Bankruptcy
& Insolvency

LL Law Firm represents clients in most aspects of bankruptcy and insolvency law both domestically and with insolvencies based outside the United States. The firm leverages unparalleled experience in connection with Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Global Authority in
Cross-Border Insolvency & Chapter 15 Practice

LL Law Firm provides comprehensive representation in all major aspects of bankruptcy and insolvency law, both in domestic and cross-border matters.

In cross-border matters, the firm represents foreign-appointed fiduciaries responsible for the restructuring or liquidation of companies and individuals abroad. LL Law Firm regularly appears in courts throughout the United States on behalf of foreign representatives.

Having filed more Chapter 15 cases than any other firm, including the first Chapter 15 case ever filed in Florida, LL Law Firm is consistently recognized as a leader in international insolvency and cross-border restructuring. Our attorneys frequently present at major conferences across North America, Latin America, Europe, and beyond on insolvency, Asset Recovery, and multi-jurisdictional enforcement.

Precedent-Setting Litigation
Shaping Cross-Border Insolvency Law

LL Law Firm has been counsel in a substantial number of the Southern District of Florida’s reported Chapter 15 decisions, reinforcing its standing as one of the most experienced firms in cross-border insolvency nationwide. In In re Zawawi, the Eleventh Circuit held that 11 U.S.C. § 109 does not apply to Chapter 15, confirming that recognition is available even when a foreign debtor lacks residence, domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States. That decision is particularly significant because it ensures foreign representatives may obtain recognition and access essential discovery and enforcement tools without first establishing a U.S. nexus.

The firm has handled Chapter 15 matters arising from jurisdictions including Antigua, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Romania. LL Law Firm has also served as lead counsel in recognition proceedings filed in foreign courts, including Australia, Colombia, the Isle of Man, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Strategic Advocacy For Creditors In
U.S. Bankruptcy Proceedings

In U.S. bankruptcy cases, LL Law Firm represents creditors and other parties in interest across all phases of the proceeding. The firm regularly advocates for lenders in contested matters involving:

Cash collateral disputes

Valuation issues

Motions for relief from the automatic stay and related defenses

Plan treatment and confirmation challenges

Competing reorganization plan proposals

LL Law Firm also defends clients in avoidance actions and represents creditors pursuing objections to dischargeability.

Representative
Cases

LL Law Firm represents the Joint Liquidators for Stanford International Bank, Ltd. (“SIB”) (in Liquidation). SIB, a bank located in Antigua that primarily sold certificates of deposit, played a central role in a worldwide Ponzi scheme, the second largest in history, perpetrated by Robert Allen Stanford, with losses to depositors estimated to exceed US$4.4 billion. Since May 12, 2011, when Marcus Wide and Hugh Dickson of Grant Thornton were appointed Joint Liquidators of the SIB estate in Antigua, LL Law Firm has acted as co-general counsel with Caribbean counsel in global Asset Recovery efforts that have included recovering US$3.2 million from Panama, US$20 million from the United Kingdom, freezing assets in Antigua & Barbuda valued at US$212 million, launching a formal claims process, pursuing claims related to approximately US$330 million in frozen assets in Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K., filing damages claims valued at approximately US$5 billion against a Canadian bank, and initiating recovery efforts in Colombia against law firms and financial institutions. LL Law Firm also initiated a Chapter 15 recognition proceeding in Dallas, Texas, and later helped the U.S. Judicial Administrator, the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Joint Liquidators, and others reach a global agreement and cross-border protocol.
LL Law Firm represents Bancafe International Bank (in Liquidation) (“BIB”). After the failure of Banco Cafeteros de Guatemala, BIB, a Barbados entity with extensive operations in Guatemala and assets in the United States, entered bankruptcy in Barbados. Acting for the custodian, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LL Law Firm filed the first Chapter 15 case in Florida and obtained recognition of the Barbados liquidation as the main foreign proceeding. The matter has included extensive discovery in the United States and recoveries that include more than US$54 million from a REFCO bankruptcy claim and approximately US$1 million from a New York account.
LL Law Firm represents the judicial administrator of Banco Santos, S.A. (in Liquidation). After an investigation revealed a theft of more than US$1 billion through a multi-country scheme, LL Law Firm initiated a Chapter 15 proceeding. The corresponding recognition helped secure valuable evidence in the United States and elsewhere and supported the recovery of artwork valued in the millions, along with additional multi-million-dollar recoveries through a confidential ancillary settlement.
LL Law Firm represents Petroforte Brasileiro de Petróleo Ltda. (“Petroforte”) (in Liquidation). After Petroforte entered insolvency proceedings in Brazil and the bankruptcy was extended to more than 300 entities and individuals, LL Law Firm obtained deposition testimony and documentary evidence in the United States and pursued analogous proceedings in the Caribbean and Central America. The evidence supported the Judicial Administrator’s efforts in Brazil and may support additional recovery litigation, including through Chapter 15.