Gary Kaplan is Special Counsel at Farella Braun + Martel and Co-Chair of the firm's Restructuring, Insolvency & Creditors Rights Group, which has a "top tier" rankings from U.S. News & World Reports.
Mr. Kaplan represents debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors' committees and trustees in a wide range of bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy matters. His practice includes both out of court and Chapter 11 restructurings, including advising clients regarding pre- and post-bankruptcy strategy, debt collection, judgment enforcement and provisional remedies. He has represented both lenders and borrowers in a wide range of financing transactions, including conventional revolving and term loan credit facilities, debt issuances, leases, guarantees and debtor-in-possession financing. He also has extensive litigation experience in both bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy courts, at trial and appellate levels, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Among other high-profile representations, he has acted as lead counsel for the debtors in the Chapter 11 cases of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Pacific Lumber, each of which were among the largest bankruptcy cases ever filed in their respective industries, and resulted in those companies' successful reorganizations. His clients have included Longs Drug Stores, Inc., Pepsi-Cola, PMI Mortgage Insurance Company, Toys "R" Us, Inc., and Visa USA, Inc.
Mr. Kaplan is a Certified Legal Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the State Bar of California and is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification.
Mr. Kaplan has lectured and authored materials on a variety of bankruptcy and commercial law topics. He has been named to the list of Northern California Super Lawyers (2004-2006, 2009, 2010) and was one of only eight "recommended" attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area by Restructuring and Insolvency Handbook (2002-2010). He is a ten-time recipient of the "Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service" award presented by the Bar Association of San Francisco and has received a Certificate of Recognition as an "Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service" from the California State Senate based on his consumer bankruptcy work.
Prior to his legal career, Mr. Kaplan was a Financial Analyst with First Boston Corporation.