Law360 Interviews Laura Davis Jones on U.S. Trustee Staff and Budget

Laura Davis Jones recently spoke with Law360 about staffing and budget cuts at the Office of the U.S. Trustee and their impact on bankruptcy proceedings nationwide. The coverage appeared in Law360‘s article, “More Cases, Fewer Staffers Pinch US Bankruptcy Watchdog.” The article examined how the program has lost over a quarter of its workforce since 2025 and closed field offices across the country as bankruptcy filings continue to trend back toward prepandemic levels. Congress approved more budget cuts in 2026, and the Trump Administration proposed further reductions in 2027. Between the planned cuts and the rise in bankruptcy filings, full-time U.S. Trustee employee workloads for this year are expected to be double what they were in 2024.

Laura offered her perspective on the effect these cuts have on day-to-day operations at Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones’ Delaware office. Despite being aware of the significant structural changes occurring within the program, she noted that the impact has so far been difficult to detect. “It’s been amazingly invisible to me in spite of all the changes that I know, factually, are happening,” she said. Laura did note the tangible shift caused by a reduced number of trial attorneys appearing in cases. Region 3 of the U.S. Trustee’s Office, which covers Delaware, lost 20 of its 74 employees. Laura described the Delaware office as “a very different place.”

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