Ori Katz

Ori Katz is a partner in the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Katz specializes in business bankruptcies and creditors' rights. He has represented debtors, individual creditors, creditors' committees, parties purchasing assets out of bankruptcy and parties involved in bankruptcy litigation. He has represented Chapter 11 debtors in a wide range of industries, including real estate, retail, construction, biotech, telecommunications and internet businesses. He has also represented lenders in connection with receiverships, loan workouts, restructurings and foreclosures, and acted as receivership counsel in connection with various appointments.

Education

• J.D., Boston University, 2000, magna cum laude
• B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1996

Clerkships

• Extern to the Honorable Lynne Riddle, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California
• Extern to the Honorable William C. Hillman, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Boston, Massachusetts

Admissions

• California
• Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central District Courts of California

Representative Matters

Represents Chapter 11 debtor MMFX Technologies, Inc., a steel technology company, and its affiliates, in connection with their reorganization.

Represents the official committee of unsecured creditors of real estate developer Doyle R. Heaton in connection with Chapter 11 reorganization.

Represents various banks and lenders in connection with loan workouts, restructurings, foreclosures, appointment of receivers and bankruptcy issues.

Represents various defendants in avoidance action litigation in bankruptcy courts throughout the Northern District of California.

Represented official committee of equity security holders of public company Tvia, Inc. in connection with the committee's successful confirmation of a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization following termination of the debtor's exclusivity.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor Humboldt Creamery, LLC, a dairy producer in connection with the sale of substantially all of its assets and confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan of liquidation.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor The Billing Resource dba Integretel, a billing aggregator, in connection with the sale of substantially all of its assets and confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan of liquidation.

Represented private equity fund in connection with loan workouts, restructurings and foreclosures of over $250 million in obligations due on a portfolio of loans.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor Diablo Grande Limited Partnership, a real estate developer, in connection with the successful sale of its 30,000 acre real estate development, the orderly liquidation of its remaining assets, and confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan of liquidation.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor Arriva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, in connection with confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan of reorganization.

Represented Union Bank of California, N.A. in its capacity as a pre-petition senior secured lender to Chapter 11 debtor SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc.

Represented the official committees of unsecured creditors of Chapter 11 debtors J.T. Thorpe, Inc. and certain affiliates in connection with the plan confirmation process and establishment of a trust for the benefit of asbestos victims.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor Dillingham Construction Holdings, Inc. and ten of its affiliates in the orderly liquidation and winding up of its businesses through a Chapter 11 liquidating plan, including completion of several hundred million dollars in construction projects and the sale of significant portions of the debtors' businesses as going concerns.

Represented official committee of unsecured creditors of Standard Media International aka The Industry Standard in connection with  the sale of portions of the debtor's business and the orderly liquidation of the debtor's assets, resulting in significant distribution to general unsecured creditors.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor Advanced TelCom Group, Inc. and three of its affiliates in connection with confirmation of a successful Chapter 11 plan of reorganization, culminating in the continued operations of the debtors' telecommunications businesses in various markets on the West Coast.

Represented Chapter 11 debtor iSyndicate, Inc. and its affiliate in connection with the sale of substantially all of its assets through an auction and the confirmation of a Chapter 11 plan of liquidation.

Represented Chapter 11 debtors Natural Wonders, Inc. and World of Science, Inc. in connection with the orderly liquidation of their businesses, including the auction of various shopping center leases and the winding up of operations at over 200 different shopping centers located throughout the country, and the confirmation of a Chapter 11 plan of liquidation.

Honors

• Northern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2010, 2011
• Professionals at the 21st Annual Insolvency Conference (May 2009)
• California Bankruptcy Forum, Education Co-Chair of the 22nd Annual Insolvency Conference (May 2010)
• California Bankruptcy Forum, Co-Chair of the 23rd Annual Insolvency Conference (May 2011)

Memberships

• Member, BABF Board
• Member, State Bar of California
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
• California Bankruptcy Forum, Co-Chair of the Young Insolvency

Speeches

• Speaker, Special Asset Considerations in Chapter 11 Cases, presented by the ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference, September 9, 2011.
• Speaker, Real Estate Issues in Bankruptcy Cases, presented by The Business, Commercial & Bankruptcy Law Section of the Barristers Club, December 6, 2010.
• Speaker, Recent Developments in Asset Sales, presented by the California Law and Bankruptcy Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco, October 24, 2008.
• Program Moderator, Bankruptcy Practice 101: An In-Depth Guide to Practice in the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts Taught by Current and Former Law Clerks, February 8, 2008.