The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at the Martin V.B. Bostetter Jr. Courthouse, 200 S. Washington St. in Alexandria, Virginia. Credit: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons Et Tu, EDVA? Why Big Law Is Dodging a Once-Favorable Bankruptcy Venue
"That was the last time anyone files in EDVA," one Am Law 100 bankruptcy partner said of the formerly popular jurisdiction.
July 11, 2024 at 09:00 AM
8 minute read
What You Need to Know
- Big Law debtor practices are avoiding the Eastern District of Virginia after Vinson & Elkins was denied as debtors counsel in the bankruptcy of wood pellet manufacturer Enviva.
- Judge Brian F. Kenney ruled that the law firm wasn't disinterested due to its simultaneous representation of a 43% stockholder in Enviva.
- Debtor-side attorneys were shocked by the ruling, but bankruptcy ethics experts said Kenney was merely interpreting ethics rules as they were written.
This March, Vinson & Elkins came to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to restructure Enviva, a Maryland-based wood pellet manufacturer and longtime client.
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