Ms. Grassgreen is a senior partner in the firm’s San Francisco office and heads the firm’s international insolvency practice. She is president of the prestigious International Insolvency Institute (the first woman to be elected to that position) and is widely regarded as a leading expert on cross border restructuring matters. Ms. Grassgreen has significant experience representing debtors, trustees, and creditors’ committees in large and complex chapter 11 cases nationwide and internationally. Ms. Grassgreen has participated in the United Nations working group (UNCITRAL) developing a uniform international insolvency law and materials to assist countries in the adoption and implementation of insolvency legislation for over ten years.
Ms. Grassgreen is listed in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders-Global Elite 2019, one of only seven U.S.-based lawyers listed for Restructuring and Insolvency and has been named by the Daily Journal as one of the top 100 women lawyers in California for several years. She is a fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2001 for her work in both Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy. Ms. Grassgreen holds an AV Preeminent Peer Rating, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest recognition for ethical standards and legal ability, and is ranked among Bankruptcy/Restructuring attorneys by Chambers USA. Every year since 2010, she has been named a “Northern California Super Lawyer” by San Francisco Magazine. Ms. Grassgreen is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she also received her J.D., and is admitted to practice in Florida as well as California.
News
•Prestigious Chambers Guides Again Rank PSZJ Among Leading Law Firms
April 23, 2020
•Five PSZJ Attorneys Named Who’s Who Legal Thought Leaders
February 10, 2020
•Debra Grassgreen Selected to Global Restructuring Review’s 2019 Women in Restructuring Survey
Global Restructuring Review (GRR), November 2019
•PSZJ Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2019
•Debra Grassgreen Elected President of the International Insolvency Institute (III)
June 3, 2019
•Prestigious Chambers Guides Again Rank PSZJ Among Leading Law Firms
April 25, 2019
•Northern California Super Lawyers and a Rising Star
March 12, 2019
•PSZJ Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2018
•Prestigious Chambers Guides Again Rank PSZJ Among the Best Law Firms
May 7, 2018
•Thirty-Five PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 15, 2017
•Prestigious Chambers Guides Again Rank PSZJ Among the Best Law Firms
June 8, 2017
•Nineteen PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 2016
•Debra Grassgreen Included in Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers of 2016
May 3, 2016
•Four Pachulski Lawyers Named Northern California's Best Lawyers
November 2015
•Seventeen PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 17, 2015
•Failed Tech Startups Fuel Insolvency Firms
The Recorder, July 25, 2015
•Authoritative Chambers Guides Again Rank PSZJ Among the Best
May 19, 2015
•Select Staffing Wins Restructuring Deal of the Year at 13th Annual M&A Advisor Awards
The M&A Advisor, December 2014
•Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones Featured in Top Boutiques in the Daily Journal
Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal, October 2014
•Thirteen PSZJ Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America
August 2014
•Four PSZJ Lawyers in San Francisco Named Super Lawyers
San Francisco Magazine
Northern California Super Lawyers, July 2014
•Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones: Five M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards
February 2014
•Solyndra Bankruptcy Reorganization Wins ACG Energy Deal of the Year
Third Annual ACG New York Champion’s Awards
June 2013
•Debra Grassgreen Named to Daily Journal's Top 100 Women Lawyers for 2013
May 2013
•Solyndra Salvaged
Investors Preserve Potential Tax Benefits of Company's Failure:
Turnarounds & Workouts Trends, April 2013
•American Suzuki Swiftly Glides to Plan Confirmation
March 6, 2013
•Three Pachulski Lawyers Named Northern California's Best Lawyers
The Recorder & Best Lawyers in America, February 2013
•Solyndra Liquidation Plan Effective
December 2012
•Auction for Digital Domain Assets Produces $30M - Double Opening Bid
September 24, 2012
•Third Edition of First Day Motions Guide Published
American Bankruptcy Institute, June 2012
•Debra Grassgreen Elected to International Insolvency Institute
May 2012
•Toni Braxton Scores a Victory
September 2011
•Pachulski Stang Wins Corporate Turnaround Deal of the Year Award
June 2011
•Pachulski Stang Honored for Work on Flying J and The Walking Company Chapter 11 Cases
M&A Advisor Fifth Annual Turnaround Awards
The M&A Advisor, March 9, 2011
•PSZJ Attorneys Among Best Lawyers in America
2008
•Debra Grassgreen Inducted Into American College of Bankruptcy
November 6, 2007
Publicaiton
•First Day Motions (3d ed.)
A Guide to the Critical First Days of a Bankruptcy Case
American Bankruptcy Institute, June 2012
•Valuation and the Chapter 11 Process
Contested Valuation in Corporate Bankruptcy: A Collier Monograph (LexisNexis), 2011
•Individual Chapter 11 Cases After BAPCPA
What Happened to the Fresh Start ?
2006 Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law 309 (West 2006), 2006
•Coauthor with M. Litvak: First Day Motions: A Guide to the Critical First Days of a Bankruptcy Case (ABI 2d ed. 2006)(sole author of 1st ed. 2003)
•Coauthor with P. Egan: Valuation and the Chapter 11 Process in Contested Valuation in Corporate Bankruptcy - A Collier Monograph (LexisNexis 2011)
•Author: Individual Chapter 11 Cases After BAPCPA: What Happened to the Fresh Start? 2006 Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law 309 (West 2006)
• Property of the Estate, in Understanding the Basics of Bankruptcy & Reorganization 2005, 880 PLI/Comm 145 (2005)
• Sale of Assets, in Understanding the Basics of Bankruptcy & Reorganization 2005, 880 PLI/Comm 249 (2005)
• Rejection, Assumption and Assignment of Real Estate Leases Generally, in Impact of Bankruptcy on Real Property Transactions (Cal. Cont. Ed. of the Bar 2003)
Programs and Lectures
Practicing Law Institute (standing faculty); American Bankruptcy Institute; Turnaround Management Association; State Bar of California; Beverly Hills Bar Association; American Bar Association; Bar Association of San Francisco; University of Florida College of Law; California Continuing Education of the Bar; Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Accountants; International Council of Shopping Centers
Events
•Prepare for the Future: Emerging Topics
INSOL International Tokyo One Day Seminar
November 7, 2019
•Corporate Debt Restructuring and Investor Protection-How Is Singapore Advancing to be Asia’s Hub for Restructuring?
Singapore 2019 10th Corporate Governance Week
September 23, 2019
•The Growing Convergence of International Insolvency Regimes
Fourteenth Annual International Insolvency & Restructuring Symposium
Milan, Italy, October 17, 2018
•Cross Border Alchemy: Jurisdictional Predicates for Effective Restructurings
National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and International Insolvency Institute
Las Vegas, October 9, 2017
•Future Hot Spots - What Industry Sectors and Regions Will Be the Source of the Major Restructurings in 2017-2018?
17th Annual International Insolvency Institute
London UK, June 19, 2017
•Bankruptcy Morning Edition From Broken Bench Radio
90th Annual National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
San Francisco, July 26, 2016
•The Clash - The Intervention Between IP and Bankruptcy Law
28th Annual California Bankruptcy Forum
May 20, 2016
•Who Will Be There to Shut Off the Lights? Fiduciary Duties and Limiting Personal Liability in Winding Down Entities
ABA Business Law Section Corporate Governance Commmittee
San Francisco, April 18, 2015
•Practice Points: Commencing a Bankruptcy Case
Nuts and Bolts of Corporate Bankruptcy 2014
New York, December 8, 2014
•The 11s of Tomorrow: Industry Issues, Including Healthcare, Retail, and Alternative Energy
22nd Annual ABI Southwest Bankruptcy Conference
Las Vegas, September 5, 2014
•Issues Relating to Creditors and Claims
Fourth UNCITRAL International Insolvency Law Colloquium
Vienna, Austria, December 2013
•What Will the Future Insolvency Reform Work of UNCITRAL Be and Major Changes by UNCITRAL to the Guide to Enactment as to COMI Determination
ABA Business Law Section International Bankruptcy Subcommittee at National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
Atlanta, October 31, 2013
•I Only Read Up to Chapter 11 - How does It End? The Present and Future State of Bankruptcy
American College of Bankruptcy and University of Miami School of Law
Coral Gables FL, October 21, 2013
•Insolvency: Board/Management Liability for Employment and Tax Claims
Corporate Governance 2013: Today’s Best Practices and Practical Advice for Private Companies
San Francisco, May 16, 2013
•The Sun Goes Down on Solyndra: A Look Beyond the Headlines With Analysis From Company Advisors
Beverly Hills, February 12, 2013
•(Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Individual Chapter 11s
86th Annual National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
San Diego, October 24, 2012
•Chapter 11 Track: Dos and Don’ts of Seeking First-Day Relief
20th Annual American Bankruptcy Institute Southwest Bankruptcy Conference
Las Vegas, September 14, 2012
•Rights and Roles of Unsecured Creditors
Twelfth Annual International Insolvency Institute
Paris, France, June 21, 2012
•Alternative Energy
AIRA 28th Annual Bankruptcy & Restructuring Conference
June 8, 2012
•Community Service: We Don't Just Talk About It!
International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation Annual Spring Conference & Founders Awards
Washington DC, April 19, 2012
•How Absolute Is the Absolute Priority Rule in Individual Chapter 11?
Orange County Bar Association
Orange CA, April 17, 2012
•DIPstick: Measuring the Fiduciary Duties of Counsel for the DIP and Other Estate Professionals
23rd Annual ABI Winter Leadership Conference
La Quinta CA, December 2, 2011
•Commencing a Bankruptcy Case
Practising Law Insitute's Nuts and Bolts of Corporate Bankruptcy 2011
San Francisco, November 17, 2011
•Use, Sale, or Lease of Property
Practising Law Insitute's Nuts and Bolts of Corporate Bankruptcy 2011
San Francisco, November 17, 2011
•NorCal State of the Industry Event
Northern California Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association
San Franicisco, November 18, 2010
•Minefields, Sheer Cliffs and Rough Roads: The Landscape of Loan Workouts in 2010
International Council of Shopping Centers Law Conference
Hollywood FL, November 3, 2010
•Business Law Update
ABI Sixth Annual Caribbean Insolvency Symposium
Boca Raton FL, February 12, 2010
•High-income Individuals: Chapter 11 by and for the People
ABI 21st Annual Winter Leadership Conference
La Quinta CA, December 2009
•Financing and Sale of Encumbered Property
Nuts and Bolts of Corporate Bankruptcy 2009
San Francisco, November 30, 2009
