, Debtors, Creditors Committees. Secured, Creditors in many large chapter 11 cases, and has also been involved in most of the significant insurer insolvency matters pending in the State of California over the past decade. Participated in continuing education panels for the Financial Lawyers Conference, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and other organizations. Member: Los Angeles County (Member, Bankruptcy Sub-Committee of the Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Committee, 1994-1997); State Bar of California (Member, Debtor-Creditor Relations Committee of the Business Law Section, 1992-1995); Financial Lawyers Conference (Member, Board of Governors, 1998-2001). Practice Areas: Insolvency; Corporate Reorganization; Bankruptcy.Email: Thomas E. Patterson
Martin R. Barash (Member) born Los Angeles, California, 1968; admitted to bar, 1992, California; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1994, U.S. District Court, Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of California; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit and U.S. District Court, District of Colorado. Education: Princeton University (A.B., magna cum laude, in Politics, 1989); University of California at Los Angeles (J.D., 1992). Member and Editor, UCLA Law Review, 1990-1992. Law Clerk to the Honorable Procter R. Hug, Jr., U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1992-1993. Member: Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations (Member, Business Law Sections); State Bar of California (Member, Business Law Section). Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Corporate Reorganization; Corporate Insolvency; Commercial Litigation.Email: Martin R. Barash
David A. Fidler (Member) born Los Angeles, California, 1969; admitted to bar, 1998, California. Education: University of California at San Diego (B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1992); University of California at Los Angeles (J.D., 1997). Co-Author, Purchasing Claims To Block Bankruptcy 'Cramdown' Plans: A New Weapon For Creditors," 115 Bank. L.J., 4 (January 1998). Member: State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Insolvency Law; Corporate Reorganization.Email: David A. Fidler
Ronn S. Davids (Member) born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1965; admitted to bar, 1995, California. Education: Tufts University (B.A., 1987); Hebrew Union College (M.A.H.L. and Rabbinic Ordination, 1992); Columbia University School of Law (J.D., 1995). Member: State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Corporate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Securities; Private Equity.Email: Ronn S. Davids
Jonathan S. Shenson (Member) born Northridge, California, 1971; admitted to bar, 1996, California, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Central, Southern Northern and Eastern Districts of California. Education: University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A., Economics, 1993); University of California at Los Angeles (J.D., 1996). Member, UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal. Law Clerk to the Honorable Edward D. Jellen, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of California, 1996-1998. Member: Turnaround Management Association; Financial Lawyers Conference. Member: State Bar of California; American Bankruptcy Institute. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy.Email: Jonathan S. Shenson
Jennifer Dinkelman (Member) born South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1972; admitted to bar, 1999, California. Education: Loyola Marymount University (B.B.A., 1994); Northwestern University (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Corporate.Email: Jennifer Dinkelman
ASSOCIATES
Korin Elliott (Associate) (Admission pending). Education: University of California at Los Angeles (J.D., 2008).
Danielle Brown (Associate) born Bountiful, Utah, September 14, 1978; admitted to bar, 2005, California. Education: University of Utah (B.A., Political Science and Women's Studies, summa cum laude, 2000); University of California School of Law, Los Angeles (J.D., 2004).
David M. Guess (Associate) born 1980; admitted to bar, 2005, California. Education: University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., magna cum laude, 2001; J.D., 2005).Email: David M. Guess
Efrat B. Zisblatt (Associate) born Los Angeles, California, 1972; admitted to bar, 1997, California. Education: Cornell University (B.A., 1993); Fordham University (M.A., in Economics, 1994); Stanford Law School (J.D., 1997). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: State Bar of California, 1997. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Insolvency Law; Corporate Reorganization; Commercial Litigation.Email: Efrat B. Zisblatt
Matthew C. Heyn (Associate) born Bellflower, California, 1978; admitted to bar, 2003, California and U.S. District Court, Northern and Central Districts of California. Education: University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., cum laude, 2000); University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D., 2003). Order of the Coif. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards in: Corporations, 2003; Commercial Transaction, 2002. Interim Member, Board of Editors, Ecology Law Quarterly, 2002-2003. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Litigation.Email: Matthew C. Heyn
OF COUNSEL
Brian Metcalf (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1999, California. Education: University of Oregon (B.S.); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1999).Email: Brian Metcalf