BigLaw Partner Saves Claire’s, Pays with His Ear

Claire’s—the teenage rite-of-passage retailer better known for cheap studs and squealing mall rats than for balance sheets—was on the brink of bankruptcy again. For the second time in seven years, the 64-year-old chain was staring at liquidation and a lost legacy of slightly lopsided piercings.

Enter Kirkland & Ellis bankruptcy star Joshua Sussberg, (pictured below) a man who understands that saving jobs sometimes requires more than a restructuring plan—it requires a piercing gun.

The Judge’s Dare

At the first-day hearing in August, nostalgia filled the courtroom. Kirkland partner Alexandra Schwarzman confessed she’d had her ears pierced at Claire’s. Even the judge joined in: his daughter had gone under the gun too. Then came the kicker—a photo of Sussberg circa 1995, pierced and proud at Claire’s as a high schooler.

So when Sussberg vowed to get pierced again if he saved the company, the judge grinned and said: “I’ll hold you to that.” Forget Latin maxims; this was judicial enforcement of adolescent tradition.

Putting Skin in the Game—Literally

Fast forward. Buyer found. Deal done. And true to his word, Sussberg sat in court, wore a sparkly Claire’s crown, and had his left ear re-pierced by a veteran of the chain. Bankruptcy law is rarely glamorous, but here it was positively glittering. Above the Law’s report captured the spectacle; The American Lawyer confirmed the deal’s significance.

Why It Matters

Beyond the theatre, Sussberg’s piercing underlines BigLaw’s strange cultural reach. Lawyers may be accused of bleeding clients dry, but in this case, one bled for them. Claire’s survives, jobs are preserved, and America’s youth can continue the noble tradition of mall-based body modification.

It’s not every day a bankruptcy hearing ends with applause and antiseptic wipes. Congratulations, Joshua—rarely has a BigLaw lawyer looked more piercingly committed.