6 Things You Didn't Know About the Bankruptcy Lawyers of the Decade

BigLaw dominates the National Law Journal’s list of the decade’s most-influential lawyers.

At least 26 are currently employed by top firms and many more have worked at top firms previously or otherwise have close ties.

Over the next week (or for as long as we can keep interested), we’ll be breaking down the list by group and providing the inside scoop.

Up first, bankruptcy.

BANKRUPTCY

• Corinne Ball, Jones Day
• John “Jack” Butler Jr. Skadden
• Jay Goffman, Skadden
• Harvey Miller, Weil, Gotshal
• James Sprayregen, Kirkland & Ellis

Several interesting tidbits:

Ball used to work for Miller at Weil Gotshal. (1)

Sprayregen, like Miller, left for investment banking only to return not much later (Goldman Sachs for Sprayregen, Greenhill for Miller).  (2)

Goffman and Butler used to have a third co-head, Tim Pohl, who was the subject of that original piece about lawyers going to invesment banks (but he hasn’t come back yet, as far as we know). (3)

Two years ago, Butler was part of the inaugural class of inductees into the Turnaround, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Industry Hall of Fame. (4) No offense to Butler, but even he had to admit that Miller was the legal highlight of that class.

Goffman loves blueberries.  (5)

Miller almost joined Wachtell in the early days. (6)

There are some weird selections.  Like we said, Goffman and Butler are co-heads of Skadden’s practice, which is probably why Greg Galardi and Greg Milmoe didn’t make the list.  But Marcia Goldstein is the head of Weil’s practice, and a formidable practitioner in her own right, so we have no idea why she wasn’t included.  Between her and Miller, Weil has been on all five of the largest bankruptcies ever, and she’s had a host of other high-profile matters.

Other possible omissions: Richard Cieri of Kirkland and Marty Bienenstock of Dewey & LeBoeuf (and another Miller protege).

Any other trivia to share?  Who else do you think should have made the list?

Tagged as: bankruptcy, dewey & leboeuf, jones day, kirkland & ellis, skadden, wachtell, weil gotshal