Bill is a bankruptcy and creditor's rights and litigation partner in the San Francisco office. Bill represents financial institutions, investment funds, insurance companies, and other interested parties in state court, United States District Court, and bankruptcy proceedings.
Bill regularly represents receivers and referees in state court proceedings. Bill also frequently represents strategic asset purchasers, property owners, developers, franchisors, and intellectual property licensors in a variety of matters.
Bill has successfully litigated numerous contested plan proceedings, including cram-down attempts, relief from stay proceedings, avoidance actions, equitable subordination claims, cash collateral proceedings, and contested lease and license assignments. Bill has also represented several asset purchasers and strategic investors/lenders in bankruptcy asset sale proceedings.
In addition to his bankruptcy and creditors' rights experience, Bill has also litigated lender liability claims, business torts, fraudulent transfer allegations, entity formation disputes, breach of contract claims, letter of credit disputes, issuance disputes, lien priority disputes, and numerous real property disputes including landlord-tenant matters.
Bill's reported decisions include a variety of bankruptcy issues, such as:
- a tenant's right to retroactively reject nonresidential real property leases (In re At Home Corporation, 392 F.3d 1064 (9th Cir. 2004)).
- a secured creditor's post-petition proceeds security interest under a blanket lien (In re Qmect, Inc., 373 B.R. 682 (N.D. Cal. 2007).
- a secured creditor's right to post-petition attorneys’ fees as part of unsecured claim (In re Qmect, Inc., 368 B.R. 882 (N.D. Cal. 2007).
Bill’s pro bono legal representation includes the defense of a non-profit women's organization in a protracted breach of contract trial.
Before his legal career, Bill worked as a management consultant and senior financial advisor in the restructuring arena.
