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David Warfield

David Warfield

Partner

St. Louis
314 552 6079 direct

  • OVERVIEW
  • INSIGHTS
  • NEWS & EVENTS

INDUSTRIES

PRACTICES

  • Education

    • Washington University in St. Louis,

      JD, 1984

      BSBA, 1981

  • Admissions

    • Missouri

  • Affiliations

    • American Bankruptcy Institute

    • American Bar Association

    • The Missouri Bar

  • Recognitions

    • Named Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-Bankruptcy in St. Louis (by BL Rankings) 2015. 2019

    • Board of Directors, American College of Bankruptcy, 2019

    • Co-Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee to Establish Pro Bono Program for Pro Se Filers for Eastern District of Missouri, 2016-2019

    • Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy, 2009-2019

    • Listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® (by Thomson Reuters), 2005-2019

      Bankruptcy Creditor/Debtor Rights Law

      Top 50 in St. Louis 2005-2008; 2011-2013

      Top 100 in Missouri & Kansas, 2006; 2010-2013

    • Listed in "The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings)," 1993-2020

    • Eighth Circuit Regent to American College of Bankruptcy, 2014-2018

    • Nominating Committee, American College of Bankruptcy, 2017

    • Recipient, Turnaround of the Year from Turnaround Management Association, 2011

    • Recipient, Judge Robert E. Brauer Innovations in Bankruptcy Law Award, 2005

  • Employment

    • Thompson Coburn LLP

      Partner, 2009-Present

    • Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP

      Partner, 2003-2009

    • Husch & Eppenberger, LLC

      Partner, 1992-2003

      Associate, 1984-1992

David is a 30-year veteran of the financial restructuring world who provides practical, straight-forward advice to all types of institutions that interact with a distressed business.

As the lead attorney for multiple high-profile matters, David is skilled at managing complex restructurings and unraveling the competing interests of all relevant parties. In both in-court bankruptcies and out-of-court workouts, David has led work on many complex, multi-party matters, including one recent case involving a large-scale fraud and tens of thousands of consumer claims. His clients include debtors, senior secured lenders, bondholders, creditors' committees, receivers and asset purchasers.

Tapping his business education, David looks for creative solutions that satisfy the diverse constituencies of a distressed business. He puts a premium on speed, as value erodes and options diminish nearly every day in a financial restructuring. David's quick thinking and persistence helps clients preserve value and plan for the future even as "the ice cube melts."

Blogs

Can government actions restrict creditors’ remedies during the COVID-19 emergency?

Appeals Court rules bankruptcy trustee can recover tuition payments from college

Four key takeaways from the August 2019 bankruptcy code amendments

Supreme Court decides key trademark licensee issue in bankruptcy

Court rules subordination agreement bars junior creditor from obtaining discovery from senior creditor

Managers of insolvent Missouri LLCs have no fiduciary duty to creditors

Two non-conventional uses for Missouri’s new receivership statute

Chapter 12 family farmer cases in Missouri: A look inside the numbers

7 things you should know about the new Missouri Commercial Receivership Act

Eight things we learned from the Detroit bankruptcy

Thompson Coburn Publications

Amendments to Chapter 12 make it easier for a family farmer to reorganize

Parsing the legal and financial impact from Detroit’s bankruptcy

TCLEs

Seven Things You Should Know About the Missouri Commercial Receivership Act

Publications

Author,
Chapter 12 Bankruptcy Overview, Practical Law, 2019

Contributor,
Strategic Alternatives For and Against Distressed Businesses, 2019 Edition

Farm Bankruptcy Update,
Trends, Laws, Procedures and Implications, Sponsored by the University of Missouri, 2019

Moderator,
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Annual Bankruptcy institute, Missouri Bar, 2018

Author,
"The Three Giants of Bankruptcy Law in St. Louis," 55 Washington University Journal of Law and Policy 87, 2017

Moderator,
Current Issues in Substantive Consolidation, Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute, 2017

"Farm Bankruptcies";
Emerging Issues in Agricultural Lending Symposium, sponsored by the University of Missouri, 2016

Contributor, MOBar CLE,
Bankruptcy Practice Deskbook, 2015

"Lender Liability";
Emerging Issues in Agricultural Lending Symposium, sponsored by the University of Missouri, June, 2015

"Could a Detroit-style bankruptcy happen here?";
St. Louis Business Journal, September 2013