Carrington Coleman bankruptcy partner Michelle Larson, her family, and about 90 friends and colleagues joined her Tuesday morning as she was sworn in to federal bench as the Northern District of Texas’ newest Article I bankruptcy judge.
But instead of joining her in the courtroom, those near and dear to Larson showed up for her on the top of her computer screen as small squares in a Zoom teleconference organized by Carrington Coleman Managing Partner Monica Latin.
In normal times, the occasion of bringing a new federal judge to the bench usually involves a small and relatively private swearing in ceremony at the courthouse followed by a larger investiture celebration. But COVID-19 is currently upending every corner of the legal profession, prompting Latin and U.S. District Chief Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas to organize an abbreviated, virtual swearing-in ceremony for Larson until members of the larger community can celebrate with her at a belated investiture.
“In this strange time, I’m so happy to at least come up with a temporary surrogate for a large celebration,” Latin said at the beginning of the Zoom ceremony.
Larson replaces U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser, a 20-year veteran of the bench who is retiring. Houser was the first female bankruptcy judge in the Northern District of Texas when she was appointed in 2000. A few years ago, she oversaw the high-profile bankruptcy trial of Sam Wyly and authored a 459-page opinion that found the billionaire Dallas entrepreneur and his deceased brother, Charles Wyly, committed tax fraud via their offshore family trusts in the Isle of Man. Currently, she is the lead mediator in Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy.
“The hardest thing is going to try to fill the shoes of Barbara Houser, whose size is about 15 triple-E,” Judge Lynn, a fellow Carrington Coleman alum who swore Larson in, said during the Zoom ceremony.
While U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer agreed to that, “knowing you as I knew you from our days together at a prior law firm, I know you can do it,” she said to Larson. “You have integrity, class, smarts — you’re the whole package.”
After Lynn, Larson marks the third Carrington Coleman alum to be appointed to the federal bench. The first was Russell Nelms, a bankruptcy judge in the Northern District of Texas who retired in 2018 after his 14-year term expired.
“Now, I know the firm feels like Jim Coleman felt when participating in my investiture — he felt like he was giving over the bride and everybody was happy for that except for him,” Judge Lynn said to Larson. “I’m sure the firm feels that way about losing you but … with courts everywhere, that loss of the firm is certainly the gain of the federal judiciary and all practitioners who will practice before you.”
Larson joined Carrington Coleman in 2017. Before that, she had stints at Hunton Andrews Kurth, Forshey & Prostok and Weil, Gotshal & Manges. The Louisiana native graduated magna cum laude in 1996 from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and was the valedictorian at her 1992 graduating class from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
Notable matters Larson has worked on include representing the Texas Rangers in its successful sale of the franchise during its Chapter 11 case, representing the official committee of unsecured creditors in the Palmaz Scientific Chapter 11 bankruptcy and representing Primcogent Solutions in its Chapter 11-turned-Chapter 7 bankruptcy after a multimillion-dollar acquisition went south.
After Larson took the oath, the 90 Zoom participants briefly unmuted themselves to applaud their newest jurist. Then several of Judge Larson’s new colleagues on the federal bench took turns unmuting themselves to congratulate her individually.
Other judges present included U.S. Bankruptcy Judges Stacey Jernigan, Barbara Houser and Brenda Rhoades and U.S. Magistrate Judges Hal Ray and Irma Ramirez.
Judge Larson thanked her family, friends and colleagues for celebrating her and for their support over the years.
“All of you have had a hand in shaping my tapestry, and I promise you I will honor my oath, defend the constitution to be the very best judge I can be,” she said. “So I’ll see you on the other side of the bench.”
To honor Larson’s Louisiana roots, Lynn ended the Zoom ceremony with a handwritten note that she held up to her webcam:
“Geaux Michelle.”