attorney image

Theodore S. Heckel is a partner in the firm’s Houston office.  Theo’s practice covers domestic and cross‑border corporate restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, out‑of‑court workouts, and distressed financings and acquisitions.  He has experience advising public and private companies, official committees of unsecured creditors, secured and unsecured creditors, equity holders, trade vendors, and other interested parties in complex financial and operational restructurings.  Theo’s engagements have spanned various industries, including oil & gas, renewables, power generation, manufacturing, industrials, maritime, healthcare, life sciences, financial services, media and entertainment, retail, real estate, food and beverage, agriculture, technology, and cryptocurrency.

Theo has written on a variety of bankruptcy topics, including issues arising in connection with safe harbor transactions, repurchase agreements, subordination agreements, chapter 11 plans, chapter 15 cases, and avoidance actions.  His works have been included in leading publications, such as the ABI Journal.  Theo also assisted with the drafting of the Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide’s chapter on oil & gas reorganizations.

Theo received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he co‑taught first‑ and second‑year legal writing courses and was awarded the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence.  Following law school, Theo served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Nancy Hershey Lord of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Education

  • University of Wisconsin – Madison (B.A. 2015)
  • University of Minnesota Law School (J.D. 2018)

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Minnesota (2018)
  • New York (2019)
  • Texas (2023)

Clerkships

Judicial Law Clerk, Hon. Nancy Hershey Lord (Bankr. E.D.N.Y.)

Company‑Side Experience:

  • Carbon Health Technologies, Inc., a health technology and management services organization providing support to urgent care and primary care medical service providers at over 90 locations throughout the U.S., in connection with its pending chapter 11 cases.
  • Desktop Metal, Inc. and its affiliates, a pioneer in additive manufacturing, serving industries ranging from consumer products to aerospace, with over $138 million in funded debt obligations, in connection with its chapter 11 cases.
  • A technology company in connection with certain out‑of‑court strategic transactions.
  • Core Scientific, Inc. and its affiliates, one of the largest Bitcoin mining, blockchain infrastructure, and hosting provider companies in North America with over $1 billion in funded debt, in connection with its chapter 11 cases.*
  • Talen Energy Supply, LLC and its affiliates, one of the largest competitive energy and power generation companies in North America with approximately $5 billion in funded debt, in connection with its chapter 11 cases.*
  • All Year Holdings Limited, a British Virgin Islands company operating as a holding which, through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, focused on the development, construction, acquisition, leasing, and management of residential and commercial properties throughout New York, with an aggregate net book value in excess of $1.17 billion, in connection with its chapter 11 case; and affiliate Evergreen Gardens Mezz LLC and certain related entities in connection with the successful $506 million sale of the Denizen properties, which was consummated pursuant to a partially prepackaged joint chapter 11 plan.*
  • ORG GC Midco, LLC, a leading provider of Accounts Receivable Management and Business Process Outsourcing solutions in North America with approximately $210 million in funded debt, in connection with its prepackaged chapter 11 case.*
  • CEC Entertainment, Inc. and its affiliates, an American franchisee company with iconic brands Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza and locations across 47 states and 16 foreign countries and territories, in connection with its chapter 11 cases and restructuring of approximately $1.2 billion of funded debt obligations.*

 

Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors Experience:

  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Multi‑Color Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of prime label solutions, in its pending chapter 11 cases.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Axip Energy Services, LP, a leading provider of natural gas compression services, in its pending chapter 11 cases.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Pine Gate Renewables, LLC, a fully integrated developer and owner‑operator of utility‑scale solar power facilities throughout the U.S. with over $7.1 billion in funded capital outstanding.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of At Home Group Inc., a home décor and furnishings retailer with 260 locations across 40 states and approximately $2 billion in funded debt obligations.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Hooters of America, LLC, an iconic casual dining and sports entertainment restaurant chain with over $375 million in funded debt.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Zips Car Wash, LLC, one of the largest privately‑owned express car wash operators in the U.S. with more than 240 locations across 23 states, that had nearly $1 billion in funded capital outstanding.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Franchise Group, Inc., owner and operator of franchised and franchisable businesses, including The Vitamin Shoppe, Pet Supplies Plus, and American Freight, with approximately $2 billion in funded debt.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Conn’s Inc., a specialty home goods retailer with a consumer finance business that had approximately $530 million in fund debt obligations at the time of its chapter 11 filing.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Ambri Inc., an innovative battery technology company backed by prominent venture capital firms with approximately $42 million in funded capital outstanding.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Red Lobster Management LLC, an iconic seafood restaurant chain with international operations and approximately $300 million in funded debt obligations.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Hornblower Holdings LLC, a global leader in tourism, maritime and train transportation, and related services, with operations spanning 111 countries and territories and over $1.15 billion in secured funded debt.
  • The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Cineworld Group plc, the second largest cinema operator in the world with more than $5.3 billion in funded debt obligations.*

 

Other Notable Experience:

  • Windmar in the chapter 11 cases of Sunnova Energy International Inc. and its affiliates, a residential solar company with approximately $8.9 billion in funded debt obligations.
  • Advantage Award Shipping, LLC in Geden Holdings, Ltd.’s chapter 15 case.
  • An ad hoc group of preferred equity holders in the chapter 11 case of CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust, Inc., a REIT focused on owning and leasing energy midstream infrastructure and operating energy midstream companies.
  • EP Energy in connection with several matters, including post‑confirmation litigation against certain lessors regarding various mineral leases in the Eagle Ford Basin, the chapter 7 case of KW International, a manufacturer of oilfield measurement and production equipment, and the chapter 11 cases of Cox Oil Offshore, L.L.C. and its affiliates, a large offshore exploration and production company with shallow water properties throughout the Gulf.*
  • Thea Pharma Inc. and Laboratoires Théa SAS, a leading independent ophthalmic pharmaceutical company serving over 70 countries, in connection with Akorn’s chapter 7 cases.*
  • Prepetition Secured Lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Clovis Oncology, Inc. and its affiliates, a biopharmaceutical company.*

*Matter handled prior to joining PSZJ

Assisted Coauthors, CHAPTER 135 Bankruptcy Cases Involving Oil and Gas Companies, 7 Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide P 135 (2025).

Coauthor, Avoiding Foreign Transfers Based on Foreign Law Claims: Fairfield Sentry Cases Illustrate Broad Scope of Safe Harbor in Chapter 15, 17 Pratt’s J. of Bankr. Law 361 (Oct. 2021)

Coauthor, Attention, Buyers of Assets in Bankruptcy: How to Be a Good-Faith Purchaser and Ensure that Any Post‑Closing Challenges Will Be Dismissed as Statutorily Moot Under § 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code, Am. Bankr. Inst. Asset Sales Committee Newsletter (May 2021)

Coauthor, Third Circuit Decision Provides New Guidance on the Unfair Discrimination Standard of Cramdown and the Enforcement of Subordination Agreements When Confirming Cramdown Plans, 17 Pratt’s J. of Bankr. Law 30 (Jan. 2021)

Coauthor, How to lose a repo in ten days (but get your money back): When measuring damages under § 562, measure now and cash in later, 37‑Nov. Am. Bankr. Inst. J. 24 (Nov. 2017)

National Presence, Global Reach

Our specialized bankruptcy attorneys are strategically positioned across the country, offering top-tier legal expertise with international reach. Find the right partner for your complex restructuring and insolvency challenges.

Meet Our Attorneys