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Bill Lafferty is a director with the firm and a member of the Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Group. Mr. Lafferty joined Howard Rice in 1987 and became a director in 1993.

Mr. Lafferty's practice spans all aspects of corporate and partnership reorganizations and out-of-court workouts. He has represented debtors, secured and unsecured creditors and creditors' committees in Chapter 11 cases and pre-Chapter 11 restructurings, and has represented assignees under assignments for the benefit of creditors. His recent engagements include representation of Paradigm Technology, Inc. as a Chapter 11 debtor in a case in which the debtor's plan was confirmed fifty-six days after filing the petition and representation of a consortium of secured lenders, including Pathfinder Ventures and OSCCO Ventures, in the Chapter 11 case of Portable Energy Products.

Mr. Lafferty also has substantial experience representing companies seeking to acquire entities in bankruptcy. In that capacity he has represented Cold Spring Management and Good Samaritan Hospital as successful nondebtor plan proponents and Creative Technologies in its successful bid to acquire all of the assets of Aureal Semiconductor, Inc. His practice also includes advising clients on commercial matters, with a particular emphasis on matters arising under the Uniform Commercial Code. Mr. Lafferty also represents debtors and creditors in out-of-court workouts and recently represented TeraStor, Inc. as debtor in a workout which resulted in full payment to all creditors.

Mr. Lafferty has lectured on bankruptcy topics, including preserving and enforcing creditors rights in Chapter 11 bankruptcies. Mr. Lafferty served from 1985 to 1987 as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas E. Carlson, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of California.

Education

  • J.D., University of California Hastings College of the Law (Member, Constitutional Law Quarterly), 1985
  • B.A., University of California, Berkeley (with honors, Rhetoric), 1977

Admitted

  • California

Memberships

  • State Bar of California
  • American Bar Association, Business Bankruptcy Section
  • California Bankruptcy Forum
  • Bar Association of San Francisco, Chair, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section
  • Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum, director

Selected Presentations

Awards & Honors

Mr. Lafferty is currently listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law. He has been listed in Chambers USA’s "America’s Leading Lawyers for Business" in the bankruptcy and restructuring area since 2007. He was recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer from 2004 through 2010 and is also an AV-rated attorney, a peer-awarded honor given by Martindale-Hubbell.