JIM has more than 30 years experience representing clients in complex corporate reorganizations and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, as well as commercial business and finance matters. Head of Calfee’s Bankruptcy Litigation practice, he represents secured and unsecured creditors, debtors and unsecured creditors’ committees in all aspects of corporate and insurance insolvency and workout proceedings. Jim’s practice also includes working with domestic and international clients on transactional matters in the commercial business and finance arena.
Jim has successfully handled complex bankruptcies and reorganizations for private and public companies in the steel, manufacturing and retail industries. His work includes serving as debtors’ counsel in the reorganization of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, a company that restructured hundreds of millions of dollars of debt in Chapter 11. Jim also facilitated the 363 sale of Republic Storage Systems Company; his guidance enabled Republic Storage to achieve its goal of selling the business, while preserving critical assets and jobs.
A nationally-respected bankruptcy advisor, Jim has been recognized in Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA as a leader in his field. He is a contributing author to the 16th and 15th Editions Revised of Collier on Bankruptcy - the leading national treatise on bankruptcy law - and is the author of the bankruptcy and related chapters of Lexis’s Asset Based Financing, Business Organizations (with Tax Planning) and Franchising treatises. Jim is a featured online contributor to the “LexisNexis Expert Commentaries” series, providing insight on significant, high profile bankruptcy cases. He also has published multiple articles in professional and legal journals, and frequently lectures on bankruptcy and commercial finance issues at professional seminars and conferences.
Jim is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, having served as a trustee from 2005-2009. He is currently a member of its Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section (chairperson 2003-2004) and chairman of the 3R Committee (2009 - 2010) for the Association. He serves as legal advisor to Shaw High School’s mock trial team, which has repeatedly advanced to the state tournament. He is a former trustee and program committee chairman of the Northern Ohio Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association and was a long-time trustee (treasurer 2004-2007) of the Fairmount Center for the Arts.
Jim served as a law clerk for Judge Robert E. DeMascio, U.S. District Court, Detroit, Michigan, during which time Judge DeMascio was chairman of the Judicial Conference Committee on Bankruptcy. Jim was a partner with the Chicago firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt until he joined Calfee as a partner in 1988.