About Kathleen R. Cruickshank
Kate Cruickshank is a shareholder and member of the firm’s Restructuring Practice. She has more than 25 years of experience representing corporations and individuals in financial distress, both in and out of bankruptcy. Kate often represents debtors and trustees in complex Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 cases and in the litigation arising from those proceedings. She also represents companies and individuals in out-of-court restructurings and in state and federal court litigation. Kate has frequently been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America, a Top Lawyer and a Super Lawyer by local and national publications and has been honored as a Top Woman of the Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
Representative Engagements
- Counsel to individual Chapter 11 debtors in complex reorganizations involving, among other things, commercial real estate and manufacturing.
- Counsel to Chapter 7 trustees in complex corporate and consumer debtor cases including with respect to related litigation involving, among other things, debt subordinations, avoidance of secured claims, actions to impose a constructive and/or resulting trusts, marshaling actions, and preference and fraudulent transfer avoidance actions.
- Counsel to creditors and landlords in large out-of-state Chapter 11 cases in the apparel industry.
- Counsel to Chapter 7 trustees before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
- Counsel to corporate debtors in Chapter 11 proceedings, including companies engaged in the real estate, telecommunications, restaurant and apparel industries.
- Representation of defendants in actions in which they have been sued by the estate representative in a bankruptcy case.
- Counsel to publicly-held corporations in Chapter 11 proceedings and successful reorganizations, both in Massachusetts and Delaware.
- Representation of Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcies.
- Represented the Chapter 11 Debtor, a competitive local exchange carrier
- Represented the Chapter 11 Debtor, a publicly traded company, and its affiliates, in the reorganization of a retail store chain with over 200 locations. Obtained confirmation of plan that provided for equity’s retention of ownership.
- Represented the Chapter 11 Debtors, involving two of Boston’s premiere office towers, One and Two International Place. Obtained confirmation of the Chapter 11 plan that enabled the Debtors to obtain ownership, restructure and refinance approximately $700,000 of indebtedness.
Professional Involvement
- Co-Chair, Boston Bar Association, M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program, September 2023 – present
- Co-Chair, Bankruptcy Law Section, Boston Bar Association, September 2020 – August 2022
- Member, Boston Bar Association Bankruptcy Section COVID-19 Standing Committee, June 2020 – August 2021
- Member, United States Bankruptcy Court Local Rules Committee, January 2015 – present
- Board Member, International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation – New England Network, January 2017 – December 2021
- Co-Chair, Bankruptcy Education Subcommittee, Boston Bar Association, September 2019 – August 2020
- Co-Chair, Consumer Bankruptcy Committee, Boston Bar Association, June 2017 – August 2019
- Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
- Member, Turnaround Management Association
Honors
- Recognized two years as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer – Bankruptcy: Business
- Top Lawyers, Boston magazine 2021 – present
- Best Lawyers in America© since 2020, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- 2020 Top Woman of the Law Honoree, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer and Judicial Review Rating: AV® Preeminent
Speaking Engagements
- Kate is a regular speaker at continuing legal education seminars, including those sponsored by the Boston Bar Association and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.
Civic/Community Memberships
- Since 2007, Kate has volunteered as a Big Sister in the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. Her Little Sister has accompanied her to oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
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