Chicago, August 6, 2007 – LAWFUEL – Law Firm Newswire – Baker & McKenzie LLP is pleased to announce that David Heroy, Carmen Lonstein and Bruce Lithgow joined the Firm’s North American Financial Restructuring, Creditors Rights & Bankruptcy practice as Partners in its Chicago office. Heroy, Lonstein and Lithgow are all nationally recognized practitioners in the field. They come to the Firm from Bell Boyd & Lloyd, LLP where Heroy was the founder and long time chair of its Bankruptcy Department. Lonstein was its recent chair.
“We welcome David, Carmen and Bruce to the Firm,” said Marc Paul, Baker & McKenzie chair of the North American Corporate & Securities practice. “Their combined experiences will be a great asset to our current group of bankruptcy lawyers, who already have a strong reputation in this field.”
The three new Partners have a prominent, nationally-recognized practice. They typically represent statutory, court-appointed committees of creditors and equity holders, purchasers and owners of distressed assets, plus various creditors (e.g. lenders, landlords, bondholders, trade creditors, etc.) and other interested parties in large, complex corporate restructurings and chapter 11 cases. Their clients include several prominent distressed investing, hedge and private equity funds.
Heroy and Lonstein have played central roles in some of the largest bankruptcy cases in the country during the last 10 years. Both also handle related litigation and transactions. They will co-head the Firm’s Chicago practice in this area.
David Heroy has more than twenty-five years of experience in the area. He has been lead counsel for creditors committees in the chapter 11 cases for Color Tile, Global Health Sciences, The Art Store, Standard Brands and Farley Inc. (the then-owner of Fruit of the Loom and West Point Pepperell), plus the official equity committees for Federal-Mogul, Stone & Webster, Imperial Sugar and LTV. In addition to representing numerous funds, he has negotiated purchase transactions for strategic investors such as Southwest Airlines Co. His litigation experience has included successful appellate arguments in the Third, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Heroy is nationally known as a frequent speaker and author on business bankruptcy, reorganization, cross-border and related topics. He has written more than twenty articles and has spoken at the Practising Law Institute’s Annual Current Developments in Bankruptcy program for more than fifteen years in New York and San Francisco. He also has spoken for the Canadian Institute, the Legal Education Institute, the University of Texas, the American Bar Association and other similar organizations.
Carmen Lonstein has practiced bankruptcy law for nearly 20 years. She has an extensive chapter 11, workout and bankruptcy litigation practice. In addition to representing the Stone & Webster and Comdisco equity committees, she has served as lead counsel to the equity committees in Kasper A.S.L. Ltd, in the Southern District of New York; and OCA in the District of Louisiana. Lonstein has worked extensively with private equity funds purchasing debt or equity in financially troubled companies and has substantial experience negotiating and documenting complex asset purchase transactions.
Lonstein, a fluent Spanish speaker, is also a frequent author and speaker on bankruptcy law topics. In addition to being a certified mediator, she is the founder and former chair of the Chicago International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, and an active participant in the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association.
Bruce Lithgow was a partner of Bell Boyd & Lloyd’s bankruptcy and restructuring department. He concentrates his practice in corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, insolvency and related commercial litigation. He has represented several creditor and equity committees as well as post-confirmation liquidating trusts. His experience in both federal and state courts throughout the United States also includes such matters as insurance coverage, consumer fraud, professional malpractice, intellectual property, antitrust, consumer finance and lending, breach of contract, fraudulent transfers and insurer insolvency.
“David, Carmen and Bruce are very talented bankruptcy lawyers and will add to the strength of many other practices, including corporate & securities, banking & finance and private equity, enabling us to provide more well-rounded, and refined practices to effectively serve our clients across the region,” said David Hackett, North American Managing Partner.
Heroy is a 1973 graduate of The University of Michigan, where he received an A.B. degree with distinction. He is also a 1976 graduate of The University of Michigan Law School, where he received a J.D. degree cum laude. Lonstein is a 1984 graduate of Hunter College – City University of New York where she earned a B.A. and graduated magna cum laude. She earned her J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 1987. Lithgow graduated from Utah State University, summa cum laude, in 1991. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1994.
Commenting on their joining, Managing Partner of the Chicago office Philip Suse, said: “David, Carmen and Bruce are excellent additions to the Chicago office as we continue to focus our efforts in expanding and enhancing our capabilities in core practices offered to major multinational corporate clients.”
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For further details please contact:
Jessica Benzon, Global Press Office, Chicago on +1 312 861 2665 or jessica.s.benzon@bakernet.com
About Baker & McKenzie
Founded in 1949, Baker & McKenzie is a global law firm of more than 3,400 locally qualified, internationally experienced lawyers and 6,600 other professionals and staff in 70 offices in 38 countries. Global revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 exceeded US $1.522 billion. John Conroy is Chairman of the Firm’s Executive Committee. (www.bakernet.com)
Baker & McKenzie LLP is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein with member law firms around the world. In accordance with the common terminology used in professional service organizations, reference to a “partner” means a person who is a partner, or equivalent, in such a law firm. Similarly, reference to an “office” means an office of any such law firm.
