Shirley Cho has substantial experience advising key stakeholders in some of the most complex insolvency cases in recent history. Having served as an independent director of a public company, Shirley provides her clients with business-focused and effective legal solutions whether in mega chapter 11 proceedings or out-of-court workouts. Shirley counsels companies restructuring billions of dollars of debt, dozens of official committees of unsecured creditors across a variety of industries, as well as stalking-horse asset purchasers buying assets out of chapter 11. Recent engagements include representing a multi-national biopharma company, Athenex, Inc. (NYSE: ATNX), the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Cineworld Group ($5B+), and Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering in its $1.2B claim in Seadrill.
Shirley has served as an expert on U.S. insolvency law in foreign proceedings and regularly speaks on insolvency topics around the world. She is currently serving as Senior Vice Chair of the International Bar Association’s Insolvency Section and is the immediate past Co-Chair of the Creditor Rights Subcommittee. Shirley is ranked among the nation’s top Bankruptcy/ Restructuring attorneys by Chambers USA, which states that “She’s always available to answer any questions with very quick, creative and smart responses.” Shirley has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2016 and the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Women Lawyers.” An active member of the community, Shirley has co-chaired several industry conferences and has served on several boards of nonprofit organizations. Shirley holds an undergraduate degree, with high honors, from the University of California, Berkeley (1994) and a JD from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (1997).
Clerkships
•Law clerk, Judge John E. Ryan (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 1997-98)
Publications
•The Importance of Serving as a Member of an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 11 Cases Insolvency and Restructuring International, November 2023
•The Role of Insolvency Practitioners in the United States Presented to the INSOL International Seoul One-Day Seminar, February 2017
•Trustees: When Retaining Counsel, Don’t Forget About Special Counsel 23 Journal of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees 22 (No. 3 Fall 2013)
•Delaware Bankruptcy Court Weighs in on Intercreditor Agreements 31 American Bankruptcy Institute Journal 14 (No. 6 July 2012), July 2012
•“Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After BAPCPA - A Closer Look at Critical Trade, Exclusivity, and Dismissal/Conversion,” 63 Consumer Finance Law Quarterly Report (Spring/Summer 2009)
•Coauthor, A Comparison Shopping Guide for 363 Sales (ABI 2009)
•Coauthor, “Clear Channel Muddies the Waters of Section 363(m) Mootness Protection,” 22 Bankruptcy Strategist 1 (No. 2 Dec. 2008)
•“The Intersection of Critical Vendor Orders and Bankruptcy Code Section 503(b)(9),” 29 California Bankruptcy Journal 1 (2007)
•“The Southern District of New York Adds Its Two Cents to the Catapult Debate,” 4 ABI Technology & Telecommunications Committee Newsletter (No. 2 June 2007)
•“A Closer Look at Critical Trade; Exclusivity; and Dismissal/Conversion,” published in materials for American Bar Association Annual Meeting (2006)
•“The Danger Zone: Fiduciary Duty Issues Impacting Directors and Officers in the Zone of Insolvency and Beyond,” published in materials for Strategies for Distressed Companies Conference (CLE Int’l Nov. 2001)
•“What To Do When Your Payor Goes Under,” published in materials for American Hospitals & Health Systems Law Institute Conference (2000)
•“Continuing Economic Reform in the People’s Republic of China: Bankruptcy Legislation Leads the Way,” 19 Hastings International & Comparative Law Review 739 (1996), reprinted in Telescope Translation Series, 1906-2006 (China University of Political Science and Law 2018)
•Coauthor, “U.S.-Canadian Cross-Border Insolvencies - A Survey of Recent Ancillary Proceedings,” published in materials for Canadian-American Symposium on Cross-Border Insolvency Law (ABI Feb. 2005)
•Coauthor, “A Model for Canadian Cross-Border Insolvency: Core-Mark International, Inc.,” 22 Bankruptcy Strategist 1 (No. 6 Apr. 2005)
•Coauthor, “The Zone of Insolvency: When Has a Company Entered Into It and, Once There, What Are the Board’s Duties?” published in materials for Bankruptcy 2002: Views From the Bench (ABI 2002)
News
Los Angeles Business Journal Names Shirley Cho Among 2026 “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys”
January 12, 2026
PSZJ Continues to Rank Among Leading Law Firms in Prestigious Chambers USA Guide
Chambers USAJune 5, 2025
Shirley Cho Selected to Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2025 “Top 100 Lawyers” List
Los Angeles Business JournalApril 23, 2025
PSZJ Attorneys Named in 2025 Edition of Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
August 15, 2024
PSZJ Continues to Rank Among Leading Law Firms in Prestigious Chambers Guides Chambers Global, Chambers USA
June 4, 2024
Nineteen PSZJ Attorneys Named to 2024 Southern California “Super Lawyers” List
January 10, 2024
PSZJ Attorneys Named in 2024 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
August 17, 2023
PSZJ Continues to Rank Among Leading Law Firms in Prestigious Chambers Guides
Chambers Global, Chambers USAJune 1, 2023
Eighteen PSZJ Attorneys Named to 2023 Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” List
January 1, 2023
PSZJ Attorneys Named in 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
August 18, 2022
Seventeen PSZJ Attorneys Named to 2022 Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” List
January 20, 2022
Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones Wins Prestigious 2021 TMA Turnaround/Transaction of the Year Award
September 1, 2021
PSZJ Attorneys Named in 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
August 19, 2021
Valaris Gets OK to Wipe $7B Debt With Stock Swap
Bankruptcy Law 360March 3, 2021
Nineteen PSZJ Attorneys Named 2021 Southern California “Super Lawyers”
January 1, 2021
PSZJ Attorneys Named in 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
August 20, 2020
Twenty-One PSZJ Attorneys Named 2020 Southern California “Super Lawyers”
January 15, 2020
PSZJ Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2019
Shirley Cho Listed Among Daily Journal Top Women Lawyers in 2019
Daily JournalMay 8, 2019
Twenty-One PSZJ Attorneys Named 2019 Southern California “Super Lawyers”
January 30, 2019
PSZJ Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2018
Twenty PSZJ Attorneys Named 2018 Southern California “Super Lawyers”
January 31, 2018
Thirty-Five PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2017
Eighteen PSZJ Attorneys Named 2017 Southern California “Super Lawyers”
January 25, 2017
Linda Cantor and Shirley Cho: Top Women Lawyers in Southern California
September 1, 2016
Nineteen PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 1, 2016
Seventeen PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 17, 2015
Thirteen PSZJ Attorneys Selected as Southern California Super Lawyers
Los Angeles magazineFebruary 1, 2015
Ten Southern California Super Lawyers at Pachulski Stang
Los Angeles magazineFebruary 1, 2014
Reorganized MMFX Technologies Corporation Emerges Stronger; PSZJ Negotiates Good Return for Unsecured Creditors
July 1, 2011
Pachulski Stang Honored for Work on Flying J and The Walking Company Chapter 11 Cases
The M&A AdvisorMarch 9, 2011
Rhodes Emerges From Chapter 11
April 1, 2010
Events
Navigating Cross-border Insolvency Issues in Small and Mid-Sized Distressed Situations
2025 IPBA Annual Meeting and Conference Chicago, IL
April 8, 2025
Cross-Border Chronicles
INSOL International Seoul Seminar Seoul, Korea
October 7, 2024
Commercial Real Estate
2024 American Bankruptcy Institute Central States Bankruptcy Workshop Chicago
June 19, 2024
The Insolvency Sword: In-Court Restructuring as a Powerful Business Tool
30th Annual Conference of the International Association of Korean Lawyers Seoul, Korea
September 15, 2023
Release of Third Parties: Comparison Among Various Jurisdictions
28th Annual IBA Global Insolvency and Restructuring Conference Madrid, Spain
May 23, 2023
Women on Boards, Mastermind
NextUp Executive Leaders Forum Palos Verdes CA
August 3, 2022
Force Majeure and Business-Interruption Insurance
American Bankruptcy Institute Insolvency 2020 Webcast
September 23, 2020
The Emerging Leaders Program
2019 Empower Summit: Council of Korean Americans Washington DC
November 2, 2019
A Profile of the Seadrill Chapter 11 Reorganisation
International Bar Association Annual Conference Seoul, South Korea
September 24, 2019
The Role of Court Officers in Insolvency Proceedings
27th Annual International Association of Korean Lawyers Conference Seoul, South Korea
September 21, 2019
Shark Tank
ABI Bankruptcy Battleground West Los Angeles
March 21, 2017
The Role of Insolvency Practitioners in Rehabilitation-Technical Programme
INSOL International Seoul One-Day Seminar Seoul, South Korea
February 23, 2017
Grocery Store Bankruptcies
32nd Annual Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors Conference
June 10, 2016
Everything-Must-Go Sale: The Ins and Outs of Retail Bankruptcies
ABI 24th Annual Bankruptcy Battleground West Los Angeles
March 11, 2016
Tricks of the Trade in Dealing With Executory Contracts
American Bankruptcy Institute Unsecured Trade Creditors' Committee Dial-in conference call
February 4, 2015
Great Debate: Chapter 11, Soup to Nuts-Hot Topics in Chapter 11 Cases
March 11, 2014
Hot Topics Related to Use & Disposition of Property: Efficient Exits From Bankruptcy, Credit Bidding in Light of RadLAX, and ABA Model Bankruptcy APA
86th Annual National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges San Diego
October 25, 2012
Municipal Upheaval in California: Is Chapter 9 the Solution?
19th Annual Bankruptcy Battleground West Los Angeles
March 4, 2011
