Sulmeyer Kupetz

What Sulmeyer Kupetz does

SulmeyerKupetz is a Los Angeles-based boutique law firm founded in 1953, focused exclusively on bankruptcy, insolvency, financial restructuring, and related litigation. The firm represents the full spectrum of constituency types in financial distress matters — debtors, creditors, trustees, receivers, creditors' committees, buyers, sellers, assignees, and governmental entities — across federal and state courts under Chapters 7, 9, and 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, as well as out-of-court workouts, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and bankruptcy mediation. Geographic coverage centers on California with national reach into U.S. insolvency proceedings, anchored by offices in downtown Los Angeles and Orange County.

The practice spans ten discrete service lines: bankruptcy legal services, business reorganization, workouts and restructuring, insolvency-related litigation, corporate and transactional work (M&A, financing, structuring), managed liquidations, municipal debt adjustment, in-house receivers and trustees, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and bankruptcy mediation. The firm's distinguishing structural advantage is three in-house bankruptcy trustees — a service unavailable at full-service firms due to conflict-of-interest restrictions — and partner David S. Kupetz's authorship of the Collier Handbook for Creditors' Committees, providing recognized domain authority. Representative matters include Montgomery Ward's multi-billion management buyout from Mobil, Gardenburger's Chapter 11 restructuring, the Queen Mary Chapter 11 trustee representation, Axium International's entertainment payroll work, and the City of San Bernardino's Chapter 9 case.

Revenue mechanics follow traditional professional services: hourly and retainer-based fees with quote-based pricing per matter complexity, no public disclosure. The firm is structured as a California professional corporation (SulmeyerKupetz, A Professional Corporation) with partner-equity ownership, no external investors, and no venture funding. Client acquisition is reputation-driven — peer recognition (Martindale-Hubbell, Southern California Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America), thought leadership in legal journals, CLE-accredited webinars, and industry-body involvement (Turnaround Management Association, State Bar of California Insolvency Law Committee). In 2022, the firm and all its attorneys and staff transitioned into Greenspoon Marder LLP, ending independent operations.

Name

Sulmeyer Kupetz

Legal name

SulmeyerKupetz, A Professional Corporation

Website

https://sulmeyerlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SulmeyerKupetz is a Los Angeles-based boutique law firm specializing in bankruptcy, insolvency, and financial restructuring, representing debtors, creditors, trustees, and committees in Chapter 7, 9, and 11 proceedings across California and the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bankruptcy and Restructuring Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insolvency, Restructuring & Bankruptcy Administration (BPAHABAL), Business Valuation & Litigation Support (BPAHABAK), Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Servicing (Consumer) (FSAKAJAK)

Keywords

• Bankruptcy legal services
• Corporate restructuring
• Insolvency litigation
• Creditor representation
• Chapter 11 reorganization

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services for bankruptcy, restructuring, and litigation matters. Services include representing debtors, creditors, trustees, receivers, committees, buyers, sellers, and other parties in federal and state courts and negotiated resolutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SulmeyerKupetz is a financial restructuring and litigation law firm delivering legal services in bankruptcy, insolvency, workouts, and restructurings. The firm represents debtors, creditors, trustees, receivers, creditors' committees, buyers, sellers, professionals, and governmental entities in federal and state courts and in negotiated resolutions, with practice areas covering Chapter 7, Chapter 9, and Chapter 11 proceedings, corporate transactions, managed liquidations, receiverships, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and bankruptcy mediation.

Product overview

SulmeyerKupetz is a financial restructuring and litigation law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services for insolvency-related matters. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core offerings include bankruptcy representation (Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Chapter 9), business reorganization, out-of-court workouts and restructurings, litigation, corporate transactional work, managed liquidations, trustee and receivership services, assignments for the benefit of creditors, and bankruptcy mediation. The firm has over 65 years of experience representing diverse clients including debtors, creditors, trustees, receivers, committees, buyers, and sellers in federal and state courts across California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bankruptcy Legal Services Legal representation for debtors, creditors, trustees, receivers, committees, buyers, sellers, and other parties in federal and state bankruptcy proceedings, including Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases.
• Business Reorganization Legal counsel for companies undergoing financial restructuring and reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
• Workouts and Restructuring Out-of-court workouts and debt and business restructurings, representing debtors, guarantors, secured lenders, creditor committees, and other parties in negotiated resolutions.
• Insolvency Litigation Insolvency-related disputes and litigation in federal and state courts, including commercial and business litigation matters tied to bankruptcy and restructuring.
• Corporate and Transactional Work Corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, financing, structuring, and secured transactional work for clients in financial distress.
• Managed Liquidations Court-supervised liquidation of assets under Chapter 7 bankruptcy and out-of-court liquidation scenarios.
• Municipal Debt Adjustment Chapter 9 bankruptcy representation for municipalities seeking to adjust their debts, including representation in Chapter 9 proceedings for cities and counties.
• Receivers and Trustees In-house bankruptcy trustees and state court receivers services, with attorneys serving as Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustees and receivers in case types including apartment projects, hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses.
• Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors Alternative to bankruptcy proceedings where an assignee takes custody of distressed business assets for liquidation and distribution to creditors.
• Bankruptcy Mediation Alternative dispute resolution services for bankruptcy matters using neutral third-party mediators with bankruptcy law expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully represented management in Montgomery Ward multi-billion management buyout from Mobil
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Turnaround Management Association (TMA) SoCalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 November 2017SulmeyerKupetz is a proud supporter of TMA SoCal's November networking event held at the LINE Hotel. TMA is an organization with a network of more than 9,000 turnaround practitioners, bankruptcy attorneys, lenders, bankers, workout officers, investors and other related professionals worldwide.
• Greenspoon Marder LLPcoreOthersThe attorneys and staff of SulmeyerKupetz have now joined Greenspoon Marder LLP, a full-service law firm. The firm transitioned its operations to this larger firm.
• State Bar of California Business Law Section - Insolvency Law Committee (ILC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSulmeyerKupetz attorney Asa S. Hami serves as Co-Chair and immediate past Co-Chair of the ILC. The firm participates in judicial profile series and educational programs for members on business law issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones: Boutique bankruptcy and restructuring firm headquartered in Los Angeles with national reach — almost identical service mix (Chapter 11, trustee and committee work, distressed M&A) and same regional base as SulmeyerKupetz, making it the closest direct peer.
• Klee Tuchin Bogdandoff & Stern LLP: Los Angeles-based bankruptcy and restructuring boutique representing debtors, creditors' committees, and trustees — nearly identical practice footprint and client mix as SulmeyerKupetz, directly comparable in scale and specialization.
• Levene Neale Bender Yoo & Brill L.L.P. Small Los Angeles bankruptcy boutique focused on Chapter 11 representation, creditors' committees, and bankruptcy litigation — competes head-to-head with SulmeyerKupetz for the same SoCal distressed matters.
• Stutman Treister & Glatt Professional Corporation: Los Angeles bankruptcy and insolvency boutique serving creditors, debtors, trustees, and committees — direct competitor with a comparable specialty-only footprint in the same Southern California market.
• Togut Segal & Segal LLP: New York-based bankruptcy boutique renowned for Chapter 11 debtor and committee work — niche boutique peer with comparable specialization and case mix (chapter 11 reorganizations, creditors' committees).

Emerging players

• Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC: Operational turnaround and restructuring advisory firm (not a law firm) that frequently works alongside bankruptcy counsel — comparable to SulmeyerKupetz in the distressed-asset ecosystem and often retained on the same cases.
• Development Specialists Inc. National turnaround management consulting firm that provides interim management, CRO, and restructuring advisory on cases where SulmeyerKupetz serves as trustee or counsel — closely aligned ecosystem participant.

Broad incumbents

• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP: Global law firm with one of the largest bankruptcy and financial restructuring practices — competes with SulmeyerKupetz for the upper end of large Chapter 11 matters and distressed M&A.
• Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP: Wall Street firm with a premier restructuring group historically dominant in mega Chapter 11 cases (e.g., MCI/WorldCom, KMart — same matters SulmeyerKupetz attorneys worked on) — incumbent competitor for complex distressed engagements.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP: Litigation-focused global firm with a strong restructuring and bankruptcy litigation practice — competitor for contested insolvency matters and adversary proceedings where SulmeyerKupetz litigates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1150099?trk=tyah

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sulmeyer Kupetz