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Education

  • University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., summa cum laude, 1976)
  • Stanford University (J.D. 1979)
  • Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Gamma Mu

Bar and Court Admissions

  • 1979, California

Clerkships

  • Judicial extern, Robert M. Takasugi (C.D. Cal. 1978-79)

Richard M. Pachulski

Photo of Richard M. Pachulski
Los Angeles, CA
Tel: 310.277.6910

Mr. Pachulski has extensive experience in business reorganizations as well as debtor/creditor litigation, and during the 1980s was a well-known chapter 7 and chapter 11 trustee. He has represented numerous debtors and creditors' committees in both out-of-court workouts and in-court proceedings.

A representative sampling of Mr. Pachulski's professional achievements include the successful chapter 11 reorganization in mid-1999-2000 of Breed Technologies (more than $1.6 billion of debt restructured); the 1996-97 chapter 11 reorganization of Sizzler International (over $200 million in debt); the 2001 chapter 11 reorganization of Covad Communications, one of the largest independent DSL providers in the United States (approximately $2 billion of debt restructured); and the successful chapter 11 reorganization in 2002-2003 of the software company Peregrine Systems (over $600 million in debt), which sold to Hewlett-Packard for $425 million. In 2006, Mr. Pachulski spent his primary time representing an ad hoc bondholders' committee in the Adelphia Corporation matter in which he represented bondholders owed in excess of $1.5 billion. Most of those bondholders received in excess of 100 cents on the dollar on their claims. Mr. Pachulski was lead counsel in the restructuring of the debts of Toni Braxton, the internationally acclaimed artist, and lead counsel for the creditors' committee of First Executive Corporation, resulting in the resolution of billions of dollars of alleged debt.

During 2007 and 2008, Mr. Pachulski represented debtors and creditors’ committees in numerous industries, though primarily in the real estate business and retail industry.  A representative sampling of such matters included the representation of WL Homes, Inc. (aka John Laing Homes; debt in excess of $1 billion) and the creditors’ committee of Circuit City and affiliates (debt in excess of $2 billion).

During 2009 and 2010, Mr. Pachulski continued to represent debtors and creditors’ committees in numerous industries.  In particular, Mr. Pachulski continued to represent the creditors’ committee of Circuit City, the debtor in MagnaChip Semiconductor with revenues of approximately $850 million per year and debt of nearly $1 billion, and various Lehman Bros. entities as a secured creditor with in excess of $2 billion of claims in the SunCal bankruptcies.

Mr. Pachulski has been cited by several publications as a leader in the legal community. Mr. Pachulski has been cited annually by K&R Restructuring Register as one of America's top 100 restructuring professionals; by the publication Turnaround & Workouts as one of the top national bankruptcy attorneys for 2001 (13 lawyers in total were identified); California Law Business as one of California's 100 Most Influential Attorneys for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003; and by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of 15 of the top banking & finance - turnaround artists. 

Mr. Pachulski is a graduate of UCLA and received his J.D. from Stanford University. He holds an AV Preeminent Peer Rating (Martindale-Hubbell's highest recognition for ethical standards and legal ability), has been listed among bankruptcy attorneys in Best Lawyers in America for more than ten years, and is ranked by Chambers USA America among the top-tier Bankruptcy/Restructuring lawyers in California. Mr. Pachulski is admitted to practice in California, and is a resident in our Los Angeles office.

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy
  • Member, Financial Lawyers Conference Board of Governors (1989-92)

Publications

  • Coauthor, "Chapter 11 - The Bank of Last Resort," 45 Business Lawyer 261 (1989)
  • Coauthor, "Plan Wars - The Use of Chapter 11 to Coax Continued Financing From a Reluctant Lender," 738 PLI/Comm. 7 (1996)

Events