Blank Rome announced this week that veteran bankruptcy attorney Buffey Klein is joining their Dallas office. Klein leaves Husch Blackwell after 23 years, the last three as the firm’s Dallas managing partner.
The Philadelphia-founded firm now boasts more than 60 lawyers in Texas across their offices in Houston and Dallas. The firm has more than 800 lawyers in their 16 offices.
“We are thrilled to welcome Buffey to our growing Dallas office and our national finance, restructuring and bankruptcy group,” said Lawrence Flick, vice chair and head of the firm’s financial services industry team.“
“Buffey’s arrival reflects our continued strategic investment in North Texas at a time when the Dallas market is seeing significant growth in financial services, lending, and restructuring activity,” Flick continued in the firm’s announcement.
“She brings an impressive combination of restructuring and commercial litigation experience that will benefit our clients navigating distressed situations. Buffey’s strong relationships with national lenders and her proven ability to guide creditors through complex workouts and contested matters make her an outstanding addition to the team.”
As a Chambers-ranked bankruptcy counsel, Klein has represented major commercial lenders not only in creditor-class negotiations but in arbitration hearings, contested receiverships and litigation seeking injunctive relief.
“Buffey is one of the most accomplished creditor-side practitioners in the country, and her arrival is a significant addition to our team,” said Heather Sonnenberg, partner and co-chair of the Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy group.
“As Dallas continues to serve as a key center for financial decision-making and distressed-asset activity, Buffey’s ability to lead complex, nationwide restructuring and workout matters from this market is a significant advantage for our clients. Her experience representing major lenders makes her an invaluable resource not only for clients based in or doing business in North Texas, but also for those operating across the country.”
Klein told The Lawbook much has changed over the quarter-century of practice since gaining her J.D. in 2001 from South Texas College of Law.
“Bankruptcy and restructuring work have become much more strategic and multidisciplinary over the course of my career,” said Klein via email. “Early on, the practice was often more reactive and more narrowly focused, whereas today clients need counsel who can navigate not only insolvency issues, but also finance, litigation, governance, regulatory, and operational considerations in a coordinated way.”
“One of the biggest shifts has been the increasing complexity created by industry-specific nuances and regulatory issues. In many matters, you are no longer just addressing financial distress—you are also navigating operational, litigation, and compliance challenges at the same time, often on a very accelerated timeline.”
Those changes, said Klein, also forced some recalibration in her personal skillset.
“My skillset has expanded from mastering the law to serving more broadly as a strategic advisor,” said Klein. “Over time, I’ve developed a deeper finance orientation, a stronger ability to coordinate across disciplines, and a greater focus on helping clients make strategic business decisions in high-stakes situations.”
So, why Blank Rome and why now?
“Blank Rome stood out because of its strong national platform in finance and restructuring, its momentum in Dallas, and the collaborative culture I saw across the firm,” said Klein. “At this point in my career, the move had to be about expanding what I can do for clients, and Blank Rome offers the reach, depth, and strategic fit to do exactly that.”
Blank Rome announced the opening of its Dallas office in July 2023 with the hiring of seven lawyers from four different firms.