LANDAU LAW LLP

Peter J. Gurfein’s practice focuses on corporate restructuring, business transactions with companies in financial distress, and litigation in federal Bankruptcy Court.  Mr. Gurfein represents sellers and acquirers of distressed assets, institutional investors,  and clients in Chapter 11 cases in the airline, health care, retail, telecommunication, entertainment, high tech, and real estate industries and high-net worth individual Chapter 11 debtors and their trustees.   His clients include official and unofficial committees, trustees, debtors, and equity holders. He has appeared in cases involving bank and insurance company insolvencies, receiverships, and liquidations, and assignments for the benefit of creditors. A former prosecutor, Mr. Gurfein has extensive experience in prosecution and defense of bankruptcy crime and fraud investigations and officer and director liability.  Mr. Gurfein is a panel mediator in the U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California. 

 

Mr. Gurfein is a past President of the L.A. Bankruptcy Forum (2013-14), director of the California Bankruptcy Forum (2012-2015), Co-Editor in Chief of the California State Bar Insolvency Law Committee e-Bulletins (2014-15), Chair of the California State Bar Insolvency Law Committee Publications Subcommittee (2015-16), a member of the Board of the ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference, and past editor-in-chief of the California Bankruptcy Journal (1995-99). He also serves on the American Bar Association, Business Bankruptcy Committee, Task Force on Small Business Chapter 11, and is a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (2016-present).  His recent writing and speaking engagements include:

 

July 2016 (California State Bar Business Law News) co-author, An Overview of the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and Its Reviewed Decisions During 2015

 

September 2015 (ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference), How to Prepare Corporate and Individual Debtors for Bankruptcy

 

September 2014 (ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference), Recent Developments in Business Bankruptcy

 

August 2013 (ABA Annual Meeting) Basics of Individual Chapter 11 Cases

 

September 2012 (ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference), Litigation Skills Workshop – Putting on Your Case in Chief

 

June 2011 (Beverly Hills Bar Association), Bankruptcy and Distressed Real Estate Issues in the Hospitality Industry

 

March 2011 (American Bankruptcy Institute), Pre-packaged Chapter 11 Plans

 

September 2009, Entertainment Finance – Second Lien Financing

 

May 2009 (California Bankruptcy Forum), Insider Claims: Claims Against Officers and Directors

 

Mr. Gurfein is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, that company’s highest rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. He was recognized as one of the top restructuring and insolvency lawyers in California by Practical Law Company in its Restructuring and Insolvency Cross-Border Handbook (2008/2009). In April 2006, he was acknowledged by The Deal’s Bankruptcy Insider as one of the “top shareholder lawyers” (based on number of active cases) for companies in reorganization.  

 

Prior to joining Landau Gottfried & Berger LLP, Mr. Gurfein was a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (2000-2011), where he headed the Firm’s West Coast Bankruptcy practice.

 

Mr. Gurfein received his B.A. from New York University and his J.D. from George Washington University.  Mr. Gurfein also attended the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution of the Pepperdine University School of Law.