Michael D. Warner

Michael Warner has a nationwide corporate restructuring practice spanning over 39 years. Mr. Warner combines his legal and trial skills with his accounting background to provide significant insight, guidance, and strategic counsel to clients in today’s highly complex business environment. Mr. Warner is as calculated at the negotiation table as he is in the courtroom trial setting.

Over the course of Mr. Warner’s practice, he has been appointed by multiple Courts as an independent fiduciary, including as a post-confirmation trustee (In re Talen Energy Supply, LLC (Bankr. S.D. Tex.); In re KP Engineering, LP (Bankr. S.D. Tex.); and In re University General Health System, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) and as an examiner (In re ASARCO, LLC (Bankr. S.D. Tex.); and In re Crayhon Research (Bankr. D. Nev.).

Mr. Warner brings significant business acumen to his client’s representation due to his vast experience in multiple industries and financial situations, as well as a depth of experience advancing each of his client’s unique priorities and objectives in both in and out of court matters. Mr. Warner has represented debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, official creditor and equity committees, bond debt trustees and agents, post-confirmation and other court-appointed trustees, hedge and securitized funds, and equity holders in a host of industries such as the energy, financial services, mortgage lending and securitization, steel, airline, hospitality, retail, real estate development and operation, and technology industries.

Mr. Warner’s experience in numerous industries and business settings has led to his retention in matters requiring creative solutions and high-profile litigation. Mr. Warner was retained as special equine counsel in a significant Fort Worth, Texas chapter 11 case, a position previously unseen. Mr. Warner has led litigation involving significant legal issues, including fiduciary breach claims, lien validity issues, valuation issues, and fraudulent transfer claims. His accounting background and experience has allowed him to focus on financial issues and expert testimony hand in hand with retained experts to facilitate a coherent and more precise presentation at the negotiation table as well as in the courtroom. Mr. Warner’s accounting skills allow him to seamlessly examine and cross-examine experts on a host of financial issues, including insolvency and valuation.

Mr. Warner regularly represents clients as members of official creditors’ committees, sitting side by side with his client and providing strategic advice and guidance. These representations have provided Mr. Warner with significant insight into the importance of the committee’s role in chapter 11 cases.

Mr. Warner is a regular lecturer at continuing education events on specialized bankruptcy issues, including post-confirmation trusts and sale transactions.

Mr. Warner is the partner in charge of the Houston, Texas office of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP. A native of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Warner graduated from California State University Northridge (B.S., accounting, 1981) and Southwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1984). He is licensed to practice law in California and Texas.

For the last 29 years, Mr. Warner has lived on a working horse and cattle ranch west of Fort Worth, Texas with his wife. Mr. Warner is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

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