---

Lauren Gans has a broad range of experience counseling and representing clients in bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, and litigation matters in federal and state courts.  Lauren has represented chapter 11 debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, secured and unsecured creditors, equity holders and insurance companies in all aspects of corporate bankruptcy and bankruptcy-related litigation, as well as plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation across various industries.

Lauren has significant experience representing small business debtors, and has obtained confirmation of multiple chapter 11, subchapter V plans of reorganization allowing for the preservation of the debtor’s individual owners’ equity rights. Lauren’s practice has also focused on representing both debtor and non-debtor spouses in bankruptcy cases involving complex family law issues. Lauren regularly represents lenders and property owners in bankruptcies and out-of-court negotiations.

With over 30 years of diversified experience in bankruptcy cases, workouts, and out-of-court restructuring matters, Michael Gottfried has represented debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees and asset purchasers in a wide variety of bankruptcy and restructuring cases.

Michael has represented entities in a variety of bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings, including the Chapter 11 debtors in In re Tamrac, Inc, the Chapter 11 debtor in 944 Media, LLC, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.  in the Dimitrios Biller Chapter 11 bankruptcy case; a prestigious Delaware law firm in the EMAK Worldwide, Inc. Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, and significant landlords in connection with the Payless, Sports Chalet, and Imperial Toy Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, among others.  Michael also represents and has represented entities and individuals in the entertainment industry in the Chapter 11 cases of The Weinstein Company, LLC, Relativity Media, LLC and Open Road, LLC.  Michael also serves as the general outside bankruptcy counsel for Enterprise Rent-A-Car of Los Angeles and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) on various matters.

David Kupetz is a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s bankruptcy and restructuring practice group. He represents debtors (in restructurings and in Chapter 11 cases), secured creditors, unsecured creditors’ committees, assignees for the benefit of creditors, buyers in distressed circumstances and others in insolvency and bankruptcy situations.

Judge Kaufman, who maintains chambers in Woodland Hills, has served on the bankruptcy court for the Central District of California since 2006. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Kaufman was of counsel at the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in Los Angeles, and held a number of positions in San Diego, New York and Los Angeles, where she practiced bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy litigation. Born in Indianapolis, Judge Kaufman earned her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1986 and her juris doctorate in 1989 from Harvard Law School, where she was editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. While at Harvard, Judge Kaufman was a teaching assistant for an undergraduate course on the Russian Revolution and an instructor in the Foreign Student Orientation Program. Following law school, she clerked for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marilyn Shea-Stonum of the Northern District of Ohio.