The judge who oversaw the largest bankruptcy in American history â€" the Chapter 11 case of Lehman Brothers, which lasted nearly four years â€" is joining the law firm Morrison & Foerster.
As a judge on the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, James M. Peck presided over the Chapter 11 cases of Iridium, Charter Communications and Extended Stay Hotels, as well as Lehman’s. He will join the law firm as co-chairman of its global business restructuring and insolvency group on March 3.
“As a result of the increasing multinational nature of businesses and globalization of capital, in the last six years we have seen the most complex cross-border and domestic bankruptcy and insolvency matters in history,†Larren M. Nashelsky, the chairman of Morrison & Foerster, said in a statement. “Judge Peck’s experiences presiding over some of these matters, including the Lehman Brothers’ Chapter 11 case, in addition to his experience acting as a mediator in others, such as Residential Capital and MF Global, will add a wealth of expertise to our practice.â€
Judge Peck was appointed to the bankruptcy court in January 2006. Before that, he was a bankruptcy litigator at the law firms Schulte, Roth & Zabel and Duane Morris. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1967 and from the New York University School of Law in 1971. Judge Peck is also an adjunct professor of finance at N.Y.U.’s Stern School of Business.
