Bruce Bennett

Partner

Bruce Bennett is a partner in the Business Solutions & Governance Department and the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office. Mr. Bennett has represented debtors, creditors and business acquirers in many of the largest corporate reorganization cases in the United States, including in the fields of retail, telecommunications, heavy industry, aviation, manufacturing, real estate, insurance, energy, banking, and computer technology. Mr. Bennett was also lead debtor’s counsel in the country’s largest municipal bankruptcy, In re County of Orange, California, which commenced following a $1.7 billion loss in County investment pools. As counsel to the debtor, Mr. Bennett was the architect of the Plan of Adjustment that comprehensively resolved the County’s financial problems. That Plan was confirmed and successfully implemented in approximately 18 months. Related litigation resulted in the recovery of over $870 million for the County.

Mr. Bennett’s business reorganization experience includes such clients and matters as: Credit Agreement Lenders in Tribune Company, Lehman Brothers Treasury Co. B.V. note holders, First Lien Lenders in Green Valley Ranch, Onex Corporation in Tropicana, Term Loan Lenders in Fountainebleau Las Vegas, Oaktree Capital Management in CIT, Ameriquest Mortgage Company, First Lien Lender in Hawaii Medical Centers, Inc., Skilled Healthcare, Inc., Parent Company Senior note holders in Adelphia Communications Corporation, Hawaiian Airlines, Inc., Osprey note holders in Enron, Rabobank in Enron, Sempra in Enron, LTV Corporation, the Reichman family in Olympia & York Developments Ltd. and affiliates, Federated Stores, Inc., Komag, Inc., L.A. Gear, Inc., WestStar Cinemas, Inc., Liberty House, Inc., SmarTalk TeleServices, Inc., StorMedia Inc., Aureal, Inc., note holders in RBX, Inc., First Capital Holdings Corp., Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. and affiliates, Dome Petroleum Ltd., Tucson Electric Power Company, Equatorial Communications Corporation, Westwood Equities, Inc., and Storage Technology Corporation.

Board and Professional Memberships

  • American College of Bankruptcy
  • Board of Governors, Financial Lawyers Conference
  • Commissioner of Personal and Small Business Bankruptcy Advisory Commission of the California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California (1992-1995)
  • Board of Directors, Public Counsel (1996-1999)
  • American Bar Association, Section on Business Law, Business Bankruptcy Committee
  • The State Bar of California, Section on Commercial Law and Bankruptcy
  • Board of Directors and member of Executive Committee of Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles,
  • Board of Directors of First American Financial Corporation

Publications and Speeches

  • Orange County’s Artful Dodger: The Creative Bankruptcy Tactics of Bruce Bennett, The New York Times, August 4, 1995, Section D, at 1.
  • Lawyer of the Year: Runner-Up, Bruce Bennett: Pulling Orange County Back From the Financial Abyss, The National Law Journal, December 25, 1995, at C-4.
  • Brain Trust: Lead Attorney in County Bankruptcy Earned a Whiz Kid Reputation by Resolving Big Cases, The Los Angeles Times, December 11, 1994, Part A, at 3.

Awards and Recognition

  • National Law Journal, Lawyer of the Year: Runner UP (1995)
  • Southern California Super Lawyers—Top 100 (2006-2011)
  • “Top 100 Lawyer in Los Angeles” by the Los Angeles Business Journal (several years)
  • The Best Lawyers in America (2000–2011)
  • Chambers USA for Bankruptcy/Restructuring (2008-2010)
  • AV Peer Review Rated

Education

  • Harvard Law School, 1982, J.D., cum laude
  • Brown University, 1979, B.S., Applied Mathematics and Economics, magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • California