Two weeks after national mall owner and operator CBL & Associates filed for bankruptcy protection in Houston, the list of lawyers and law firms involved in the corporate restructuring is expanding.
CBL and its 176 business affilitates hired Weil, Gotshal & Manges and its Houston partner Alfredo Perez to lead the Chapter 11. Weil has added a half-dozen additional lawyers – most of them from its New York offices – to work on the matter.
Chattanooga-based CBL, which reported $2.5 billion in debts, hired Berkeley Research Group and Boston partner Mark Renzi as its lead financial advisor.
The Chapter 11 filing was assigned to Chief Bankruptcy Judge David Jones of the Southern District of Texas.
The unofficial committee of secured creditors is being represented by Thompson Hine partner Sean Gordon of Atlanta and Pryor Cashman partner Seth Lieberman of New York.
Jones Day has five lawyers – four from NY and one from Ohio – advising Wells Fargo.
Dallas County has hired Elizabeth Weller of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson in Dallas.
Five White & Case lawyers from New York are representing Canyon Capital Advisors and Oaktree Capital Management.
Akin Gump Dallas partner Marty Brimmage and New York Partner Michael Stamer and New York counsel Kevin Zuzolo are advising an ad hoc group of noteholders.
The City of Waco and Brazos County have hired Tara LeDay, of McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen.