Howrey

In a prior post, we discussed the ruling of the Northern District of California Bankruptcy Court in the In re Howrey LLP case, whereby the Court found that claims for unpaid rent of landlords of an involuntary debtor were entitled to priority status. Recently, the creditors’ committee in the Howrey bankruptcy case appealed the decision.

Large law firm failures typically produce lengthy and litigious bankruptcy cases. A frustrated lawyer in one such case succinctly described the essential problem: “the assets walk, talk and, worst of all, have their own counsel.” To the inherent tensions and creditor demands of any large chapter 11 case are added  the raw pain, similar to divorce, that many partners feel at the downfall of an institutio