Chris practices in the areas of bankruptcy and insolvency, creditors’ rights, and commercial litigation.  In the bankruptcy and insolvency context, Chris has represented debtors, creditors’ committees, equity committees, bankruptcy trustees and state court receivers as well as individual creditors, equity holders, insurance companies and prospective purchasers of assets.

Chris has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in dozens of evidentiary hearings in matters ranging from complex contested plan confirmation hearings in bankruptcy court to jury trials in state court.  In addition to his trial practice, Chris represents clients in appellate matters involving complex bankruptcy and insolvency issues.  Chris has briefed and argued matters in numerous appellate courts throughout the country, including several circuit courts and the California Supreme Court.

Before forming Lesnick Prince & Pappas LLP, Chris was a partner in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (predecessor firm to Dentons).  Prior to that, he practiced for five years at McCutchen Doyle Brown and Enersen (predecessor firm to Bingham McCutchen). Before entering private practice, he worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Chris has been named to the California Super Lawyers list every year since 2011. He was named to the California Rising Stars list from 2004 to 2008.  In 2008, the editorial board of the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal named Chris to their “Top 20 Under 40” list of prominent attorneys in California under the age of forty.

In 2004, Chris served as President of the John M. Langston Bar Association, one of the nation’s oldest and largest African-American bar associations. He served on Langston’s Board of Directors for six years and was the co-chair of its business law section.

Representative Matters

In re TCAST Communication, Inc., Represented debtor in chapter 11 proceedings.

In re Meruelo Maddux Properties, Inc., Represented equity holders who obtained confirmation of an “competing” chapter 11 plan over objection of debtor in possession.  Represented reorganized debtor in post-reorganization matters.

In re Mirage Bottling Group, Inc., Represented Chapter 7 Trustee in a portfolio of preference and fraudulent transfer actions.

Insurance Commissioner v. Centre Insurance Company, et al., Represented insurance company with respect to more than $250 million in allegedly preferential transfers under state insurance insolvency law.

In re Aloha Airlines, Inc., Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors.

In re UAL Corporation, Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in claim litigation regarding $9 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.

Published Decisions

Meruelo Maddux Properties 760 S. Hill Street, LLC v. Bank of America, N.A. (In re Meruelo Maddux Properties, Inc.), 667 F.3d 1072 (9^th Cir. 2012).

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transp. Authority v. Alameda Produce Market, LLC, 52 Cal.4^th 1100 (2011).

Coral Const., Inc. v. City and County of San Francisco, 50 Cal.4th 315 (2010).

Centre Ins. Co. v. SNTL Corp. (In re SNTL Corp.), 571 F.3d 826 (9th Cir. 2009).

PW Enterprises, Inc. v. North Dakota Racing Commission (In re Racing Services, Inc.), 540 F.3d 892 (8th Cir. 2008).

In re Western Asbestos Company, 313 B.R. 456 (Bankr.N.D.Cal. 2004).

In re Western Asbestos Company, 313 B.R. 859 (N.D.Cal. 2004).

Education

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D. 1995

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.A. Economics

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.A. Political Science