NEW ORLEANS — Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP has appointed bankruptcy and reorganization partner Patrick Johnson, Jr. as New Orleans office managing partner, effective immediately.
As office managing partner, Johnson will continue serving clients while strengthening Akerman’s relationships with civic and business leaders in the New Orleans market and guiding the firm’s strategic direction locally. Expansion of the New Orleans office will be Johnson’s primary goal
“Pat has been a valued contributor to the firm and an outstanding steward of our clients since the New Orleans office opened nearly six years ago,” said Akerman Chairman and CEO Scott Meyers. “We welcome him to our management team and look forward to his many contributions.”
Johnson focuses his practice on commercial litigation, bankruptcy, workouts, loan restructuring and collections matters on behalf of clients, including financial institutions, secured creditors, and lessors in bankruptcy court, and in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels.
Johnson often represents financial institutions including banks and bank groups in complicated commercial loan restructurings primarily in Chapter 11 cases. Those cases often begin with enforcement of loans and security rights in state or federal district court with the borrowers usually filing Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. bankruptcy courts and sometimes Chapter 7 petitions. Within those bankruptcy cases, adversary proceedings regarding lien rankings and validity, dischargeability of debts, and other issues are common, and rulings in such proceedings are sometimes appealed to both district courts and courts of appeal.
